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The Evolution Of Spyro

Volume One

Book One:

The Aftermath

“Consider for a moment, if you were born with a fated outcome. Like you, specifically, were destined to do something special. Consider that you complete that task, then what would happen? Most people believe that fate ends when they die. But this is not true, fate comes and goes, you may complete the many tasks prewritten for you, but there may be more in the future. Fate plays a cruel but reasonable game, it may affect your children, or any line of descendants in the future, or it may move on to someone else entirely. But how do you know that you have finished your destiny? In truth, you don’t, you must choose a point in your life where you must stop, settle, and allow yourself to forget your past horrors.”

Excerpt From:

The Tome Of Fate

The Ultimate Guardian

Can be found in the Infinite Archive

Important Education Section (Public)

Chapter One

The first thought that went through Cynder’s head was ‘too bright’. Her head ringing, she slowly lifted her head and looked over at the purple dragon.

“Spyro!” she calls, with no response.

She gets up and looks him over with worry, ’he seems okay’ she thinks to herself. She looks around, wondering where they are. They appear to be in a valley surrounded by an ethereal lake. In the center of the valley is a henge, a large statue of a dragon at the center. Cynder wearily approaches the henge studying the markings on the stones. Each stone was marked with a depiction of the same dragon as the statue. First it shows the dragon surrounded by two types of armies, with strange floating islands in the background. Second a depiction of the dragon using some sort of magic, the rune that depicted the magic felt protective. The third and final depiction showed the same dragon traveling through some sort of portal.

“What?” Cynder says to herself, just noticing the text below the depictions.

The words seem to translate themselves into a voice in her own head

“Michael, the defender of life and guardian of the multiverse. To awaken the ultimate guardian, a purple dragon must use all of their elements upon the statue”

At that moment Spyro woke up

“Cynder! where are you?” He yelled worriedly.

“Over here” She replied, and ran over to him.

“Are you okay? What Happened? Where are we?”

“I’m fine” She answered, “I don’t know where we are or what happened”

Spyro, showing visibly less worried turns his attention to the henge with its sapphire veined dark gray stone. He looks at the depictions and “reads” the text below

“This is a Guardian?” He asks in surprise “Should I free him?”

“What… Oh yeah” Cynder replies, seeming to forget that Spyro was a purple dragon for a second”

“Maybe you should” She answers

Spyro walks over to the front of the statue and looks at it for a moment, before deciding to awaken it. He charges up an element ball containing all of his powers and throws it full force at the statue. When the dust settles the two dragons gasp at surprise as the statue stands seemingly untouched. Then with a sudden rumble, the sapphire veins began to glow brightly, pulsing with magic. The statue’s eyes began to glow as well, cracks starting to appear throughout its entire body. The cracks grew bigger and with a might crash the statue blew apart, releasing a mighty black dragon with dark blue eyes. The black dragon had two horns that curved up and back and a tailblade that started before the tip of his a tail and ended 3 feet past it, it appeared to be a dual-edged tailsword. The dragon’s completely black body was protected by armor, intricately woven metal with carefully placed onyx and sapphire gems that glowed with a similar pulse to his eyes. The magic fades and the dragon “wakes up” he looks straight down at the younger dragons.

“You must be Spyro and Cynder” His voice seemed… Oddly normal

“How do you know are names?” Spyro asked getting in a protective stance in front of Cynder

“I am Michael, the Guardian of the balance between good and evil, the protector of the infinite multiverse. In each dimension a version of me exists, but we are one being, connected, one soul that experiences infinity all at once. So, in simpler terms I know a LOT of things.”

“Do you know where we are then?” Cynder asked

“We are in the Valley of Souls, the most magical place on… What’s left of this planet” he said looking out at the ethereal lake surrounding the island.

“What happened to the planet?” Spyro asked with more than a little worry in his voice

“When Malefor died the resulting explosion shattered the planet, creating millions of islands surrounded by ethereal lakes. But unlike most planets when shattered this one did not collapse because of a spell Spyro used to save it” Michael said while tapping each stone pillar in the henge, as if testing them.

“Shattered?” Cynder replied “Most planets? You mean there are other planets?”

“Yes, and both of you are from one” He answered, returning to the middle of the henge.

Too stunned to speak the two dragons watched as Michael lifted his right paw, spread his claws apart and summoned a rune right above his pads. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent the rune upward. Once the rune was so far up it was no longer visible it expanded to cover the whole valley, then exploded raining blue sparks of magic along the entire valley. Then on either side of him two armies began to form. One by one, hundreds of dragons on one side and hundreds of, what appear to be wolves, poof into being with a small burst of blue sparks until the valley was filled with their voices. Spyro opened his mouth as if to say something, but before any words came out the henge shuddered. Each pillar shot forth a burst of light, meeting in the middle and shooting upward. Then in a flash of light, a giant island appeared, with a massive stone castle on top, and hundreds of different sized cannons pointing in every direction.

“What is that” Spyro yelped ducking back, almost running into Cynder

“A Flying Fortress, specially designed for this dimension and others like it.” Michael answered

The wolf army walked over to the dragon one, and began to climb onto their backs to be flown to the fortress. Spyro and Cynder watched in awe as the fortress began to charge in magical power.

“So where should we go? Your home planet perhaps, or maybe the Guardian temple” Michael asked

“I don’t understand, we aren’t from this planet?” Cynder asked, confused.

Michael sighed “Let me tell you the story of you parents. Over a hundred and fifty years ago a red egg, black egg, a pink egg, and a purple egg.”

“Purple egg, was that Malefor?” Spyro asked.

“Yes, and that was also… Cynder’s father” Michael continued

“What?” Cynder yelled, before her legs gave out and she feinted.

“What?” Spyro echoed, catching Cynder as she fell.

Spyro breathes an icy breath to wake Cynder up. She jumps with a start.

“Please, continue” Cynder gasped

“Malefor was a purple dragon whose egg was laid in the city of Faun on the Triad Homeworld, he was the second of both of your parents to be laid. His egg was one of six. When his parents found that his egg was purple, I was called to verify. The egg was indeed purple, and I quickly confirmed it, but before leaving I had to tell his parents to raise him like normal until his powers manifested, then he would be trained by the Triad Guardians. But he would have a normal childhood. The first of your parents to be laid was Cynder’s mother Silver, whom you look just like, her mother was a black dragoness who was hunted by some dragons from another city who considered her ‘cursed’ and tried to end her bloodline. Without a mate, who died protecting her. Left alone with only one surviving egg, she went to me. We didn’t talk much, but she said that she could not take care of her egg and that since I have had a long history of raising dragons, I was better suited to raise her egg. I agreed and she left, much to my protest she kept saying that she had to leave to better protect her egg. I never heard from her again, despite all the things I know, I do not know everything. She could still be alive, if she is though, she is hiding on a distant planet separated from the events of the war. The third egg, the red one, was Spyro’s father, Fury. He was first laid of 5 eggs. Fury was born of the king and queen of all elemental dragons, a bloodline that can be traced through billions of years, thousands of planets, and hundreds of dimensions. Thus, making Fury a prince, a very powerful prince, as he would inherit the powers of his royal bloodline. The final egg would be Spyro’s mother. Rose, a very beautiful pink dragon, is also from a powerful bloodline. Her grandfather was one of the most powerful users of soul magic I have ever known. But she beat her entire family in terms of power. Her parents decided that they only wanted the responsibility of raising one child, so they used magic on themselves to only lay one egg. That kind of magic is usually very dangerous but luck was on their side and the spell was successful. But fate struck when Rose’s parents were called to fight a magma titan on another planet. They left their egg with me for safe keeping, fully expecting to return. But sadly, they died destroying the titan. Leaving me then to raise two daughters. Almost immediately after they hatched the four became friends, each one being excluded from the rest of society because of how they were born. Malefor because he was a purple dragon, Silver because she was a black dragon, and considered to be a creature of evil, Fury because of his royal bloodline, and Rose because of her powerful bloodline. The four explored the world together, going farther as they got older. But then Malefor began to manifest powers that he could not control. As you will soon Spyro. The group returned to Faun and Malefor began his training with the Guardians. But something else was happening to the young dragons; love. Fury had begun training of his own to inherit the role as King of Elemental Dragons. The role being entirely for show because the king was not needed at the time, and a representative had been placed in the position in the Multiversal League, which is the name of my kingdom, or ML for short. But while training Fury began to fall in love with Rose, and vise-versa with Rose falling in love with Fury. Both of them were too embarrassed to admit it to each other for a painfully long time. Meanwhile Malefor and Silver fell in love with each other, and Silver helped him with the rest of his training. The two couples had been mostly separated at the time. With Malefor and Silver staying at the Guardian’s Temple, and Fury and Rose staying at Faun. But when Malefor, Fury, and Rose finished their training they meet back up in the city square where they grew up. By then both couples already were mated, and wishing to settle down. The couples bought houses on either side of mine and rebuilt them to better suit themselves. Like most houses in the city each one had a living area, a kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 1 master bedroom, 2 studies, 2 bathrooms, and two more rooms that will later become a nest and a nursery. Fury rebuilt their house very intricately with a roomy feel and a homey design. ‘Chuckles’ He had a lot of pride when it came to that house. Malefor built a house with more of a comforting feel but with less space. By the time the houses were finished both couples were antsy to explore. So that’s what they did, but it was a mistake for me to let them go, because it caused Malefor’s corruption. His evilness was not his fault, I know you cringe at the thought of him but it was not his fault, someone else corrupted him. It began on the dark planet Kanos. Where Malefor was given a dark core by a dragon who he thought was a friend. To be given a dark core by a dragon with malicious intent is the first ingredient to a total corruption. The second event happened on the Jem Homeworld, while investigating an attempted grave robbing, Malefor accidentally held a random dragon’s claw. But he did not know that the claw had been deliberately placed. The second ingredient to total corruption is to hold the claw of an innocently killed dragon. Soon after that, both Rose and Silver had decided that they wanted to have children, but since they had no experience on how to be a mother, they did not know what to do. Don’t get me wrong I raised them both to the best of my abilities, but they never had a true mother figure, so they decided that they wanted to choose a heat where they would only have one egg. They settled back into their homes and began to prepare. Shortly after both females became pregnant the third event happened, in Faun no less. While Malefor was searching for gems to make into special jewelry for Silver he inspected a certain sunstone. This sunstone was collected from a dying star, which is baffling to me because that meant that a sun dragon went specifically to a dying star and collected a stone from it. That third ingredient sealed the total corruption. Malefor did not feel the effects at first but then became more curious about dark and eldritch magics. While Silver was carefully building a nest and planning the nursery, He would travel to a secret lab and cast dark spells. He would gather knowledge and power before cleansing himself and returning home to his mate, who can sense dark magic residue. This went on for several months before I caught him returning with traces of dark magic. We talked, and when I discovered his corruption I told him, I told him of his corruption, and I told him that there was a cure. His corruption had taken total control of his mind, he did not want a cure. We fought and I swiftly defeated him, I was about to temporarily petrify him when Fury stopped me. He thought that he could fix things, He thought that I was overstepping my bounds. So he asked me to leave, and I did. My forces left the dimension to wait for the next calling, and I froze myself to that statue. In my ethereal form I watched Malefor escape from his bounds and leave for his lab. When he discovered that I had destroyed it he hid in a nearby cave to recover. While that was happening Silver and Rose laid their eggs, and it just so happened that Rose’s was purple. They knew that when Malefor finds out he will come for both of the eggs, so they planned their escape. They planned to take the eggs to the Genrir Homeworld, this world, and guard the portal until it can be safely closed in a way that can not be traced. But things went wrong when the plan was carried out. After the eggs were taken to the Genrir Guardian’s temple, while Rose was preparing to close the portal, Malefor attacked. They fought, Malefor could not beat the three powerful dragons in normal combat, and he knew this, so he summoned a spell so powerful he was unable to control it. He only wanted to defeat the others than take the eggs and vanish to a distant planet. But the spell was so powerful that it vaporized the three dragons, it did so in such a way that their souls got trapped in this dimension, unable to move on. Though that might sound bad, I consider that if the souls didn’t move on, it means they can be brought back. Though don’t get your hopes up because there is a lot of ifs in the way of that. The spell Malefor used was so powerful that it destroyed both his body and the portal, but he was able to trace it to the Genrir Homeworld. After a few months, Malefor was able to build enough power to create a temporary portal to Genrir, and begun his attack through Gaul… The Guardians told you the rest I assume? But they didn’t tell you, because they didn’t know, that the war did not only reach Genrir, but spread over thousands of planets. Now everybody who knows that Malefor was unwillingly corrupted understand, and forgive him. Which is good considering that I might be able to bring him back as well. Wouldn’t want the people to hate him, as I know you understand Cynder.”

“Corruption is a total loss of control over one’s own mind, body, and soul. The victim is sent to the backseat of their own life, as an evil creature comes into existence and takes control. It is best not to confuse possession and corruption. Possession is when something comes from an outside source, and takes control of your body, not your mind or soul. Corruption creates an evil version of the victim, and that version takes great joy in doing evil things. Another difference between the two is that possession is far easier to cure than corruption. A possession can be countered by using simple aether magic. But only an aether creature can cure a corruption. To remove corruption from magical creatures such as dragons, elves, or fairies, you need an aether based being.”

Excerpt From:

Corruption, Darkness From Light

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Dark Magic Section (Public)

Chapter Two

Spyro and Cynder looked up, as if just discovering it had become night. So enthralled in the story, they didn’t even notice the sun set. The armies had moved to the fortress and many lights could be seen twinkling from its windows. Spyro sat up, and set to anchor Cynder as she woke up her legs from a long sleep.

“So our parents… aren’t dead?” Spyro asked questioningly

“Well they are, but their souls are trapped somewhere without consciousness, without thought” Michael answers, spreading his wings in pre-flight movements. “You ready to leave yet”

“Leave and go where?” Spyro askes

“Wherever you wish, your home planet, the Temple, Warfang, The fortress has the power to take you anywhere” He answers

“I want to let the Guardians know I am still alive, they will be relieved” Spyro tells Michael

“Then lets go” He takes off, spreading his massive wings and taking flight.

The three dragons fly up to the fortress, landing in its city square. Spyro looks around, marveling at the designs of the massive structure.

“How do the cannons work” Spyro asks, eyeing the massive one that sits at the highest point of the fortress.

“They are element cannons, any dragon can use their element power to charge the cannon, then it can be fired with great accuracy toward an enemy. Usually only fire, earth, and electricity elements are used, but sometimes poison, fear, and shadow.” He answered, walking towards the control center.

“Shadow and fear?” Cynder asks wearily

“Yes, in some circumstances these powers are needed to break some defenses, fighting fire with fire, so to speak” He replied

They entered a large room with a magical projection of the fortress’s surroundings in front of some sort of control interface, the interface was obviously designed specifically for dragons. Michael walked up to the interface and placed his paws in the four indents on the ground. The entire fortress began to hum with power as Michael summoned power and sent it through the fortresses core. Then, with a bright flash the fortress shook once then stilled, power fading from the interface. Spyro looked through the projection and saw the Temple with three dragons looking at them in amazement. The three of them flew down to the temple and greeted the guardians.

“Your still alive!” Volteer exclaimed “I had thought you had died with the explosion, or the shattering, or just from Malefor, or maybe…”

“Michael!” Terrad’or bellows “You have returned, and with such perfect timing too”

“Yes” Michael replied “No thanks to you though, not telling them about me or where to find me. Who would have known that when Spyro and Cynder defeated Malefor, they would be brought to the valley of souls”?

“I’m glad to see your alive Spyro, and you too Cynder” Volteer expressed.

“Thanks, and I’m glad to see that you made it back” Spyro replied.

“I’m guessing your going to take them to the Triad Homeworld” Cyril huffed

“Hello Spyro, nice to see you still alive Spyro, and you too Cynder” Cynder mocked.

Cyril rolled his eyes

“I was hoping we could pick up Flame and Ember in Warfang” Spyro said

“Yeah, that’s a good idea” Cynder agreed

“That may be easier said than done, though, since Ember’s mother is back on the throne after hiding in a cave through the whole war. She’s not likely to let Ember go, especially with Flame, whom she hates.” Cyril interjected.

“A flying fortress floating ominously over the city should change her mind, also the king of elemental dragons should too” Michael replies, absently sharpening his wingblades.

“You told him?” Cyril asks

“Well of course I told him” Michael answers “Its his right to know”

“But has he accepted the role?” Terrad’or asks calmly

“Have you?” Michael asks, turning to Spyro

Spyro thought for a moment “Yes” was all he said.

Michael suddenly stood straight up, stretching his wings out a little “Then it is settled, Spyro, you are now the king of elemental dragons, and none can deny it, now, until the time that it is passed on. Your mate, when you choose one” Cynder blushes when he looks over at her “Will be known as the queen”

With that the three guardians bow to Spyro, Cynder following hastily.

“Cynder… You don’t…” They both blush

“Well, off to Warfang then?” Michael asked, returning to his natural relaxed state.

“Would you like to come with us” Spyro asked the guardians.

“We’d love to but…” Volteer begins

“We can’t leave the temple behind, it needs repair, and we need to find a new fire guardian.” Terrad’or finishes.

A sad twang ripples through Spyro at the thought of Ignitus. But a knowing look passes between Terrad’or and Michael that confuses him for a moment. ‘Do they know something’ Spyro thought, then dismissed the idea.

“Then we should go to Warfang” He stated

They said their farewells, Cynder left first and Michael followed, leaving Spyro for a moment.

“Be careful when prying Ember from her mother, you may have to use your new found kingly powers to intervene with the Queens plans for her daughter.” Terrad’or warned

“What do you mean?” Spyro asked

“As a king you have power over royal affairs, anything you decree will be enforced by Michael’s armies, use this power sparingly though.” Terrad’or responded

“I will, thank you” Spyro said, taking off.

Back in the control center Michael had already charged the core and was instructing Cynder on how to operate the navigation controls. Then after some time she stepped onto the indents and focused. Then with another flash of light the temple vanished and the city of Warfang appeared on the projection.

“Nice job on your first go” Michael states, from the look on his face Spyro can tell he is a little surprised. “Bit close to the palace, so they might get a little jump scare”

As he says that they hear the ringing of the panic bells. They fly down to Warfang’s famous central square to be greeted by several armed dragon guards. Several of Michael’s guards land behind them and it becomes a face off.

“Who are you! State your Intentions!” The captain yelled at them

“I am the ultimate Guardian; I will speak with the queen” Michael bellowed back

“The ultimate Guardian is a thing of children’s tales, tell me who you really are” The captain returned, motioning the guards, who entered their battle stances.

“Wait!” A familiar voice yelled from behind the guards “That’s Spyro!”

A murmur passes through the guards

“Stay back princess” The captain shouts back “They could be dangerous”

“Not to me, now get out of my way!” The guards parted as a pink dragoness adorned with princesses’ jewelry. gold anklets, hornlets, and a tail guard made of intricately woven gold, inset with pink diamonds surrounded with carvings and designs. This dragon looked very different from the Ember they met during the Siege of Warfang. Back then she wore armor that served only to protect the wearer and had no decorative purpose, she also was a lot darker then because she had been wearing warpaint. Now her clean face smiling ear to ear as she greets her friends.

“Spyro, Cynder, your okay” She greeted happily

“Hi Ember, good to see you again” Cynder replied

“The giant island floating overhead is a bit of a surprise though” Ember exclaims, eyeing the fortress overhead.

“Yeah, sorry I was learning how to pilot the fortress and this is where it ended up” Cynder replies, blushing slightly.

The guards seem to ease their tension during the greeting, still nervous about the fortress’s cannons.

“We were about to travel to another world and learn about our history, we thought that you and Flame could come with us. I know this is something weird to ask you, but we felt weird about going alone to a distant world” Spyro said

“I would love to come, but there is now way my mother would let me. Especially with Flame, I haven’t been able to see him for a month now.” Ember sighs, looking sad

“I might be able to help with that” Michael butts in “and Spyro too since he is the king of elemental dragons”

“He’s what!” The captain yells, instantly bowing, the guards follow suit.

“Apparently I’m a king now” Spyro said, Still confused on the matter.

Two guards immediately rush off too the palace to inform the queen.

“Well, that got their attention” Michael huffed “Took them long enough”

“Even with the fortress, my mother wouldn’t let me go, unless she wanted me to ‘connect’ with Spyro” Ember states blushing “But with Flame coming there is no way she will allow me to go… Watch, she will insist that Flame stays.”

After a few more minutes of awkward conversation broken up by silence, the two guards returned.

“The Queen has requested your presence” One of the guards said

“Requested, not demanded, I’m surprised” Ember replied, eyebrows raised.

They flew up to the throne room antechamber, and were told to wait. They could hear the queen yelling from the throne room.

“I don’t care if he is the god of the swamp, you are not going with that, that, scoundrel.”

“But I could be a royal representative of the Warfang territory to possible allies” Ember’s voice echoes.

“Don’t think I don’t know what your other intentions are, you are not sneaking away to another distant planet with some… boy. The only way I will allow you to go is if he stays, but you must come back in a timely matter to choose a suiter.”

“I already have chosen one, Flame is a lord, he fits the requirements”

“I already said no, he is not suitable to be the next king. Now that Spyro on the other hand…”

“He is not interested mother”

“Perhaps not yet”

Michael grumbles, but stops as two dragons with two wolves land next to them. Their entourage is adorned with decorated armor and jewelry. They enter their positions and began to walk through the door, but the guards stopped them.

“The Queen did not call you yet” One whispered.

“I think they have had enough time” Michael retorts, then pushes them aside.

The throne room in the palace is a massive room with a very high ceiling, paintings of dragons decorated the walls. The floor was made of stones mixed with veins of gold. The entire room was lit by glowing crystals made of light magic.

“I had not called you yet” The Queen calls, after noticing them enter.

“We will not wait any longer, prepare the princess for her departure” Michael said, quite calmly

“She will not be going with you, unless Flame stays, and even in that case she must be back in at least 2 winters” The Queen replies

“This is not a debate, there are no terms” Michael responds, chillingly calm

“Then she will not…”

“I have a declaration” Spyro yelled.

Stunned into silence the throne room fell silent

“Go on” Michael whispers to him

“I hereby declare, as King of Elemental Dragons, that Ember, Princess of Warfang, now has the right to chose her own suiter and mate” Spyro Bellows “And she can go wherever she wishes” he says, as a second thought.

“You have no power here, foolish boy” The Queen answers laughing

“But that is where you are wrong” Michael responds “All declarations made by the king, are enforced by my armies”

The queen, looks over at her general, who looks like he wants to disappear into the wall behind him, he nods. The queen then looks back at Michael. Accepting defeat, she flicks her wrist in a ‘go ahead’ gesture. Ember, squealing, rushes off yelling back that she’s going to go find Flame.

Night had fallen before Ember returned with Flame, both of them smiling with glee. Both clearly exited to be going to another world, together. After some packing both of them were ready to go. Cynder back in the control center was watching as Michael prepared the fortress for interstellar travel.

“How do people travel if they have never been to that place before” She asked

“Usually, a starmap and detailed map of their destination would suffice, but if that doesn’t work a photo will do” He answered, charging the core again.

In the recently discovered mess hall Spyro, Flame, and Ember sat eating a full meal of some of the best food they have ever eaten.

“So” Ember started, paused, then continued “You’re a king now?”

“Yes, apparently my parents were too, all they way up my bloodline” Spyro responded

“How did you survive Malefor?” Flame asked

“Truthfully, I don’t know, all I remember is a flash of light, and the chain around my neck vanishing. The next thing I knew I woke up with Cynder in the Valley of Souls” Spyro answered, feeling nervous about the subject.

“Wow, that must have been confusing” Flame replied

“It was”

“Well, on a lighter note this food is the best I’ve every had, and I’m royalty” Ember said, changing the subject

They both agreed moving back to their meal

“Where did Cynder go off to?” Flame asked after they finished.

“She’s learning how to pilot the fortress, apparently she’s a natural, based off of the look on Michael’s face when she teleported us here” He answered, feeling stuffed “I should go find her”

Spyro walks back to the control center, enjoying a belly full of good food. As he enters, he sees Cynder rustling about in some starmaps while Michael tweaks some instruments on the interface

“This thing hasn’t been properly calibrated in over a century” Michael grunts forcing a switch into position “this could take all night, you two go get some sleep, you will need it. Your room number is 10-15 and Ember and Flame’s room is 10-16.”

They both blush at the thought of sharing a room together, but the embarrassment fades as they find the other dragons and search for their rooms. Once they find them, they say their goodnights and retire. As they curl up together for the night, Cynder is reminded of waking up in the valley of souls, she then realized that was when they slept last ‘We do need sleep’ She thought as her eyelids drooped shut.

“Dracios Elementia, or the common elemental dragon, are a very strange species. They are sustained purely by raw magic, it gives them their powers, and their special traits. They are very emotional creatures, and very instinctual. They mate for life, only once, and are never deviant from each other. Their love is so deep that if one of a truly bonded pair were to die before they were to have children, the other would end their own life. They would also follow a similar path when one dies of old age, the other will have an irresistible urge to follow. You may run into some of these species deep in their age, and without a mate. This strange trait only takes affect if the pair are truly bonded, which is now more common than not. In the earlier times of the species, matings were arranged right as they are hatched. In an arranged mating, where they do not care for each other, this trait does not take effect.”

Excerpt From:

Dossier Of Dracios Elementia

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Species Dossier Section (Public)

Chapter Three

Cynder woke up to the morning sun on her face, but all her sleepy brain could think was ‘warm’. After a few minutes the rest of her brain realized why she was warm. In their sleep Spyro had curled up around her in the same way they had during the cold nights in the wild, his fire element keeping them both warm. Blushing, her mind was split between staying or slipping out without waking Spyro up. But her body decided for her, her eyes begin to droop down as she fell back asleep in pure comfort.

Cynder woke up again to a lesser warmth, she got up to realize that Spyro had thrown a blanket over her. As she climbed out, she noticed how much colder it was this morning. She looked out the window to see that the fortress had ascended to level with the lower clouds. ‘That must be why he threw the blanket’ she thought. Looking around she noticed that Spyro had left the room, she left and looked around and found that the next-door room was also empty. ‘They must be at that famous mess hall’ she thought, her stomach rumbling at the thought of food. She walked out toward the other side of the fortress, more towards the facilities part of the island. As she walked towards the mess hall she passed by the training grounds, stopping for a moment to watch. Dragons and wolves fought side by side, the wolves using weapons that Cynder had never seen before. One of the sparring groups finished their match and called over at her.

“If you’re looking for the others there at the mess hall” One of them yelled over to her.

“Thanks” She yelled back

As she made her way, she could smell the food before she reached it. But the smells did the food no justice, rows and rows of food on one side of the room, and many tables on the other. Spread out among the tables were dragons and wolves, talking and eating. Cynder spotted the group near the middle of the tables and walked over to them. Flame was deeply enthralled in a book that appeared to be about the element cannons, while Ember, leaning against Flame, was talking up a storm with Spyro.

“Hey” she said to Spyro

“Hi, I saved you some food” Spyro responded, sliding a plate of food piled high with food.

“Thanks” she replied, settling down “Why didn’t you wake me up”

“You looked so peaceful, so I decided to let you sleep” He answered with a blush

“We have an announcement” Cynder stated “Flame, tell them”

“Hmm?” He looks up from his book “ooh yeah, were engaged to be mated”

“Congratulations!” Cynder replies, very surprised.

“For royal ceremonies, another royal must give their blessing, and since my mother would never give hers, we needed someone else’s. Now though we have either Spyro or Michael, who both can give royal blessings” Ember tells Cynder, clearly excited

“Ceremonies?” She asked

“Most mateships have ceremonies, usually with friends and family. They are simple events where everybody dresses up, then the female joins the male and an officiator makes it… well… official”

“When are you going to have yours” Cynder asks

“Hopefully soon, I have to invite my siblings, and Flame his. Your invited too of course” Ember responds

“Oh, Michael said the fortress is ready for travel when we are” Spyro tells Cynder while he finishes his meal “Take your time though”

“This is cool” Flame joins in, looking up from his book “The element cannon can amplify magic, so an experienced dragon can fire over 600 shots before tiring”

“Wow 600” Spyro replies, huffing at the thought.

They finished their meal, and walked over to the control center. When they got there, Michael was waiting for them, reading a book casually. He got up from where he was laying and got on the indents. Mixed with the normal humming of the core there was another noise, a loud shudder shook the whole fortress as again a flash of light appeared, this flash was longer though. After a few seconds the flash was gone, Spyro looked over at the projection to see that they were on the ground. Spyro blinked in surprise and looked out the window, seeing many overgrown structures. Some of them appeared to be warehouses, while others appeared to be housing. Abandoned markets lay strewn throughout the abandoned town.

“This used to be a fortress dock for my army, but grew to disuse due to the lack of war.” Michael informed the group.

“Are we on another planet” Ember asked

“We are on the Triad Homeworld, the capital of the Triad province. We are a quick flight to the city of Faun” Michael answered, preparing for the flight.

The group flew to faun on a wind stream. The younger dragons relishing the clean air and warm wind. As they approached the suns reflections shined off of many windows of the city, twinkling with radiance. The city was even bigger when the reached it, most of it hidden by a valley. The city seemed to sprawl off into the distance, Michael led them to a market square and gave them some currency and a map so they can explore while contacts some friends and checks on the state of the square where he used to live. The group went through stall after stall of wares, apparently Michael gave them a lot of currency, so they bought some things. Flame and Spyro huddled around a jewelry stand, eyeing Ember carefully to make sure she doesn’t notice Flame buying her something. Cynder chuckled while watching the boys. She looked over at the weapons smith, inspecting some interesting looking weaponry. She then moved on to a gemstone store, and decides to buy a few jewelry grade onyx stones. Spyro seemingly appearing beside made her jump. He laughed a little then motioned to her to tell her that the group was moving on. The hustle and bustle of the crowd was so loud and thick Cynder can barely see Flame jogging to catch up to Ember. After a few hours of shopping, and some strange whispering between some of the older dragons when they passed by, Michael caught up to them and brought them to a calmer area.

“Did you have fun” He asked with a smirk

“Yeah” The group responded

“Good, Faun is famous for its mile long markets, filled with anything anybody would ever need.” Michael said “but they like to price gouge you, that being the reason I gave you so many coins”

They began walking deeper into the city.

“I reconnected with my contacts here and was informed that the square that your parents and I lived in was maintained and survived the war.” Michael told them, walking along the side of an alley.

“So, the houses where are parents lived is…?” Spyro asked

“Dirty, but still there, left untouched by civilization” Michael answers

They walked past a medical center, the older physicians openly staring at Spyro as he walked.

“Of course the older doctors here would recognize your eyes and your underbelly configurations, your mother used to work here” Michael remarks

The group watched as a jade dragon statue was dragged into the center, a doctor walks up to the statue. The doctor then casts a spell on the statue and it explodes, releasing the dragon trapped inside.

“Jade petrification, a common spell used by almost any creature when fighting dragons. This spell uses the most power to remove, which is why its so popular.” Michael informs, watching the released dragon wake up his dormant limbs.

A young dragoness approaches the group. Too embarrassed to speak, she silently hands Spyro a flower, then runs away giggling.

“Looks like you have an admirer” Cynder remarks, chuckling with Ember.

Spyro, blushing slightly, follows Michael and the rest of the group out of the center. They make their way to a silent part of the city, the sun setting in the background. They could tell that they reached their destination when the spotted a square with a statue in the center. The statue depicted three dragons, Rose, Silver, and Fury. The plaque at the base stated “Three heroes trying to save a friend”. Michael inhaled a deep breath, then blew a breath of pure ice across the square. After the frost settled, four ice sculptures formed, showing both Spyro and Cynder’s parents. Spyro stared intently at his mother’s sculpture, she was clutching her belly, visible cuts leaking frozen blood. She was in a state of summoning power when Malefor’s spell went off. Cynder was looking at Malefor’s sculpture, seeing the fury and corruption in his eyes. She moved on to her mother. Silver was in a battle stance, preparing to strike with her powerful poison attack. Then they both looked over at Fury, he was also in a battle stance, his head held low and a tail blade attachment waving behind him, in his mouth Fury had a long sword. The sword was meant to be gripped by the jaw; the blade curved slightly backward. Michael looked over at some new cobblestones behind Fury’s sculpture, then began digging. After a minute he pulls the same sword out of the ground, throwing the blade towards Spyro, he flicks his wrist and the cobblestones below him snap back into place, leaving no trace left behind.

“This is…” Spyro starts

“Yours” Michael cuts in “I made it myself”

Michael taps his foot twice, and the sculptures collapse into tiny flakes of ice.

“Do you want to see your houses now?” Michael asks looking over at his old house.

“Cynder, do you want to see yours first” Spyro asks

“Sure” She replies, seeming lots in thought

They walk towards the house, Ember and Flame lagging behind to give them some space. They walk into the living area of the house, Michael snaps his claws and the dirt and dust vanishes, leaving the whole house completely cleaned. Cynder pulls a book from the shelf and opens it. She gasps at photo after photo of her parents on the pages. As she flips through pages she sees photos of her parents as children, young adults, and adults. She also sees many photos of Spyro’s parents. Nudging him, he looks over and softens at the sight of his parent’s photos. She also found photos of some other dragons, and even a phoenix.

“Your mother loved to take pictures” Michael states, smiling at his memories

Cynder looks through book after book of pictures, then finally finishes looks up and began to look at the other decorations around the room. She notices multiple items, a glowing feather, a core of some kind, and a set of gems. Cynder walks around and enters one of the studies and immediately recognizes it as her mothers. Meanwhile, Michael summons three books, opens them to specific pages and hovers them in front of him. Then he draws a rune on his right paw and shines it around the room. After a moment, nothing happens, Michael then poofs the books away with a huff, Dissatisfied.

Back in the study Cynder looks at camera sitting on the desk. Then she turns to the jewelry set sitting on a cabinet, slowly she picks up each piece, looking it up and down, and puts it back. Then she changes her mind, Switching out her simple set with the silver one. After grabbing a few more items and placing them in her magical storage, she then walks into the other study. This one noticeably less cluttered, she takes a quick look around and grabs a few items before hurrying out. The next room was the nest, Cynder could see the intense care that Silver put into the nest. She could also see that there were black scales laid carefully around the nest, mixed randomly with purple ones. Grabbing a few of each Cynder left the room. The next room contained the nursery. she found a dozen small toys scattered around a miniature version of a nest. Felling tears well up in her eyes, she grabs the toys and rushes into the last room.

Back in the living room Spyro and Michael sit in silence, Michael reading another book, when a blue dragon rushes into the house.

“Who are you? you are trespassing on private land” he says before recognizing Michael “your back?”

“Yep” Michael answers, not looking up from his book.

“Who are you” Spyro asks, still in his battle stance

“Hi, my name is Lumi, and you must be Spyro!” The blue dragon replies, excitedly

“How do you know my name”

“Your father chose your name, and told the guardians who enchanted it to you. Basically, any other name would have felt weird. Malefor knew that Silver wanted her daughter’s name to be Cynder after her mother, whom she never knew” Michael told Spyro, still not looking up from his book.

“Is Cynder here too?” Lumi asks, looking around for her.

“She’s down the hall” Spyro answers

“Of course,” He replies “Michael, I’ve been looking for those ingredients you left for me and only found two”

“Which ones?” Looking up from the book

“I only found a black moonstone and a Phoenix Gem, Much to Torch’s disapproval” Lumi answers

“None of the cores?” Michael asks

“Ethereal cores are impossible to find lately, many were broken during the war. Also, soul cores are being bought up for some reason, and are now super expensive, and for that sun core… well, no sun dragon wants to be retrieving those, instead the just pluck stones and make plenty of money with that. Lumi replies, exasperated

“I found an ethereal core on Genrir, but for the others, we’ll just have to keep looking.” Michael says, returning to his book.

“Are you talking about the spell for my parents” Spyro asks hopefully

“The ingredients I need for those spells are very difficult to collect, though not as difficult as these, and a lot of time is needed to calibrate it right, weeks to months. Also, the caster is needed for some parts of the collecting.” Michael answers

“This might take a lot longer than expected” Lumi replies, looking down

Suddenly with a crash and a burst of light, a phoenix bursts into the room.

“Lumi, some scouts spotted a flying fortress in the old dock! They said that it might belong to Michael’s army!”

“Yeah, he’s right here” Lumi chuckled

As if just noticing the others in the room, he looks at Michael and gasps.

“Took you long enough, ultimate Guardian my tailfeathers.” He said, flicking his beak at him, then looks over at Spyro. “You’re here too! That must mean Malefor was…”

“Defeated, now trapped in the center of Genrir” Michael finished his sentence

“So that’s why his armies became so… disorganized” The phoenix suddenly perked up “How rude of me, I’m Torch, I’m a phoenix, and I’ve heard all the jokes”

“Jokes?” Spyro asked Torch

“Never mind”

Just then, Cynder walked back into the living space with the new jewelry, suddenly blushing when all the eyes turned to her.

“You look just like your mother” Lumi spoke, Torch shaking his head in disbelief.

“And who are you” Cynder asks

“I’m Lumi, and this is Torch. We’re old friends of your parents” Lumi answered, shaking torch out of his shock.

“Hi” he said weakly

“Spyro’s house now?” Michael asked, poofing away his book with a snap.

“Sure, let’s go” Spyro answered.

The group walked over to Spyro’s parents house in silence. Ember and Flame eyeing the new members. Spyro gave some quick introductions before heading with Michael and Cynder into the house.

“I don’t feel comfortable staying in my house, Michael said we might be here awhile, lets stay here” Cynder whispered to Spyro

“Sure” He whispered back.

With a snap, Michael removed all the dirt and dust, and lit a few candles for light. Spyro marveled at the living space. The room was lined with bookshelves, a mix of different types of books were scattered about. Some of the books were about magic, others about fighting styles, there were even a few cookbooks lying around.

“Your father was a terrible cook, except for deer, he could roast a killer deer” Michael tells Spyro settling back with his book

Chuckling at this Spyro walks into the hall, looks back to Cynder, who hesitantly follows him.

“You want me with you?” She asks, surprised

“Of course,” Spyro replies, then blushes

They walk into the first room, unlike Cynder’s house this one had the nest and nursery closer to the living space rather the master bedroom. Looking down at the nest Spyro picks up a few of the pink and red scales scattered around. Then walks into the nursery, and freezes. Cynder, alarmed follows him and sees a room with a small nest. Around the nest were four small toys, each toy carefully designed and carved from stone and wood. The toys left for Cynder were nice, but these ones looked like it took them hours to make. Spyro quickly picked them up and put them in his storage, then hurried out of the room. The first study was clearly his dad’s. The walls lined with weapons of different kinds. On the desk stood a special set of horn circlets. The design seemed to be specifically for a king. Spyro left these and looked over at the core sitting on the corner of the desk. The core seemed to be glowing with a unique energy, familiar energy. Spyro gasped as he realized that this was his mother’s energy, the core must have been a gift for his father so he can always be connected to her. He grabbed the core and went to see his mother’s study. This study was filled with an assortment of magical ingredients and books. One book floated up and opened as Spyro approached it. Showing a spell about clearing traces of portals. ‘This was what she was last reading’ Spyro thought, then looked over at the desk. Despite the rest of the room, the desk was surprisingly clear. The only thing on it was a starmap.

Back in the living room, Michael was still reading his book when the two dragons returned. Michael got up and began to recast the same spell he did in the other house. But instead of nothing happening, a bright light burst out when Michael pointed the rune to Spyro. Confused, Michael sat back, then Spyro pulled the unique core out of his storage and handed to Michael. He looked down at it and closed his eyes, after a few moments he opened his eyes.

“Genius” He muttered

“What is it?” Spyro asked, looking worried.

“She must have cast some sort of binding spell between this core and her soul before the attack. When her body was vaporized, instead of going practically anywhere, the binding pulled her here.” He answered, still focused on the core.

“Does that mean we can bring her back” Spyro asks hopefully

“Not yet, I don’t know what state her soul is in, nor do I have nearly enough ingredients, or power.” Michael, looks up from the core “but the chances are higher now with this”

He flicks his risk, and the orb vanishes. Spyro looked worriedly at Michael.

“Don’t fret, she is now in the safest place that she can be, my personal vault” Michael says in a calming voice

The three went back out to the group. Spyro, Ember, Cynder, And Flame went back to the fortress to pick up their things and bring them back to the houses.

“You’re welcome to stay in my house, I don’t really feel comfortable staying there right now.” Cynder tells Flame and Ember

“Thanks, but I wouldn’t want to do that, Michael has already offered us one of the many houses he owns. I think he gave it to us to own, not just stay in. He was very blunt about it” Ember replied

“Oh! where is it?” Cynder asked

“Actually, it’s right next to yours” Flame answered, smiling at Ember

“While we were talking to Michael, he brought up the ceremony, and thought it would be a good idea to do it here, in the main square. He said that he can open a portal to Warfang’s main square to this one. So we decided that we want to do it tomorrow” Ember barely got out the last part before squealing.

“Ooh its gonna be so fun” Cynder said, also squealing

The group returned and Michael gave them a tour of Flame and Ember’s new house. After a few minutes of settling in, the girls flew off to have a ‘girls night’. Giggling as they flew off towards the clothes and jewelry district.

“Dragons wear armor during ceremonies right” Flame asked Spyro, watching the girls fly away.

“I don’t know, but I think Cynder is glad to have a friend, and to go somewhere where she isn’t hated. It seems to distract her from her past, I’ve never seen her act like THAT though, but at least she isn’t gloomy” Spyro answers.

“That is not the direction of Michael’s armorer friend” Flame stated

“Yeah, I don’t think they’re getting armor right away, I heard them talking about a spa and a stylist before they left?” Spyro replied. Looking back to Flame with raised eyebrows.

“Good, Ember needs it after the amount of stress her mother has been putting on her lately”

“Hey” Michael walks up to them “So… They left, you want to get your armor now?”

“Sure” Flame answers

Then the three take flight toward the armorer.

“Purple aether dragons are unique to the current dimension in which the elemental royal family can be found. In every other dimension, purple dragons of this species simply do not exist. But in one specific dimension, they precede to be born with extreme powers once a generation. Not including its sub-dimensions, this universe can uniquely create purple dragons and void dragons. Both of which have powers greatly higher than any other. They both have been known to be good and evil, a void dragon started the Dark Authority, and two purple dragons helped him. But also, they have saved entire galaxies together.”

Excerpt From:

Analysis Of The Elementia Dimension

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Dimensional Analysis Section (Restricted Level One)

Chapter Four

“Why does it have to be so complicated to get a ceremonial armor set?” Flame grumbled while one of the armors measures him carefully.

“This armor isn’t just for decoration, it’s your permanent set for battles. Normal dragons would be wearing normal armor. But your set has to be befitting a lord, and future king” Michael said to Flame as he was touching up his own armor, shining it to look brand new.

“Why does mine have to have so many… carvings” Spyro asked the armorer

“Well, if it’s for a king, then it has to look nice” the armorer answered

“Not bad for four billion years” Michael said standing back to look over the armor.

Nobody said anything for a few minutes, surprised about just how old Michael could be.

“So what will the material be?” the master armorer asked

“Ethereal gold” Michael answered “I have enough for all four of them. The girls should be coming by later.”

“Don’t you think that’s kind of a waste?” the master armorer replied

“Your father wasn’t complaining when I commissioned 6 sets out of him” Michael retorted

The master sighed, then looked at the cart of ethereal gold bars being rolled to the back of the shop, where the armor was made.

“Fine” was all he said

After the measurements were done the armorer told us that it would take a few hours. But instead of going back to their private square Michael led them to an old building in the weaponsmith district. He snapped his claws, and the whole building lit up with light. Dust vanished as forges lit up and the cluttered leaves and debris were swept out. Suddenly a dragon walked into the armory.

“I finally found you, I was told to update you on our current situation” The dragon said, out of breath

“Current situation” Michael replies, lifting an eyebrow

“The Dark Authority has used your absence to recover itself and grow in numbers” The dragon answers “Their cursed armies lay in wait on corrupted planets, we fear they may attack soon”

“My armies are already taking up their old posts, we will be ready for it if, or when, it comes.” Michael says, more alert now

“I will inform the king, but for now I have one more bit of information for you; Fury sent a message to the king of Malefor’s corruption, and your suspicions were, as normal, correct. After a deep investigation of the three events, we have determined that it was the Dark Authority who caused it.”

“And I assume they are the ones buying up all of the soul and sun cores?” Michael asked, flipping through a book of weapon designs

“Yes, they seem to be buying all of the ingredients necessary to remove the curse, and all the ones to bring back the three fallen as well, just for good measure I guess.” The dragon then gave Michael a nod and left the smithy.

“What is the Dark Authority” Spyro asked, noticeably pale

“The Dark Authority is a group of dragons that were rejected by society because of their abilities with dark and evil magic, they corrupted Malefor in hope that he would kill your parents. They were the best defenders of peace, and with them gone war would be much easier. Shortly before Malefor’s corruption, I had hunted most of them down. There were only a few of them left, but now that they have revived their numbers, and summoned a cursed army, they will be a considerable foe. I have every expectation that we will meet them in battle, but until then, enjoy your peace.” Michael explained

“I can’t wait” Spyro responded, his fear turning into pure rage

Michael moved over to the forge, then he pulled on the rope to pour some of the molten metal out of the forge into a cast. The cast held a similar shape to Fury’s sword, and appeared to be the same kind. After a minute Michael picked up the still-searing metal and placed it on an anvil. He inspected it, then used an automatic hammer to fix a few abnormalities. Then used his magic to carve intricate designs into the blade’s handle and base. Satisfied he dipped the blade into a tub of oil nearby. After it had finished sizzling Michael pulled the sword out of the oil and brought it to the grinder, he quickly sharpened the blade, then glued on a special grip, and set a few dozen carnelian gemstones into their places. He gave Flame the sword, who took it in his mouth and walked out of the way to test it out. Spyro turned to ask Michael something, only to find him on the other side of the room digging through some chests. After a few minutes of rustling, Michael pulled out two knife sets. Both sets had one big, and one small knife. The smaller ones more feminine while the bigger ones more masculine. He looked at the clear crystals on one of the sets, then suddenly they turned pink and red. Michael then looked over at the other set, and those crystals turned purple and black. Returning to the main part of the room, Michael stashed the other set in his inventory and called Flame over.

“A very old tradition for mating ceremonies is to give a pair of knives to the couple, each was supposed to wear one during the event” he said, handing the pair of rose quarts and carnelian studded knives to Flame.

Flame took the set and put them away, shocked “wow, I don’t know what to say. Thank you”

“Does it please the lord?” Michael mocked

“It does indeed” Flame retorted

“By the way, how did that whole ‘lord’ thing happen anyway?” Spyro asked

“After the siege ended and when the queen returned, she heard news of my part in helping defend the city. She called me to the throne room and made a whole thing of giving me a bunch of land and the title of lord, this was before she found out about Ember and I” Flame smiled “Making me a lord also made it impossible to dismiss me as a ‘possible’ suitor, but she still had a right to say no”

Spyro chuckled, then eyed Michael, who betrayed no emotion.

“What was that other set for”

“Later”

By the time they flew back to the square, it was nearly midnight. With a yawn Flame entered his new house, stumbling a bit before lighting a candle, then settled down for the night. Spyro walked into his house, looked around for a moment before settling down at his father’s desk. He wrote a letter to Flash and Nina, then a separate one for Sparx, who should be with them. After he sealed the letters and left them out for Michael to send later, he looked at a framed photo of his father with four dragons he did not recognize. ‘His siblings’ Spyro realized with a start ‘Where are they now?’ he wondered. He resigned to ask Michael about them later. After lazily wondering the house looking at photos for a good twenty minutes, Spyro settled into the bed, then slowly fell asleep.

Spyro woke up with a start, he looked down to see Cynder curled up against him. Blushing slightly, he looked out the window to see that the sun hadn’t risen yet. He looked for the cause of being woken, but found nothing. He set his head back down and went to sleep.

Spyro woke up again to a floating letter above the bed. Carefully, trying not to wake Cynder up, he grabbed the letter and read it

‘When you wake up, come to my house. The ceremony is in the afternoon, so you don’t have to wake Cynder up’

Spyro set the letter down, then did a double-take as it turned to dust. He carefully got up and stretched. Walking out of the house and towards Michael’s, Spyro noticed a hustle and bustle of dragons, he walked past them and into Michael’s living space. Michael’s house looked ordinary from the outside, but far from it on the inside. Decorative banners hung from one wall, waving as dragons walked back and forth. He saw Michael, fully armored, and walked up to him.

“Hi”

“Good, you’re here, Flame wants to ask you something.” Michael said motioning to one of the spare bedrooms

Spyro walked into the room to see flame trying on his new armor

“Hey” Flame said as Spyro walked in “So I need to ask you something, all ceremonies usually have the main couple an at least two other people. Both sides need a witness, Ember already asked Cynder and apparently, she said yes. I know the Guardians and a childhood with dragonflies didn’t teach you much about dragon culture but, maybe you could be my witness?”

“Of course Flame” Spyro answered

“Oh thank god, my siblings and I aren’t on good terms. They’ll be there or my mother will kill them, but were not close.

“What does such a job entail?”

“Not much, you and Cynder will stand beside us, then Michael will ask both of you if you have witnessed. You two say yes and Michael will make it official.”

Spyro was then shooed out of the room by the stylist who just entered. Back in the main room Spyro walked back to Michael

“Was that all or was there anything else” He asked him

“We have to try on your new armor of course”

The two dragons walked into a different spare room, where a set of brand-new armor was carefully laid out. Another stylist enters the room and starts attaching the armor to Spyro.

“It’s pretty easy to put these on yourself, but for neatness’ sake this should look better” Michael says, inspecting the new armor “This armorer might be better than his father.”

Once the stylist had finished Michael walked forward and attached Fury’s sword to the side of Spyro’s armor.

Spyro looked down at it “So, in the valley of souls, you told me that my father was first laid of 5 eggs. That means he had siblings, right?”

“Yes, he had two brother and two sisters. So far, I have only been able to establish contact with one of your aunts. She lives in a city pretty far away, but is on her way here after I sent word of you. I meant for it to be a surprise but, you asked, so…”

“What about the others?”

“I heard that your two uncles took their mates and moved to the planet Ranos, and your other aunt is somewhere on Kanos, both of those planets being In the same system.”

“Did your send word?”

“That system is outside of the Triad province, so its hard to communicate. But I did send a fortress their way. Haven’t heard anything back though”

The stylist had finished strapping on the armor and hurried out of the room. The two dragons stepped out of the house for some air. Spyro looked over at Cynder, who had just come out of the house, being rushed away by four stylists to Ember’s house. Spyro raised his eyebrows and laughed at the look on Cynders face. Flame walks out of the house and takes flight, heading toward the fortress. The fortress had been moved to a higher altitude for a better ambiance.

A few hours later, the afternoon had begun. Spyro was waiting at the fortress square. Four girls, that had to be Ember’s sisters, were staring at him and whispering at each other, giggling occasionally. Cynder suddenly lands next to him.

“That took forever” she said, exasperated

“Your armor looks beautiful” Spyro whispers

Blushing Cynder looked Spyro over, studying his armor.

“Is it just me, or are our armor patterns similar?”

“I think so” Spyro answered

The square had been decorated with red and pink roses, streamers thrown everywhere, and petals slowly floating towards the ground. A loud gong sounds, and the clutter of dragon move to stand in two neat rows. Spyro went to stand beside flame as Cynder took her stance next to where Ember will be. Spyro makes eye contact with Cynder and smiles, blushing again, she smiles back. Then a harp starts playing and Ember walks around the corner, beaming with pride. Spyro looks back at Flame, who has a sparkle in his eyes as his love walks toward him. She reaches the front, next to Flame, and they look over to Michael.

“We have gathered here today to unite two souls into one. These two dragons have chosen each other as their mind, body, and soul mates, and wish to make it official… Spyro, have you witnessed their love?”

Flashback to seeing them fight together in Warfang “Yes” Spyro answers, standing straight up

“Cynder, have you witnessed their love?”

Another flashback, this one showing them returning to the palace together, eyes wide at the thought of going somewhere together. “Yes” Cynder answered, glancing at Spyro

“Flame, do you accept Ember as your mate, for better or for worse, until the end of time?”

“Yes, definitely” Flame answered, causing the audience to chuckle.

“Ember, do you accept Flame as your mate, for better or for worse, until the end of time?”

“Yes” she answered, nearly crying with joy

“Then I declare, with the power of the multiverse and of the ethereal plane, and with my blessing, I declare you mated for life”

Then, with a loud boom, the massive cannons started firing, pink and red sparks exploding from the barrels. Michael, summoning power cast a spell over the couple, causing them to be bound spiritually. Then they kissed and the crowd clapped.

The celebration afterward was massive. A banquet of food was rolled out on carts, and a type of music that Michael called ‘Celtic’ started playing. After a few toasts from some members of the crowd, the eating began. The food, delicious as ever, was followed by the dancing. Fancy music played as Spyro and Cynder danced together to the sound of the flutes. After a few hours of partying Spyro spotted the happy couple sneaking back to their new house. Blushing he returned back to Cynder

2 hours after midnight, the party settled and everybody returned to their houses. Cynder had passed out leaning against Spyro. ‘She would not stop dancing’ he thought as he picked her up and hoisted her over himself. Out like a light, Cynder did not even stir as Spyro lifted off, carrying her and her heavy armor back to the house. When he got there, he helped remove her armor before placing her in the bed. Then he took off his own armor and climbed in after her. As his mind went sleepy, he started fantasizing about him and Cynder in their own ceremony, the thought made him smile as he fell asleep.

“What is love? A question that The Ultimate Guardian himself cannot answer, because there is an infinite number of answers, and it is different by what species you are. To most creatures, love is an immense longing and caring feeling for someone, while some believe that love is inherently evil, it is possession, lust, and greed. But they have had bad experiences with they have experienced of love. Magical beings, if they are able to, feel love much deeper than non-magical creatures. Magic amplifies many things that come from the soul. Eldritch magic comes from fear and hate, while love and joy come from Ethereal magic. These things are usually amplified by beings that are made from such magics. Ethereal gods feel love deeper than anything else, and they radiate joy. While eldritch gods hate more than any other creature, and they radiate pure fear. The Ultimate Guardian is not purely an ethereal being, he is an ethros. Nothing is known about them, but I know from experience that he feels love, caring, and anger more than you can imagine. Which brings me back to my original question; what is love? I believe the guardian feels love as a deep care for something, someone, or an existence.”

Excerpt From:

The Book Of Love

Samual Gunder

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Study Of Emotions Section (Public)

Chapter Five

Spyro woke up to the usual sight of Cynder snuggled against him. He breathed in deeply, enjoying her scent as she slept. Not wanting to wake her he settled back into the blankets and sat there. Not sleeping, but enjoying the peace. After a few hours, Cynder woke up to Spyro watching her. Blushing she began to get up and went over to open the curtain. When she did the noon sun shone right on her, Spyro sat stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

“Stop staring at me” Cynder blushed.

“But you’re so beautiful” Spyro spoke, almost in a trance

Blushing more, she walked out of the room.

“Wait! I think we need to talk”

Cynder came back, a look of worry on her face “Are you okay” she asked

“I’m fine, I just wanted to talk to you about something”

“Okay” she said sitting back on the bed.

“Ever since we were trapped in that crystal, my mind kept straying to thinking about you. After the siege of Warfang, I’ve never wanted anything more than to be by your side, luckily the chain helped me with that. But… It all made me realized… that I’m…. I’m in love with you Cynder, I want to be your mate, I want to spend my life with you.”

“I… I… I love you too Spyro”

Too stunned to speak, the two dragons stare at each other for a moment, then Spyro leans in and kisses Cynder. After a few minutes of silence, they pull apart, both blushing very heavily. Then Cynder looked back at him.

“I was worried that you would never say that”

“You knew!”

“How would I not know? everybody knew”

“How could you tell?”

“My first sign was when you mumbled my name in your sleep”

“When did I do that?”

“Almost every night, especially if we weren’t next to each other. My second sign was when you curled up next to me on are first cold night together while we were chained, and my final sign was when you jumped in front of me when you woke Michael”

“Wow, I didn’t know that it was that obvious”

“Painfully, so”

With a parting kiss, and a following blush Spyro left to make breakfast

“You stay right there while I make you some food” He called from the hallway.

Cynder relaxed back into bed, realizing two things; first, she was very tired, and second, she can’t remember how she got home.

“Did you carry me home?” she asked

“Yes” Spyro’s voice rang from the kitchen

Cheeks burning even hotter, she looked around and saw the armor lying on the floor. ‘He must have taken it off’ she thought, even more embarrassed. After a couple of minutes, Spyro came back to the room with two hot plates of food.

“Looks good” Cynder says, and digs in

Spyro watched her for a moment, then digs in as well. After the two finished their meals, they wandered outside into the afternoon sun. They stretched for a moment and went next door to see if their neighbors had woken up. After knocking on the door, a very ruffled Ember answers. Blushing a little, she lets them in.

“Congrats on the mateship” Cynder said as they walked in

“Thank you” Ember responds, looking back to Flame with a smile.

“We also have some news” Cynder said, grabbing Spyro’s hand

“You finally got together?” Flame blurted out

“Yep” Spyro answered looking over at Cynder, smiling.

“Oooh I can’t wait for your ceremony, it’s gonna be so cute” Ember squealed

“Whoa, it’s a bit early for that” Flame responded, nudging Ember gently.

“I know, I know”

“For now, we just want to enjoy some time together before we make it official” Spyro states, still smiling.

Suddenly a letter bursts into existence with a puff of fire above their heads, startling the four dragons. Spyro grabs it and reads it aloud.

“Spyro, put on your armor and come find me at the dock, come alone. Michael”

“Wonder what that’s about?” Cynder states, confused

“I don’t know, but I will find out” Spyro replied

Spyro went home, put on his armor, and flew over to the dock. He gasped in surprise as he noticed 3 new fortresses floating igh above the dock. Spyro spotted Michael talking with a few other dragons at an intersection.

“Hey, what’s going on” He asked

“We’ve been trying to recover an old magicarium on the planet Solos, but have had some difficulties due to a cursed army embedded in the building.” Michael answered “We’re going to go flush them out and I wanted you to see what we have to face”

“Okay, let’s do this” Spyro responded

Spyro followed Michael up into the closer of the three new fortresses. They entered the control room and Spyro saw that there was a pilot on the interface. Charging the core, the pilot looked over at the starmap projected in front of him. Then with the usual flash of light and small shudder the fortress teleported to Solos. When Spyro looked back at the projection, he saw a single mountain with a massive structure on it. Two loud thumps announced the arrival of the other fortresses.

“The fortress’s smaller cannons will eliminate the airborne retaliation, but the rest of the armies will stay embedded in the magicarium so we’ll have to take it by force” Michael Informed Spyro.

As if on cue, hundreds of small black dots flew out of the old building and started flying towards them. The smaller cannons started firing, and an army of dragons started walking out of the barracks. Michael takes flight, and calls for the rest to follow. A flock of armored dragons flew towards the magicarium, they passed a large battalion of wolves. Spyro watched them as he passed, none of them moving. They landed in front of the main entrance to the building, almost instantly, 20 or so black shadowy figures burst out of the door and charged. Michael quickly vaporized the first group with raw light energy, making their bipedal forms dissolve. Then, he blasted the door open and tossed a glowing orb through. After a flash of light, the soldiers rushed in. Spyro entered the building and watched as the soldiers split into groups and began sweeping the magicarium. Spyro followed Michael down a spiral staircase, and into a large underground room. The room was so dark Spyro could not see two feet in front of him despite the glow Michael emitted. Then, Michael snapped his fingers, lighting each chandelier one at a time. Spyro gasped as the light exposed nearly a thousand cursed soldiers. Simultaneously, they rushed forward. Spyro grabbed his sword in his jaw and looked over to see Michael had summoned his. Spyro held off his attackers with swift swings of his sword, but they had surrounded him. He glanced worriedly over at Michael, and saw him charging an element blast. Then a bright flash of light blinded Spyro. After a moment of stumbling around, Spyro regained his vision and saw a dragon enter the room. The dragon was covered in black runes, his armor was jagged and broken off in places, a beat-up serrated sword in his jaws. Spyro looked into the eyes of the dragon and saw nothing but darkness.

“Stay back” Michael yelled, charging forward

The two dragons clashed, swords clanging. Michael turned as the dark dragon swung his sword at him and sank his tailsword into his opponent’s left haunch. Roaring, the dark dragon stepped back and fired a dark element blast. Michael dodged it and rushed forward and stabbed through the dark dragon’s side, piercing his heart. The dark dragon fell with a clank. Michael stepped forward and roared, then pulled the sword out of the dragon.

“What was that?” Spyro asked

“That was a dark dragon, a dragon that, whether willing or not, was corrupted and enslaved by dark magic” Michael answered, still breathing hard from the battle.

The two dragons walked to the back of the room, on the back wall there was a door. There was evidence of attempts to break through the door everywhere, but the door was untouched. Michael reached up and tapped on the door, causing a large rune to appear, the rune cracked and dissolved when Michael tapped again, and the door swung open. Inside the room, there was thousands of crates, filled to the brim with different kinds of cores. Most of the cores were clear, but others were a range of colors.

“This magicarium was used to produce cores, usually charge ones, but sometimes the creators will get bored” Michael explained

“What are the charge cores for?” Spyro asked, looking around the boxes

“They power the element cannons. This should be enough to rebuild an armada for the Triad Homeworld”

Michael walks to the far-right corner of the room and opens a box. After a small bit of rustling he pulled out a bright yellow core.

“A sun core” he explained “Super rare now that sun dragons aren’t willing to collect them”

With a snap, all the boxes vanished. Michael put the sun core in his storage.

“Let’s get you home, I bet Cynder’s getting worried about you”

They left the storage room. Michael sent Spyro ahead while he casted a spell on the dark dragon’s corpse. As Spyro reached the top of their staircase, he watched as dozens of wolves enter the main hall and rush into the other rooms. With a bang, a few wolves were launched back against the wall. Another dark dragon burst into the hall, firing a dark pulse at the pair of dragons rushing him. A wolf rushes the dragon and sinks her sword into the dragon’s side. Roaring in pain, the dragon swung around to bite the wolf, but Spyro instinctually leapt out and sliced through the dragon’s chestplate. The dark dragon jerked forward, slicing Spyro’s legs before collapsing. Wincing, Spyro walked over to the wall and slid down.

“You okay” The female wolf asked Spyro, retrieving the swords. She sets his next to him

“I think so” Spyro answered “Just a little cut, it hurts a lot but I think I’ll be fine”

“Thank you, you saved my life” She responded, sitting down “I’ll stay with you until you get help”

Michael walked up the stairs, looked at Spyro, and rushed to him

“Are you okay” He asked, worried

“I got cut in the back of my legs by that dark dragon’s tailblade.” Spyro answered

“Here, this should help with the pain and stop the bleeding. Since it was a cursed blade I can’t instantly heal the wound, but I can stop any extra effects” He explained while casting a spell on his wounds

“Ah” Spyro yelps, wincing

“Come on, lets get you to the fortress” Michael heaves Spyro up, with the help of the wolfess

The two dragons, and the wolf on Michael’s back, flew towards the fortress. As soon as they landed, Spyro was rushed to the infirmary and given some herbs to sooth the pain. After a few minutes a flash of light informed Spyro they had returned to the docks. Michael walked into the room and up to Spyro

“I told Cynder what happened, I kind of regret doing a projection though, because she yelled at me for letting you get hurt” Michael said, rolling his eyes

“It’s nobody’s fault but mine, I charged the dragon”

“And you saved that soldier’s life” He interrupted “Cynder will understand”

“Who was she by the way” Spyro asked

“Um, let me go get her” he said, walking out of the infirmary

After a few minutes, he walked back in with the wolfess behind him

“Hi” she said “I’m glad to see your okay”

“I wanted to meet you, my name is…”

“Spyro, I know, I’m Lune.” she said “I wish we could have met under different circumstances. I was at the Valley of Souls by the way”

“You were?” Spyro asked “I didn’t see you”

“I was in the back” She replied

Then Cynder’s voice can be heard yelling at the guard outside

“Get out the way, I don’t care about your procedures, I don’t give a damn. Let me see Spyro!”

“You better let her in before she makes you” Michael yelled through the door

Cynder burst through the door, running to Spyro, out of breath. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, only got cut in the back of my rear legs” Spyro answers, nuzzling Cynder’s snout

“I was worried about you” she said, rubbing against Spyro’s neck.

“He saved my life” Luna told Cynder “if he would have arrived a minute later, I probably wouldn’t be here”

Cynder softened a little, but still was feeling the same instincts dragons feel about protecting their mate.

“Next time, I’m coming with you” she told him

“I don’t want you seeing what I saw” Spyro said “Especially with what you have gone through”

“But I won’t let you go alone” Cynder replied

“I won’t be alone; I’ll have either Michael or some of his soldiers with me” Spyro looked into Cynder’s eyes “I don’t want you to experience anything like that ever again”

“Spyro, I can handle it, I know that I’ve taken it pretty hard since you rescued me, but I can take it”

“I don’t want you doing any of what I just did, facing a cursed army alone with you is my worst fear. I know you can handle yourself pretty well, but even Michael was getting a little overwhelmed in there” Spyro replied

“Okay, I won’t go into anything without making sure that I can handle it” Cynder nuzzled Spyro’s neck again

Spyro shifts over to the side of the bed and motions her to join him. Cynder climbs up and curls up to Spyro, careful not to touch his wounds. Spyro leans back onto the pillow and lets his eyes close.

Back in Faun, Ember’s mother had gone to say goodbye to her before she returned to Warfang

“Even though I still disapprove your choice of a mate, I have no choice but to accept it” The queen stated looking over at Flame as he cleaned up the dishes

“Thanks mother” Ember replied

“Don’t ever forget that I love you Ember, and I care about you. But I have a kingdom to think about” the queen looked at her daughter “And you will soon”

“I love you too, Mom” Ember replied “and I will take the responsibility when it comes to it”

“You could do what my mother did and allow a prime minister to be elected, but that allows corruption. The person I kicked out was attempting to empty the kingdoms treasure room into his own pockets. All while allowing bribes from crime bosses.” The queen explained. “As long as you leave someone trusted to watch over the election, you should be fine. I know you two will want to start a family, and being a queen and a mother is harder than you expect.”

Blushing, Ember looked back at Flame “We haven’t even talked about that yet”

“You will soon”

Flame came back to the table and sat next to Ember

“We’ll, it’s time for me to go” the queen got up to leave

“I love you Mom; I promise to visit you soon” Ember hugged her

“I love you too, and I can’t wait” the queen took off back towards the fortress.

“Dragons tend to technologically advance at a fraction of the speed of most other intelligent species. Multiple reasons can explain this, they have a wild lifespan; between the normal ten thousand to up to three million. They also are quadrupeds, and have no thumb. But a main reason is that they can use magic to supply all of their needs. Things change when the dimension is mixed, in the Elementia dimension, there are some furry species, but they aren’t as old as dragon kind, they have only been there for about three hundred thousand years. They also have been impeded by the much older dragon species, because they shared their magic with other’s. In dragon-furry dimensions, this tends to be the case more often than not. But eventually most civilizations evolve, unless stopped from doing so by constant war and evil. In human-dragon dimensions, dragons tend to fight constantly with humans, but that only slows them a small amount. Eventually, humans will lose their bloodlust and make piece with the dragons, and they will both use technology. In dragon only dimensions, they take a large amount of time to advance, but after a few hundred million years, they become more advanced than humanity after about ten thousand years. The Elementia dimension is also technologically impeded by the sheer amount of magic that exists everywhere. The royal line of elemental dragons is protected by this magic, and it prevents basic circuitry from being invented. It’s not impossible, but extra components are needed”

Excerpt From:

Magic And Technology

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Important Education Section (Public)

Chapter Six

Spyro woke up to a lot of pain and Cynder cuddling up against him. He winced as he tried to move a little. Spyro’s movement woke Cynder up, she got up and checked on his wounds, After applying some more herbs, she looked back at him.

“Feels better?” She asked

“Much better, thank you” He kissed her, making her blush.

Michael walked into the room, he had taken off his armor and washed off the blood.

“Its time to move you to your own bed” he said to Spyro

“Alright, give me a second” Spyro started to get up

“Nope, you sit back. I’m going to teleport us directly to your bedroom” He stopped Spyro from getting up.

With a purely theatrical snap, Michael teleported the three of them to Spyro and Cynder’s bedroom.

“You need time for your muscles to repair, so just relax and enjoy some peace. I feel you haven’t had much of that since before you defeated Malefor” Michael told Spyro “So stay in bed for the next three days. Cynder, make sure he doesn’t move”

“Will do” Cynder replied, looking forward to taking care of him after he had spent so much time taking care of her

Michael snapped again, and vanished. A few hours later, Flame and Ember visited to check in on Spyro. He used that time to tell the others about his adventure to the magicarium. After catching them up, he laid back and settled into a better position.

“So, this ‘Dark Authority’ corrupted Malefor, just so he would kill your parents, and now they are about to wage a war on everybody. Also, their going to do this with cursed armies and an unknown number of corrupted creatures” Ember summed it up

“Basically yes” Spyro answered “But don’t worry, the Dark Authority won’t attack just yet. They are still biding their time, preparing”

After some more talking, Cynder shooed Ember and Flame out when she sensed that Spyro was getting tired. Then she fed him some food that she had scrounged from the cabinets.

“I’m going to go to the market district and buy some supplies, we only had the few days supply Michael gave us when we moved in but that ran out” Cynder told Spyro

“Okay, don’t be gone long, I love you” Spyro responded, kissing Cynder

After she left, Spyro closed his eyes and fell asleep. Cynder flew to the market district and began looking through the wares. She stopped and looked up as the stall owner started making worried glances at the black dragoness. Then another customer walked in and looked over at Cynder, then started a hushed conversation with the owner, sneaking glances at her every once in a while. She paid for her items and rushed out of the stall. Then she walked into a spice shop, and picked out a few she thought were interesting. Then, weighted down by supplies, Cynder flew home. When she got home, she checked in with Spyro, to find him asleep. Smiling, she let him remain peacefully asleep.

A couple of days later, Spyro’s wounds had healed, and he was back and active again. In the fortress, Michael was training Spyro to use his new sword. During their break, Michael had been updating Spyro about the current events going on for the group.

“I received a message from your aunt, Mary, this morning. She said that she was finally able to get her kids ready to travel here, and is on her way. She should be here in a day or so, with her mate and three kids. She must have been really wanting to see her if she was able to scrape together her family and rush here so soon” Michael told Spyro

“I can’t wait to see her” Spyro replied, looking excited.

“She seemed excited when I told her about you” Michael added “Now let’s return to your training.”

The two dragons squared off, swords in their jaws. Spyro whipped forward and sliced toward Michael’s shoulder, but he blocked and swiped down with his claw, forcing Spyro back. Then Michael lunged forward and slammed his blade down, cracking the stone and sending a shockwave that forced spyro to dig his claws in.

“How did you do that” Spyro asked, panting

“These swards are made with ethereal gold, the strongest material to ever exist. This metal can conduct elemental power. All you need to do is charge the sword and it will relay the charge.” Michael explained, then with a breath, the sword burst into flames.

Spyro practiced some elemental moves with his sword for the rest of the session. Eventually he mastered the flame, wind and earth moves, but was having difficulty figuring out the ice and electricity moves. Cynder, with unfortunate timing, landed right next to Spyro’s target when he threw a lightning blast. Surprised, she ducked as the dummy next to her exploded violently with an electrical blast. Spyro rushed forward and looked her over

“Ohmygoshimsosorryididin’tseeyouareyouokay?” Spyo rambled, brushing the dust and straw off of her

“Im fine, just got buzzed a little. That was pretty hot though, what you did with that flip” Cynder answered

Blushing, Spyro leaned forward and kissed Cynder

“Do you want to try your elements?” He asked her

“Is that possible?” She looked as the dummy repairs itself and returns to its original position.

“My sword can conduct any element” He answered, handing it to her.

Carefully, she picked it up. The sword looked slightly big for her but she held it with ease. Then, trying the same flip Spyro did, and launched a powerful poison ball toward the dummy. Cracking in half, the dummy fell over, sizzling with the corrosive poison.

“That was fun!” Cynder remarked handing the sword back to Spyro

“We should get Michael to make you one of these” Spyro said, looking at the intricate designs on his sword.

“That would be nice” she answered

They flew back to their house, took a quick bath, and started walking around the market district. Looking at some of the wares the couple walked past dozens of shops and stall, ignoring the whispers and looks from all the others. They bought a few things, but were mainly walking around just to be together. While walking through an alley, the couple spotted Michael inspecting some raw gemstones. They walked up to him and watched him for a moment.

“Hey Michael, what you doing?” Spyro asked

“Just restocking my gemstone collection for the forge” Michael answered, looking through an eyeglass at an onyx stone.

“Oh, I wanted to ask you, could you possibly make me a sword? One that matches my armor maybe?” Cynder asked Michael

“Of course, lets go to the forge when I’m done here” He answered

Spyro and Cynder waited while Michael inspected and bought many gemstones, including a small bag of onyx stones. Then the three of them flew to the forge, Spyro gasped as he entered the forge, watching as a dozen or so weapon smiths hammered away at their projects. They entered Michael’s personal station, and Michael looked into a pile of casts. After a moment he pulled one out and showed it to Cynder, she nodded and Michael set the cast into its place and pulled the rope. Molten metal poured out and into the cast. After a few minutes, the metal solidified. Still searing, Michael picked up the sword and hammered out the aberrations, similar to how he made Flame’s. Then he used his magic to carve a pattern matching Cynder’s armor into the handle and base. He showed the blade to Cynder again, she nodded excitedly, amazed at the intricate designs. Then Michael dipped the blade into the barrel of oil. While it was sizzling, Michael walked over to a different station and started cutting the onyx stones. Using levitation, he lifted each stone and buffed each stone until it glittered like a star. Then Michael pulled the sword out of the barrel and sharpened the blade. After setting the stones and gluing the grip, he handed the finished sword over to Cynder, who took it and studied it carefully.

“This is beautiful, thank you so much” Cynder said, admiring the beautiful design.

“It was my pleasure, I remember making one for your mother, this design is nearly an exact copy of hers” Michael explained “I knew you would be drawn to that mold, and the design. It’s been a symbol of your mother’s family for years.”

“It has?” Cynder asked, looking up from the sword.

“Yes, after your grandmother left her egg with me, I went to my genetic index library and looked up her family history. I found a long line of black dragonesses leading back several hundred thousand years, and several dimensions.” Michael answered

“What was in the line?”

“I found that your line originated in a dimension very far from here. But when they moved here, they settled a planet for themselves. This planet was frequently subjugated to attacks by evil entities, so I stepped in and cleared any trace of evil off of any planet anywhere near it. Later on, your home planet became a haven for unusual types of dragons. But eventually other dragons began to move in in groups, then many of the unusual dragons were made fun of and attacked because of how they were born. Your family owned the planet and still do now, but they moved to a secluded part of It and cut off any contact to the rest of the dragons. When your grandmother was your age, she fell in love with a very dark blue dragon. Her love had some black dragons in his line but wasn’t treated as one, so your grandmother’s family wouldn’t let him move with her to the new village. So, she moved here with her new mate, but she moved to a smaller city, which was a bad idea. She was under near constant attack and so was her mate. When word got out of her pregnancy, a group of radical dragons attacked her home and destroyed it. Your grandfather was killed helping her to escape. After she left the egg with me, I tracked her all the way back to her home planet. She dropped of the map after that, so I assume she made it back to her family. I also assume that her family won’t let her leave.”

“Should we go find her” Cynder asked

“I’ve tried, but I worry you will only be met with hostility, and I doubt Spyro would let you go alone” Michael answered

They left the forge and flew home, as they approached the square, they noticed Flame and Cynder talking to two adult dragons, three children running around the square, playing.

“They got here so fast” Michael exclaimed as they landed

Spyro, realizing that the female red dragon was his aunt, Mary

“Hi” he said, walking up to her

“Hi Spyro, my god, you look just like your father, just purple” Mary responded smiling “My name is Mary, this is my mate Jake, and those are my kids running around, Storm, Ray, and Sammy”

“Hello” Spyro said to Jake, then called Cynder over “This is my girlfriend, Cynder”

“Cynder, like Silver’s daughter Cynder?” Jake asked, eyes wide

“Yep, that’s me” Cynder answered, blushing a little

“Who would have thought” Jake replied, chuckling.

Storm ran over to Spyro, the little dragon looked up at him.

“Are you Spyro” She asked him “The Hero?”

“Yes, I am, and you must be Storm”

She giggled and Ray ran up to her and tagged her. Giggling, she ran after him

“The Hero huh” Cynder responded, bumping Spyro

“Don’t think yourself so badly, you’re a hero too” Mary told her.

Blushing, Cynder motioned towards her house.

“Should we go inside?” She asked

“Let’s” Mary answered.

After Mary gathered her children and forced them inside, the family settled down in the dining room. Suddenly, Michael walked out of the kitchen with a large meal levitating behind him, as everybody settled down Michael caught them up on what happened to Spyro and Cynder in Genrir. He kept out the bad parts because of the kids, but he did get the jist of it across.

“So, then they woke you up, and you brought them here?” Mary asked

“This is possibly the safest place someone can be” Michael answered

“You’re not wrong” She responded.

After they finished their meal, Mary and Jake settled their kids into bed. Spyro caught Cynder watching them and she blushed. Mary walked out of the spare bedroom.

“They got tuckered out by the trip. We were thinking that we should stay here for a while and get to know you better. If that’s okay with you of course” Mary whispered as Jake sneaked out, closing the door.

“of course, stay as long as you liked” Spyro whispered back

The two parents looked exhausted, so Spyro showed them to their room and said goodnight. Spyro found Cynder sitting her office, Rose’s old one. She was looking at a photo book of both their parents. The book must have been newer because looked as if it had never been opened

“I wish we could meet them” She whispered, flipping to the next page.

“Me too, we still might though, if Michael’s spell works” Spyro replied looking at the photos

Cynder flipped the page, and focused on one of the photos. This photo only had Rose and Silver in it. They were holding their bellies and smiling brightly. Cynder flipped the page again and looked at a set of photos that showed their mothers. The first one showed little change, but in the second one both their bellies had grown slightly bigger. The next one showed them much bigger, both mothers to be smiling happily, Rose was laughing at something behind the camera. The final image showed both mothers holding their eggs. But this one was different. Both Rose, and Silver had expressions of worry mixed in with their pride. There smiles were barely there, and they just looked tired. The very last photo in the book showed Silver in her nest guarding both the purple and black eggs. Rose was in the background reading from the same book that was in the same room. Closing the book, Cynder sighed and went to bed, Spyro following.

The next morning, Spyro woke up curled around Cynder. He looked at her and sighed, happy to be with the one he loves. Cynder looked up at him.

“You okay?” She asked

“Just enjoying the view” He answered

“You tease” She replied

Getting up, she stretched, spreading her wings wide. Suddenly the couple could hear the tiny footfalls of small children running around the house, giggling. Smiling, Cynder looked over at Spyro.

“That could be us one day” Cynder said to him

“Do you want that?” Spyro asked, suddenly serious

“I do, I’ve wanted a family since before you rescued me. I never really thought about it until recently though.” Cynder answered “Do you”

“With you” He answered, blushing “I want to have a family with you”

Startled with his statement, Cynder looked up at him, and smiled.

“Should we start planning are mating ceremony” she asked him

“Yes, definitely” He replied, then leaned up to kiss her.

They pulled apart, and walked out of their bedroom to see the three kids running around. They walked into the kitchen to see Jake cooking up some breakfast.

“Oh, Hi, I hope you don’t mind me taking over your kitchen” he said

“No, go ahead” Cynder expressed.

“You want some breakfast” Jake asked him

“Sure, I can eat” Spyro answered

They walked to the dining room and sat down. Ray ran past them, giggling. Soon after, Jake brought in a few plates of food and just as they had started eating Mary walked in.

“Hi I’m late for work” Mary said “Ill be back in a few hours”

“She’s working?” Cynder asked as Mary left

“She works for the Triad social services, in exchange for staying here as long as she wants, she has to go out and check in on the people of this city. Her job is to make sure everybody is happy, but sometimes she has to separate families if they are abusive or neglecting.” Jake explained “Also we need the extra cash”

“Isn’t she a princess?” Spyro asked

“Yes. Flame did not know how asking Michael to leave would affect others. His resources are what kept the kingship afloat. When he left, he only was able to leave us about 3 decades worth of money. That’s why we waited so long to have kids; we had no stability.” Jake said

“But know that he’s back…”

“When he got here, he immediately contacted us. He offered to move us back here, which were considering, or just to take care of us. We know that if we move here, we will be taken care of, but we also have a life back home.” Jake said looking out at the kids

“Whether you leave or stay, I’m glad I got to know you” Spyro told Jake “You’re the first family I have ever met”

Then, Spyro got up to play with the kids.

“Dracios Elementia are both solitary and attention seeking creatures, they have three main ways of life. The first is a solitary one, they will live by themselves usually in mountainous terrain, and they will eventually find a mate. Then they will stay together for the rest of their lives. The solidary life is not a great one for some, when the children of a solidary couple grow to full adult, they leave and never see their parents again. The second lifestyle is nomadic, they live in groups, without a permanent home, and wander the planet. These nomadic tribes hold and follow the oldest traditions of the species. A major improvement of this style is the fact that families stick together their entire lives, and the nomadic tribes will mix and split off constantly to form new ones. The final lifestyle is the civilization; these are the dragons that have an urge to build cities and group up in villages, they are more common and more agreeable to the human’s standard lifestyle.”

Excerpt From:

Dossier Of Dracios Elementia

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Species Dossier Section (Public)

Chapter Seven

Roaring Spyro stomped around, smiling while the kids squeal and giggle as he chased them around. Cynder sighed

“He’s going to be a good dad” Jake remarked, chuckling as his kids tackle Spyro to the ground

“It’s not him I’m worried about, it’s me”

“What about you?” He asked

“Well, when I was corrupted, I did things that I regret more than anything. I did horrible things, things that would scare you, it scared Spyro. I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to hurt Spyro and I can’t get over that!” Cynder answered

“I know you have some bad memories, but I also know you can get over them” Jake replied

“It’s not just that. Spyro is a natural, you should have seen him cheer up the kids before the siege of Warfang. He made a group of war-torn children laugh and play for a few hours. I have no idea how to raise children, I feel like I’m going to mess up or do something wrong. I was raised by a maniac who corrupted me into another body as soon as I had learned to speak, Spyro was raised by two caring dragonflies, and he had a brother.”

“It’s different with your own kids. Before Mary had hers, she was a killing machine for the Triad army. That how we met, my platoon was under attack by a cursed army, and she flew in using her fire and wind powers to throw a fire tornado at the army, obliterating it. When she got pregnant, she turned from a battle hungry killer to a calm, patient, mother. Don’t let your past experiences take over.” Jake looked back to her “Also, when you lay your own eggs, your instincts will tell you how to act, and by the time they hatch, you know what to do. This only works for the first 6 months, then they get rowdy and you have to figure things out for yourself”

“I’ll need to talk to Michael about how he raises his kids.” Cynder replied

“That’s probably a better idea. I only have the experience from my pregnant mate and children. while Michael has been alive long enough to experience thousands. You will, no doubt, be different from Mary.” He answered

Spyro looked over at Cynder, and smiled, all three kids hanging from him as he dragged them around the room giggling.

“I’m also worried about this war” she sighed “Another war”

“I would focus on something else, if I were you, like maybe your ceremony?” He asked, raising his eyebrows “You are engaged, right”

“Yes” she answered

“Then I’ll bet you’ll want to start planning it. When I was talking to Flame, I heard that they did theirs in less than three days. I’ll bet they were stressed about it the whole time. We did ours slowly, over 6 days.” He told Cynder

“We want ours to be simple, a few friends, whatever family we can find, some music and decorations, and Michael officiating it.” Cynder replied “We already have all we need, but we just want to relax for a while before making it official.”

“My brother did that too, but then he and his mate suddenly wanted to make it official. Then they had to wait painfully long so they could have the ceremony they wanted. Make sure to pay attention to what you and Spyro are feeling.” Jake responded

“Rawrr” Spyro yelled, the children squealing

“The more I think about it, the more I can’t wait” Cynder sighed

“I know how you feel”

The two dragons watch as Spyro slumped onto the couch, Exhausted. The kids ran back to their dad.

“Can we play outside” Storm asked, her grey wings flapping excitedly.

“Sure, just don’t leave the square!” he yelled back at them as they left

“How did Storm get her colors?” Cynder asked

“Dragon genetics are weird, most of the time a child will inherit their color from one or both of their parents. But the rest of the time they will get their colors from either farther up the family tree, or just a random mutation. My grandmother was an electric grey, so I assume that’s where she got it from.” Jake explained “Believe it or not, Ray is a sun dragon, not a fire dragon. Nobody in my family has a clue where that came from.”

“A sun dragon? So he will be able to travel to stars and collect sunstones and stuff?” Spyro asked from the couch

“Some of them do that yes, but most just spend their lives like any other dragon” Jake answered

Cynder walked over and sat next to Spyro on the couch, Jake sat down across them, making sure he has a good view of the square.

“And what about Sammy, you’re an ice dragon, and she’s a water dragon” Cynder asked

“Actually, my ice dragon element is the first recorded in my family. Water elements are normal for us.” Jake answered

Outside, Flame and Ember had left their house and the three kids ran up to them. Michael stepped out of his house and watched as the two young dragons talked with the three younger ones. Then he walked over into Spyro’s house.

“Hey, how’s things?” He asked

“These two have some questions about… certain topics” Jake said, getting up and joining the kids outside

“We do?” Spyro asked, confused

“Cynder was a little worried about some things” Jake said as he walked out the door

“Yeah, I was a little worried about how my… condition… and my childhood would affect me raising children.” Cynder said, looking over to Spyro

“Black dragons have a natural resistance to the long term affects of dark magic. This means that there is no longer any magical trace left in you of Malefor’s control. So, in the magical sense, and physical sense, you will be fine. As for your childhood, I know you weren’t raised by any kind of a parental figure. I can help you with anything that your instincts don’t cover.” Michael explained “But why are you thinking of this now, you haven’t even had your ceremony yet?”

“Yeah, about that” Cynder turned to Spyro “I want to do it, like within the week”

“You do?”

“Yes, I decided that I don’t need to wait to do something that Is going to happen, that I want to happen.” Cynder smiled “Do you want to make it official”

“Definitely” Spyro smiled back, he turned to Michael “Is it normal for dragons to have their mating ceremony so soon after they have gotten together?”

“Dragons are strange creatures; two dragons will spend years courting before confessing their love. Then, within days, the two will have their mating ceremony. A couple’s family usually can tell when they are bonded, and usually hurry things up. Watching these events are hysterical. I did it to you, if you didn’t notice.” Michael laughed

“Wait, the blades you had, the looks, the hints, that was what you were doing?” Spyro asked

“Yeah, that was on purpose. I could tell that you were bonded as soon as you jumped in front of Cynder to protect her from me.” Michael smirked “So I did what I do best”

“So, with our ceremony, I really liked how you decorated the fortress’s central square, and I loved the music.” Cynder stated

“First, you should get your witnesses. Then you should get with a decorator and a few stylists, I can handle the rest.” Michael looked at the couple “Do you two want me to officiate?”

“Yes” Spyro answered, looking over to Cynder, who nodded

“Then you do those two things, and we can have the ceremony immediately” Michael told them, then got up and left.

Flame ran into the house and looked over at Spyro

“Hey, come check this out”

Spyro leaned over and kissed Cynder

“Back in a bit” he said

“Take your time.” She replied

Spyro followed Flame out of the house and flew over to the market district. They entered a new looking store and Flame led Spyro to the back of the shop. On display in the back, a row of gold headdresses covered with gemstones.

“I was thinking that we should get a pair of these for the girls, since their both royalty” Flame leafed through a booklet of designs, then he focused on one specific page.

“This one looks cool, she will love this.”

“I think she’ll like this one” Spyro said pointing to the third one in line. “Hey, we got engaged”

“You did, congrats Spyro” He bumped the purple dragon “You stud”

“I was wondering if you would…”

“Be your witness? Yes, duh” Flame interrupted

They talked to the jeweler, discussed their payment, and flew back to the square. The two got back just in time to watch the girls leaving.

“You know what this means, GIRLS NIGHT!” Spyro heard Ember yell “C’mon, lets go. No, you’re coming, LETS GO” She practically dragged Cynder into the air.

Michael, watching these events, raised an eyebrow at the pair, and walked into his house. Spyro went back in the house to see Jake telling his kids a story. Spyro realized that the story had been about him. The kids looked at him in amazement.

“Did you really save a whole city?” Ray asked him, eyes wide

“Well, Cynder was a huge part of it, and Warfang’s defensive armies helped.” Spyro answered

“Wooow” Sammy replied

Jack continued the story while Spyro went into the kitchen and ate a snack. Then he walked back and sat down on the couch, smiling silently. Every once in a while, the young dragons would look at Spyro, disbelief in their eyes as the hero in their story sat right next to them. When Jake finished he settled the kids into bed, and walked back into the living room.

“Girls went out for a ‘Girl’s night’?” Jake asked Spyro

“Yep” Spyro answered

Suddenly Mary walked in and sat down on the couch, leaned against Jake and sighed.

“Kids in bed?” she asked

“Yep” He answered

“Where’s Cynder?” Mary looked around

“Girls night with Ember” Spyro answered “Preparing for are ceremony”

“You decided you wanted to do it sooner?” Jake said, raising his eyebrows

“Yep, were planning to do it within the week.” Spyro leaned back, and smiled at the thought. “And I can’t wait”

“I’m gonna hit the sack” Jake kissed Mary and walked into the hallway

“I’m going to eat something, then I’ll meet you in there” She called to him, then turned to Spyro “I wanted to ask some things about this city”

“I have only been here for a few days now, but I’ll try to answer your questions the best I can”

“So, while I was checking the town halls records, I discovered that many of this city’s buildings were abandoned during the wars. Michael owns some of these buildings.”

“Okay”

“Well, since most of the buildings Michael’s forces use are at the port, I was wondering why Michael even owns them in the first place?” Mary looked over at Michael’s house.

“Well, I only have been to a few. Some appear to be factories of come kind, while others make no sense to me. But Michael has lived in this dimension for thousands of years, maybe he had his uses back then.”

“That would make more sense. Secondly, I found that this city hasn’t been growing in size or wealth lately. I can’t seem to find what has been causing it, but my main theory is that this city is still in post-war recovery. But this recovery will not be going on for much longer, I fear that this city will go under some strain when the damage has been totally repaired.”

“What kind of strain?” Spyro asked

“Not much, hopefully, but there is no way to know. Hopefully, since Michael is back, he can help us move through with his massively stable economy. The final thing I found was more interesting than problematic. This city is filled with magical ruins. These ruins appear to be everywhere, I walked past three of them on the way home. I talked to some archeologists and they had no idea what these ruins were or their functions. They appear to contain protective spells and defensive systems.”

“That seems to be something else that Michael was a part of, you should ask him about that.” Spyro, thinking, looked up “I’ve seen some of these ruins, but they don’t seem to be too important.”

“I probably have to, if I want any answers. Other than those things though, the rest of the city is prospering” Mary got up and walked into the kitchen to eat

Spyro said goodnight to Mary and went to bed. Curling up, Spyro noticed that without Cynder, the bed felt empty. Eventually, he fell asleep.

Cynder sneaked into the house an hour later, startled when she saw Mary sitting at the table, eating dinner.

“Do you ever sleep?” Cynder asked her

“Not when I get home after dinner time, but I needed to talk to Spyro, so that took a minute” Mary answered

“About what?”

“Some weird stuff about the city” Mary finished her meal, and leaned back.

“Oh god, I don’t want to know” Cynder laughed “Boy am I tired, I’m going to go to bed”

“Alright, see you tomorrow” Mary got up, and returned her dishes to the kitchen

Cynder slowly opened the door, stepped through, and closed it behind her. She silently curled up next to Spyro, trying not to wake him up. After she had settled, Spyro flipped over and curled up around her.

Spyro woke up to a knock on the door.

“Cynder” Ember’s voice rang through the door “C’mon, we need to go find you a decorator, and a few stylists.”

Cynder groaned, and looked over at Spyro. She stretched, kissed him, and got out of bed.

“Hurry up, let’s go” Ember called

“Hold on a minute” Cynder called back, then turned to Spyro and kissed him again. “See you later”

“Love ya” he called as she left

Spyro got up, stretched and yawned. He walked out into the living room to see Flame sitting on the couch.

“Hey” Spyro yawned

“Hey, those headdresses we ordered are finished.” Flame told him

“That was fast” Spyro replied

“They are earth dragons; they can use magic to make their wares” Flame answered

The two dragons walked out into the square and were about to take flight when Michael seemingly appeared behind them.

“Whoa, where did you come from” Flame jumped

“You should look around more often” Michael answered “I wanted to give you these”

Michael handed Spyro the blades ha had collected from the forge. Giving Michael a look, he put the blades in his storage. Then he and Flame took off back to the jewelers. When they go there, Spyro admired the intricate designs of the headdress he picked out.

“When should we give them to them” Spyro asked Flame

“Probably when they get back, Ember knew I was hiding something when I bought that bracelet” Flame smirked

“Seems like a plan, we should do it together” Spyro told him

Flame nodded as they left the store. When they got home, they landed to find Michael was inspecting Cynder’s tailblade. Spyro approached to find that it had broken, Cynder was clearly in pain. Spyro never understood how tailblades worked, but apparently, they grew with the dragon, and they had at least some feeling.

“What happened!” Spyro asked, “Is she okay”

“Her tailblade broke when she landed on the metal flooring over next to the decorators” Ember told Spyro “she told me she was fine and wanted to keep going, so I hurried it along. But brought her back when I noticed she was in a lot of pain”

“Tailblades have some nerve endings in them, so Cynder is in a lot of pain. The reforging process will hurt even more, but I think I have a better solution.” Michael explained

He grabbed the tailblade piece and her tail. And held them tight in his paws. With a flash of light, Michael pressed down hard. Cynder flinched, gasping. When Michael let go, Cynder looked back and saw that her tailblade was back. But something was different, the metal color was noticeably different.

“This is now ethereal gold” He told her “I challenge you to break it. I should also do your wingblades as well.”

Michael went over and tapped each one of her wingblades. With a flash, each blade turned the same color of her tailblade. Cynder looked over and admired her new blades.

“Your tail will be sore for a while, until your nerve endings heal” Michael informed

“Thanks” Cynder said

Testing the weight of the new blades, Cynder flicked her tailblade around. Not paying attention, the blade flew right over Michael’s head, slicing his left horn clean off. Ember gasped; Michael looked down and sighed.

“These new blades are sharp enough to cut through any other metal like lava through ice”

He focused on the horn, and it dissolved. Then he waved his left paw over his stump, and suddenly it reappeared, as if nothing happened.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that it could cut right through bone” Cydner replied

“You should be more careful with them” Michael told her, then walked away

“Spyro and I got you two something” Flame cut in

Both the girls looked up

“You did?” Cynder asked

They each pulled the headdresses out of their storage. Ember squealed as Flame handed hers over.

“This is so beautiful” She said “How did you get these?”

“There is a jeweler nearby that specializes in them” Flame answered

Cynder put on her headdress, and smiled.

“Thank you Spyro, what did I do to deserve you?”

“I should ask the same about you” Spyro replied

“Ninety percent of dragons have some calling towards valuables. Some hoard massive piles of whatever they can get there claws around, while most just enjoy jewelry and decorations. The Ultimate Guardian surmised that this urge came from the fact that dragons used to be considered valuable. Dragons used to be terribly endangered, and the guardian had to use a massive amount of time and energy to save them from such. This caused the dragons to hoard their eggs with their most sacred treasures. Then all dragons felt the need to have treasure to hoard their eggs with. Now that dragons are far from extinction, a record breaking nine hundred quintillion standard from each species was counted as of the time this book was written. The dragons have inherited the need to collect riches, but now most ignore it.”

Excerpt From:

Treasured Dragons

Gerald Trust

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Draconic Section (Public)

Chapter Eight

Mary and the children came out of the house, she walked up and greeted them.

“My, don’t you both look pretty, I remember when I got my first headdress. The kids and I were going to do some training, and I was wondering if you wanted to help teach some things.”

“Sure, but where are we going to do it?” Spyro asked

“Michael offered us the old training grounds at the dock, so I thought we should use those.” Mary answered, calling the kids over.

Jake walked out of the house with a satchel around his neck, and the group took off. The kids couldn’t fly yet, so they rode on the older dragon’s backs, spreading there wings wide to feel the air rushing through them. Sunny rode on Spyro’s back, he glided the airstreams, smiling at Cynder. They flew over the dock, looking for the training grounds. The flew over Michael, who looked up and nodded his head in the right direction.

“Is he everywhere?” Cynder asked Spyro, who shrugged in response.

They landed at the abandoned training grounds and the kids jumped off to look around.

Jake set down his satchel and looked at the dummies that were still there.

“I thought this place was unused” he said

“They’re indestructible, when you destroy them, they reconstitute themselves” Spyro answered

Then, for affect, Spyro pulled his sword out and flung an electric blast at the nearest dummy. It exploded, sending wood and straw flying. Then, suddenly, the dummy sprang back up as if nothing happened.

“Wooooh” The kids said in unison

“Can you teach me to do that” Storm asked

“When you’re older” Spyro answered “When you can actually lift this sword”

“Let’s start with your elemental exercises” Jake said, lining the kids up with their own dummies.

The young dragons started practicing, Storm was shooting lightning bolts, Ray was using light beams, and Sammy was trying to throw water blasts. After a while of practicing, the kids stopped and took a snack break. Then Mary took them and started teaching them some basic fighting moves. The kids were struggling to see the point of the exercises.

“Maybe I should find a sparring partner to show how it’s done” Mary turned to Spyro “How about you?”

Spyro looked surprised, then smirked “Are you sure?”

“A full duel, element powers and fighting moves, let’s do it” She answered

Spyro got up and entered a ring, then smirked again. Mary charged forward, but Spyro leaped right, and she flew past. Then she flipped around and launched a fireball. Spyro blocked the move with a simple blast of water. When the steam lifted, Spyro was gone. Mary looked around, then leaped forward as Spyro landed behind her. But Spyro was too fast, he blasted Mary with an air stream and she flew out of the ring.

“I had to fight apes and other evil creatures since I was younger than them.” He told her, reaching out and helping her up “Cynder and Michael are the only ones who can beat me in a full duel.”

Cynder chuckled

“Wow, maybe we should just try some simple examples” Mary replied

They began to set in certain positions, and explained how to defend and attack with them. Then they taught them basic attacks and element blasts. Exhausted, Spyro walked back to the others, and laid down.

“You are a really good fighter” Jake told him, watching the kids start playing around with wooden swords, chasing and screaming

“Yeah, I’ve had a lot of experience, In the worst ways” He answered, looking over at Cynder

“Yeah, I was trained by the same ones that gave him experience” Cynder said, blushing “Then we fought, and I gave him the rest”

Spyro picked up his sword and put it in his storage, then started eating his lunch. After the kids were done playing. Jake packed up and the group returned to the square. When they got there, they went inside and relaxed in the living room. Then ember popped her head through the front door.

“Hey, your stylist is here and wants to check your armor” she said

“Let her in, I’ll show her” Cynder replied, then led the stylist into her study.

“Things ramping up” Jake asked Spyro

“Yeah, I guess Michael went to hunt down Cynder’s aunts and uncles today” He answered

“What about Jade, Sam, and James?” Mary asked “I haven’t seen them since our ceremony”

“Michael sent a message out to them, but hasn’t heard anything back. He said he wanted to go and find them after he gets back” Spyro answered

“I think I should go with them; it might make convincing them easier.” Mary replied

“That sounds like a good idea” Spyro said, looking out the window at the sunset.

Outside, a portal appeared, and Michael appeared through it. He sighed and cracked his neck, then he walked into his house and sat down at his study. He projected a communication with his general

“Do you have a status report?” Michael asked

“Affirmative” the general answered. “The forces you called arrived in Bermutha this morning, they are awaiting orders. Some scouts have detected an increased amount of dark magic activity in some of the dark zones. Also there have been some rumors of a void dragon being spotted somewhere on the Endo Homeworld.”

“Dispatch some hunters to find him, monitor all portals. We may need his help in this fight. Anything else?”

“Two more things; first, we found a stash of fear cores on Preo, were working on finding the source, but we have found no leads. Second, we have begun the reactivation of Demos, its factories are set to be up and running tomorrow”

“Get the element cannons produced from those factories to Genrir, they’re needed in Warfang. Send 40 of the new fortresses to the Catar outpost, make sure they are on high alert because they will be the front line if there is an all-out attack. I can see that the Demos only has a few defenses, so send 15 fortresses. Finally, send an order out to Preo, make sure those fear cores are destroyed so they can’t be reacquired and used against us” Michael ended the communication.

Michael got up and looked out the window into the square, he saw that lights were still on across the street at Spyro and Cynder’s house. He watched as the stylist exited the house and flew off, then he turned and went to bed.

Back in his house, Spyro was in bed waiting for Cynder to join him. After a few minutes, he heard the stylist leave and watched as Cynder snuck into the room.

“I’m still awake” he said, making Cynder jump

“Oh, good” Cynder replied, jumping into the bed with a sigh

“I wanted to talk to you” Spyro said, curling around her

“About?”

“Us, I wanted to talk about us. Things have been moving so fast after Michael woke us up, and he seems to be doing this on purpose”

“Why would he do that?” Cynder craned her neck to look at him

“Well, he has been saying that the Dark Authority has been growing again, and that it has done this before. I think he has been rushing things so that we don’t have to wait to do them after the war.”

“How long could the war last?”

“The last one only lasted six months, but they have been known to last up to a decade”

“Well, then Michaels doing the right thing. I couldn’t imagine spending a whole decade with you without being your mate.”

“I thought so too” Spyro looked at her “I want to ask you something, and you don’t have to answer right away, but I want you to think about it, and get back to me”

“Okay” Cynder replied slowly

“Do you want kids? I know it’s a basic question, but I don’t want you to feel pressured into answering. We have a lot of time to have kids if we want, but that’s what we have to figure out; do we want to? Now, I know that you have worries about this, that’s why I said to take your time, I want you to make this decision from the heart, and let nobody influence it.”

Cynder sat silent for a long time.

“Yes, I want kids, I don’t know when or where, but I want them. I still have my doubts, but with you, I can do anything. I can’t wait to start a family with you Spyro” She flipped over and kissed Spyro, then nuzzled against his chest.

“I can’t wait either” Spyro replied, nuzzling her back.

The next day, Spyro and Cynder woke up to the sun streaming through their window. Finally, they didn’t get any interruptions and were able to enjoy each other’s company for a while. After a while of cuddling, they got up and stretched. They walked out and noticed that the house was empty. A note was left on the dining table explaining that while Mary went with Michael, Jake was taking the kids to get cleaned up for the ceremony. Enjoying some silence and peace, the two sat down and relaxed on the couch. Suddenly a letter bursts into existence above Cynder’s head. Sighing she grabbed it and read it.

“What is it” Spyro asked

“Michael wants me to come by the fortress later because the decorator keeps bothering him” She answered

“I guess Ember was all over her ceremony” Spyro said

“Yeah, so much so that it bothered the same decorator. She already knows what to do, I don’t know what else she needs, and the ceremony is in two days” Cynder rolled her eyes.

“Probably some minuscule details, like how they turn the element cannons into confetti launchers” Spyro replied

“No that’s easy, they fill the barrel with confetti, and fire an air blast through it”

They relaxed for a few hours, then Cynder left and Spyro went to talk to Flame and Ember. But he was interrupted by a grey dragon carrying a big leather satchel.

“Mail for Spyro and Cynder?” He asked

“I’m Spyro” he told him

The maildragon pulled a massive cloth bag of letters out of his satchel and handed it to Spyro.

“We have more stuff for you, but we had to limit it due to our system being strained, were very limited since we just got started back up again” he told Spyto

“Take your time, I’m in no hurry” Spyro replied

The dragon walked over to Flame and Ember’s house, and dropped a small pack of letters at the door, knocked, and flew away. Flame answered the door and noticed the pack. He looked at Spyro and his cloth bag, confused.

“Where did this come from?” he asked

“A maildragon” Spyro told him

“Why do you have so many?”

“I have no idea, I’m gonna go find out”

Spyro walked back into his house and sat down at his study. He began to open the mail and gasped as most of it was fanmail. He opened letter after letter of art, pictures, poems, and songs. He spent the next few hours reading all of the letters addressed to him. Digging into the bottom of the bag, he pulled out a very small parcel of paper. This letter was written smaller than the others, Spyro grabbed the magnifying glass from the desk and read it.

‘Dear Spyro

We got your letter and are very glad to hear you’re okay. We received a letter from Michael yesterday telling us about you and Cynder’s ceremony. He told us that he will be sending an envoy to escort us to you, so by the time you read this, we will likely already be on our way. Sparx was happy to get his letter and is with us here, and he will be bringing his girlfriend with us. I hope to see you soon and make sure to thank Michael for the envoy and telling us how to message you. With love, Nina’

Spyro sat back, relieved. He had been wondering how he would get his adoptive parents here from Genrir. There are a lot of threats in between the swamp and Warfang, so Spyro had resigned to go get them himself the day before the ceremony. Now he won’t have to worry about making the all-day journey out to the swamp and back. Spyro walked out to the square and basked in the afternoon sun. Ember flew in and landed next to him.

“Flame told me you got a massive bag of letters.” she said

“Yeah, most of them were fanmail for me” Spyro replied

“You get fanmail?” she asked

“I do now” He answered

“I got a letter from my mother that I had to answer, but had no idea where to put the outgoing mail, I ended up flying all the way to the dock to put it in a bin.”

“You could have handed it to Michael and he would have taken it the next time he went by”

Ember rolled her eyes “Well, that information would have been useful. At least I talked to Cynder while I was there”

“You did? What’s she up to? She’s been gone a while” Spyro asked

“Just some simple stuff, flower types, music, which way they should be facing” Ember looked over, and saw Jake land with the kids.

The kids ran over to Spyro

“We got polished, see” Ray announced, spreading his small wings and showing off.

“Look at you, all shiny” Spyro replied, and the kids ran back to Jake, giggling

“I can’t to have my own” Ember said, sighing at the thought

“Did you talk to Flame about it?” Spyro asked

“Talk? Yeah we talked, we had long conversations about it, we spent hours talking about it” She answered, laughing. “Have you two?”

“We have, and we decided we wanted to” Spyro told her

“Your kids are going to be sooo cute” Ember smiled

Spyro blushed and walked back to his house. Then he settled down on the couch and took a nap. He woke up to Cynder talking with Jake about his time in the Triad army. He sat up and stretched, then walked into the kitchen to eat. Halfway through his meal, Spyro heard a knock on his door, he heard Cynder answer the door and jumped when he heard a familiar voice. He ran to the living room and saw his parents.

“Mom, Dad, Sparx, you guys came” Spyro exclaimed

“Of course we came, wouldn’t miss it for the world, or galaxy” Nina replied

“How did you get bigger?” Sparx flew up and landed on his snout “Let me introduce you to my girlfriend, June”

A pink dragonfly lands next to Sparx, on Spyro’s nose.

“Hi, nice to meet you” she said

“Nice to meet you too” He replied, crossing his eyes to look at her.

“How was the trip?” Cynder asked

“Michael sent an envoy to bring us to Warfang, he practically carried us there, after that it was a quick flight here” Nina answered

“Yeah, I just got your letter this morning, the mail system is a little stressed right now.” Spyro told them.

“We sent our letter right after we got ours like 3 days ago, congrats on the engagement, by the way” Flash said

“Aww, thanks” Cynder replied “It’s nice to finally meet the people who raised Spyro”

“Its nice to meet you too” Flash replied “Sparx told us a lot about you”

“All good I hope” Spyro shot Sparx a look.

“Of course” Nina replied

They entered the living room and Nina immediately took to the kids.

“Oh, I remember when you were that small.” Nina said, looking over at Spyro, smiling

Flash and the others sat down at the table; the dragonflies looked exhausted. They talked for a while, before everybody went to bed. Curled up together, Cynder looked up at Spyro, who was smiling.

“You look happy” she said

“I am, my parents are here, I got to meet some of my family, and I’m about to be mated to you, the most beautiful dragoness in the world.” Spyro smiled, blissful

“You know just the right things to say” Cynder kissed him “How am I so lucky”

“I’m the lucky one, to have your love” Spyro replied

“No, I’m serious. You found me in my corrupted form and instead of hating me, you cared about me, and you saved me, and after that, you still fell in love with me. I feel like I don’t deserve this” Cynder looked down

“No, don’t EVER think that. I love you, I LOVE YOU. Even the most powerful spells can’t separate us. You deserve me, fate brought us together. Nothing can change that, nothing. I know you think you have done some unforgivable things, some things that make you feel like you should be punished for the rest of your life. But you deserve happiness, and I’m going to make sure you have it. You shouldn’t be punished for what you did while you were under the control of someone else.” Spyro made direct eye contact. “My beautiful queen, you are the one I love, nothing in the universe can change that”

Cynder kissed him, crying a little at the beauty of his words. They settled back, nuzzling, and let sleep lure their eyes closed.

“I’ve always said that life itself is unaligned magic, it follows none of the laws of the five magics, and continues to thrive in the complete absence of all magic. This multiverse exists without the laws of magic, and will always exist that way. Many gods of different magics have told me that life needs magic to thrice, and I disagree, it only needs two sides. Intelligence can’t grow without a struggle, and a struggle can’t exist without two sides.”

Excerpt From:

Lectures From The Ultimate Guardian

The Council Of Education

Can Be Found On The Multiversal Internet

Chapter Nine

Spyro and Cynder woke up to the smell of food cooking. Spyro recognized the smell as a recipe that his mother used to make. They heard Nina and Mary chatting from the kitchen. Spyro looked at Cynder, and kissed her. They stayed like this for a long time, embracing each other tightly as they kissed. After a while, they got up and walked out to the living room.

“Good morning you two” Flash said as they entered “How did you sleep?”

“Pretty good” Spyro answered.

“A literal army of maildragons came by and left a massive number of packages. We left them in the nest room for you.” Jake told them

“Another pile of mail?” Spyro asked

“You should have seen the one they left for Michael; it was twice the size of yours” Flash told them

“The mail came by yesterday?” Cynder asked

“Oh, I forgot to give you your stack. He handed me a massive bag and I discovered that I get fanmail now” Spyro explained

“Well of course you do, you hero” Cynder bumped his hips with hers.

Just then, Nina and Mary walked out of the kitchen. Mary carrying a few dishes to the table.

“Breakfast is ready” Nina called

The children rushed to the table and started eating. The rest of the group talked as they ate.

“This is really good” Cynder exclaimed, devouring her plate.

“Thanks, it’s my own personal recipe” Nina told her

“I thought I recognized the smell” Spyro smiled “I remember eating this on my birthdays”

“Well, this is a very special occasion, you’re getting mated tomorrow!” Nina exclaimed happily.

The group finished their meal, and the dragonflies left to explore the city. The four dragons started opening the pile of mail.

“When did you get home” Spyro asked Mary

“Around two in the morning” she answered “I nearly woke up the whole house with my clumsiness”

“How was the trip?” Spyro opened a pouch and poured out a pile of amethyst crystals

“Well, we found your uncles, but they weren’t too willing to talk to Michael. They were aggressive at first, so I had to step in and yell at them for a solid hour. Eventually I convinced them to come to your ceremony. They are currently staying in the fortress; we can go meet them later. We looked for Jade for a long time but found no trace of her.” She explained, inspecting a bracelet she pulled from another pouch. “We tried, but neither Sam, nor James knew where she was.”

“That’s okay, maybe I can try to find her sometime” he replied

“I would love to see her again; it’s been a long time” She sighed

“Did Michael ever find any of my family” Cynder asked

“He told me he found two of your aunts and only one uncle, and he told them about you. He said that they should be coming today, but they might skip it, they don’t like being in public after the whole Malefor thing.” Mary explained “Even though I doubt anybody will recognize them”

Cynder sighed “I hope they decide to attend”

“I hope so too” Mary replied

Suddenly Spyro pulled a fire core out of a box, everybody looked at it for a moment, then laughed.

“Who would send you that?” Jake asked

“I have no clue” He turned the core over “But I guess they want me to have one”

They finished opening the mail and cleaned up the mess. Then Mary and Spyro left to go meet his uncles. Cynder stayed behind and took a nap, and the dragonflies returned from their trip. Flash and Jake sat out in the square and watched the children run around and play.

“It’s so different here” Flash stated

“Here, as in the planet, or in a city in general?” Jake asked

“Both? I don’t know, Nina wants to move to warfang so that we could be a quick portal away from Spyro, and the whole village wants to leave the swamp. The shattering has caused an increase of predators. Nina’s been talking to other dragonflies and now they all are thinking about moving to Warfang.” Flash answered

“Could Warfang support the village?” Jake looked at him “I don’t know how their economy is working”

“I think we could find some work to do, to support our very small housing.” Flash flew off of Jake and landed on the ground.

“The Council wants to send some representatives to check in on the Warfang territory and what’s left of Genrir. They asked Mary to do it, she’s still considering it though” Jake told Flash

“She should accept, and bring you guys. I think you will enjoy spending some time there.” Flash replied

“Maybe Spyro can show us around Warfang” Jake remarked

“Not likely, Spyro spent ninety percent of his time in Warfang during it’s siege. He could show you around the Guardians Temple, Tall Plains, and our home swamps though.” Flash said, fluttering his wings.

“Right, forgot about that” Jake said, sighing “Those two have been through so much at so young an age”

“I know, I tried to protect Spyro from it, but eventually evil sought him out” Flash replied

“Why did they have to go through all that hardship and suffering, Spyro had to save Cynder from corruption. Then he had to stop Malefor from rising, and after failing, he was trapped in crystal for three years. And to top it all off, he woke just in time to be captured and bound with Cynder. Then he had to fight Malefor and save the world from being destroyed. I’m surprised at Spyro and Cynder’s resilience, they shrugged this off like it happened thirty years ago. I know Cynder has been struggling a bit, but somehow Spyro has been able to support both her and himself. He is truly remarkable.” Jake stated

“I know, and I worry that Spyro won’t be able to do that forever. That’s why I think Cynder is perfect for him, she will be able to support him when he gets burned out.” Flash sighed “If Spyro were to have a burnout, he could become depressed and stressed, he could get anger and snap at people, or he could just vanish for no reason. I hope the last thing doesn’t happen, because as a purple dragon, he could disappear without a trace and not be able to find.”

“You think that could happen?” Jake asked

“I don’t know, when we found Spyro’s egg I went to the nearest villages and listen to any stories that I could. I heard that once a dragon moved near the village, he stayed away from them mostly and stuck to himself, but eventually his family came looking for him, when he refused to return with them, they tried to make him, and he slaughtered them. He was under so much pressure because he had extreme power over four elements. They forced him to be mated to someone he didn’t love, and he killed them all. Spyro has been under a different kind of pressure, but for amount, Spyro is under over a hundred times more than that dragon was” Flash told Jake

“I’ve heard a few stories about this, but they usually just come back after a few months” Jake added

Michael walked out of his house and looked over at them.

“What’s up?” He asked

“We were worried about Spyro getting burned out because of the weight that he has put on himself.” Jake told him.

“Yeah, I noticed that too, I was thinking of sending them to an abandoned paradise planet for a few months, but I don’t think he’ll go.” Michael replied

“Why not?” Flash asked

“I think that Spyro is focused on defeating the Dark Authority because it caused Malfor’s corruption. So, I probably will have to convince Cynder to drag him out of here.” Michael explained “Also, he just discovered the rest of this universe and probably wants to check things out.”

“The only thing we can do right now is sit and wait.” Jake sighed “And hope for the best”

“I can help him, and take some of the weight off, I’m already trying to do some things.” Michael replied “Like I found all of you, and brought you here”

“Thanks for that, by the way” Flash said

“You’re welcome” and with that, Michael took off towards the dock.

Back in the fortress, Spyro and Mary landed and looked over to see 6 children running around a bunch of people setting up decorations. Mary looked around, then led Spyro too four adults standing and watching.

“Spyro, these are your uncles Sam and James, and their mates, Mindy and Nila” she told him

“Hi, nice to meet you” Spyro replied

“Hello, nice to meet you too” Mindy said, then turned to the kids “Hey, come meet your cousin”

The kids ran over to them

“My girls are Kai and Linda, the orange and the green ones. And the two yellows are Alina and Brenna, they are hard to tell apart even though they came from separate eggs, so don’t feel bad if you mix them up. This one is Samuel, careful around him because he is still learning how to control his poison powers. Last, but not least we have little Nuri here.” Mindy pointed out each of them

“Hi, nice to meet you all” Spyro said to the kids, they shyly said their hellos, and ran off to the fountain.

“They have heard a lot of stories from you” Mindy told him, and James grunted “Much to their dismay”

“Look, I wouldn’t have let the story spread if I had a choice.” Spyro said

“Nobody blames you for that” Kai replied

“So, when are we going to meet this Cynder of yours?” Mindy asked

“I can send a message for her if you want to meet her now” Spyro answered “Oh, Thanks for coming, I know you didn’t want to come”

“Of course we wanted to come, It’s just that Sam and James don’t like going out often” Kai told them “And they don’t like Michael too much either”

“Why? It wasn’t his choice to leave, Fury made him” Spyro asked, looking at his uncles

“Were mad because he actually listened to him, instead of staying anyway and helping defend them against Malefor’s attack” Sam answered

“It goes against his code to go against the orders of the king of elemental dragons, he couldn’t stay, much as he wanted too” Spyro replied

“Let’s change the subject, we heard the stories, how did you two fall in love?” Kai asked

Spyro pulled out a pen and paper “We first felt a connection during our first winter, when we had to huddle together to stay warm.” He told them “And I knew I fell in love during are celebration after the siege of Warfang, and I couldn’t stop looking at her beautiful face under the fireworks.”

Kai and Mindy smiled. Spyro wrote a symbol on the bottom of the paper, just like Michael taught him, and thought of Cynder. Then the paper burst into flames and vanished.

“Cynder should be here soon” Spyro told them

Back in her bedroom, a letter appeared over Cynder’s head. She jumped up and grabbed it. Then realized it was from Spyro, asking her to come meet his uncles and their families. She left the house and flew out too the fortress. As she was riding the windstreams, Cynder passed over a group of heavily armored dragons with wolves on their backs. She looked down and watched them passed, one of the wolves looked up and waved, she realized this was the same wolf Spyro had saved. ‘Small world’ she chuckled at her own joke and watched the dock appear on the horizon. She arrived at the fortress and landed in the main square, and saw a group of children playing in the fountain in the center. She looked around and spotted Spyro and Mary with four other dragons. Shyly, she approached them.

“Hi, I’m Cynder, nice to meet you”

“Same here” Kai replied “We heard a lot about you from Mary”

Spyro introduced them to his future mate, and they talked for a while. Eventually the decorators finished setting up the square. Kai and Mindy called the kids into the mess hall for dinner. They all settled down in one of the big tables with their food,

“So, what’s it like on Ronos?” Cynder asked

“Ronos is a beautiful planet, we live on an island village not far from the capital. It’s covered in beautiful palm trees and surrounded by turquoise waters. Both of are families live in a nice villa right on the beach, and a strange phenomenon for Ronos is that it almost never gets large storms.” Mindy explained

“Sounds great” Spyro replied

“We like it” Mindy said

“So, for the ceremony tomorrow, do you need an officiator” Sam asked

“No, Michael’s doing that. The only thing you guys need to do is show up.” Spyro answered “And have fun at the party after”

The brothers shared a look, Sam sighed but said nothing.

“You two look great together, I hope you have wonderful memories together” Mindy replied

Suddenly Michael entered the hall and looked over at the group.

“Cynder, come meet some of your family” He shouted, ignoring the looks Sam and James gave him

Cynder got up and walked out into the lit-up square. She saw four dragons standing next to Michael

“This is Jasper, and his son Camry, this is Flora, and this is Lily.” Michael introduced them

“Hi” Cynder replied, shy

“You look just like your mother” Lily said “We were friends”

“I get that a lot” Cynder told them

“It’s true” Flora replied

Jake flew in and landed next to them, three young dragons and four dragonflies leapt off him.

“Heard everybody was meeting up here” He said

The group joined the others in the mess hall, immediately Cynder’s family dug into the food. After everybody had finished their meal, they talked for a while, about everything from the war, to current events. After a while, parents carried their sleeping children to their beds and said their goodnights. The group landed outside their house to see Ember and Flame fly in behind them.

“Where did you two go” Cynder asked

“Flame took me to a nice restaurant that he found while looking around, it was really romantic” Ember asked.

After a few minutes, Spyro and Cynder said their goodnights and went to bed. Cynder looked at Spyro and smiled.

“Were almost there” she said

“I still can’t wait” He smiled back

“I can’t believe I had family this whole time, its baffling.”

“Same, I never thought I would have anybody else other than my adopted family”

“And look where we are, almost drowning in family members”

Spyro laughed, then closed his eyes and fell asleep. Cynder stayed awake for a while, thinking about how her family had reacted during the war just because they were related to Malefor. She couldn’t imagine how the people must have treated them before they found out that Malefor did not choose to be corrupted. Slowly her eyes closed and she drifted of to sleep.

“Nobody realizes that all magic has a price, but only for creatures that don’t have it naturally. This price shows itself in humans more than any other species, causing abusers of power to rise. The price of evil magic is far worse than that of good. Demonic magic turns your soul into a demon, when you die, you are automatically sent to a hell dimension, where you are trapped forever. Using eldritch magic causes your body to turn into an eldritch terror. But the price of using good magic is that it has extreme limitations. The price paid for using ethereal magic is slow, any nonmagical creature that uses ethereal magic is brought what it deserves.”

Excerpt From:

The Price Of Power

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Magical Learning Section (Restricted Level One)

Chapter Ten

Spyro and Cynder woke up to Michael lightly tapping on the door.

“Hey, it’s the big day, time to get ready.” He whispered

The two dragons got up and stretched, then kissed.

“You excited?” Spyro asked

“Very” Cynder smiled

They quietly walked through the house, trying not to wake anybody else up. Then they walked out into the square where a couple of stylists were waiting. One of them grabbed Cynder and led her to Flame and Ember’s house. A couple of seconds after entering, Flame was shoved out the front door. The three of them walked into Michael’s house with the other stylist, meeting another one inside. Michael walked into his bedroom while the two stylists led Flame and Spyro into spare rooms. Spyro’s stylist started shining his scales, making much more of an effort than when he was a witness. Satisfied the stylist picked up a file and began sanding his claws into nice sharp points. Then he shined those too. Finally, the stylist buffed and applied Spyro’s armor, adding his sword and knife to his side. The stylist stepped back and nodded

“You’re done” she said

“Thank you so much” Spyro replied

“Yo’re very welcome” she smiled “Enjoy your special day”

Spyro stepped out into the living room to see Michael, fully armored, waiting on the couch. He looked at him and nodded in approval.

“Flame’s still taking a minute” he said, and Spyro nodded

They sat in silence for a while before Flame and a very exhausted looking stylist walked out. The ceremony was in the afternoon, the plan was to wait for the sun to be setting right in the background as the ceremony was completed. Spyro paced nervously for a while, then ate only a few bites of his lunch. Finally, three dragons flew over to the fortress as the sun started to get low. When they got there a crowd had already formed, and Flame immediately went to find his mate. The square had been decorated with purple and black roses. Somehow, Michael had managed to cast a spell that made purple and black petals slowly rain down from the sky. Ribbons of the same colors were strung across the whole square.

“I arranged for your family to stay here for the night” Michael told Spyro

He blushed “Thank you”

Another dragon approached them.

“We loaded the cannons, sir” He informed

Michael nodded and the dragon walked back. He looked over and saw Ember walk into the square, she nodded at him. Michael walks over and bangs a gong with his tail. The crowd settles down and everybody takes their places. Spyro stood at the front, Ember and Flame smiling at him. Three wolves started playing a violin as Cynder walked around the corner. Spyro could tell that she was a little shy under the attention of everybody. But she was beaming anyway. Spyro could feel his cheeks get sore from how wide his smile was, and when Cynder saw this, she blushed even more. Finally, Cynder took her place next to Ember and looked at Spyro. Michael took a step forward and stood straight up, the music stopped.

“Hello everyone, thank you all for coming” He bellowed “We have gathered here today to unite two souls into one. These two dragons have chosen each other as their mind, body, and soul mates, and have chosen today to make it official. He looked over “Flame, have you witnessed their love?”

“Yes” he answered

“Ember, have you witnessed their love?”

“Yes” she answered

“Spyro, do you accept Cynder as your mate, for better or for worse, until the end of time?”

“I do” He looked straight at Cynder, tears of joy

“Cynder, do you accept Spyro as your mate, for better or for worse, until the end of time?”

“Yes” nearly choking up

“Then I declare, with the power of the multiverse and of the ethereal plane, and my blessing, I declare you mated for life”

With a loud boom, the newly mated couple kissed, a rain of confetti scattered down around them. The crowd cheered. The happy couple looked out at them and waved, beaming. They stepped down and two dozen tables were rolled out, along with huge trays of food. While everybody ate their food, serene violin music played in the background. Then, when everybody had finished, the tables were rolled away and some dancing music played. The party raged on for hours before Spyro and Cynder slipped away. Over by the entrance to the square, Michael stood watching the party.

“How many times have you been an officiator” Flame asked, walking up to him

“Thousands, I did Spyro and Cynder’s parents, and their parents. I have been officiating ceremonies for the dragon king’s royal line for hundreds of generations, and during those times, I found that people don’t like watching me talk for a good hour. So, I mastered the technique of being quick.” He answered

“Ember appreciated that, it looked like she was going to pass out.” Flame added

The party lasted late into the night, but eventually the music stopped playing, and the crowd went to their rooms. Michael, Flame, and Ember flew back to the square and went to bed.

The next morning, Spyro woke up to Cynder laying on his chest. He sighed, ignoring the rest of the world to enjoy his time with his mate. ‘My mate’ He thought ‘My beautiful mate’. Suddenly, a loud thump announced the arrival of a fortress over the city. Spyro looked out the window and saw it, a larger fortress, but this one had blue and black flags waving from its cannons. Spyro watched as a few hundred dragons flew into it, then it started floating away. Cynder woke up and yawned, then looked up at Spyro.

“How long have you been awake?” She asked

“About two hours” He answered

“You could have woken me up”

He gave her a look, and she laughed. They both got up and stretched, Spyro was still watching the fortress float away. Then, with another thump, it vanished.

“What was that?” Cynder asked looking out the window

“A fortress” Spyro told her

Cynder looked confused, then shrugged. They walked out into the quiet house and ate their breakfast. Soon after they had finished, Michael knocked on their door. Spyro answered and let him in.

“What was that fortress about” He asked Michael

“An attack was reported on an outpost in the outermost part of the ML defended territories. The city that was right next to it is now under siege.” He told Spyro “Reinforcements are being deployed, I’m going to help move some elemental cannons into their places here, if you want to help”

“Sure” Spyro answered

“I’ll come too” Cynder said

They walked out the house, and met up with Flame and Cynder. Then Michael led them to a portal near the main entrance to the city. Element cannons were being brought through, one by one. The dragons were each given a map and told to bring their cannons there.

After a few hours of leading the floating element cannons to their positions, the dragons went home. Michael left immediately after, saying he would be right back. Spyro and Cynder made their food and sat down at the table.

“So, it seems that things are going crazy” Cynder started

“Yeah”

“What are we going to do?” She asked “If they attack here”

“They can’t reach here, but that isn’t the problem.” Spyro looked up at her “They could hit Genrir, or a countless number of planets with weak defenses.”

“So we need to stop them” not a question, a statement.

“Yes”

They both looked at each other for a moment, then finished their meal. Suddenly Michael landed outside, and rushed into his house. Spyro walked out of his house and watched as he came back out into the square, now fully armored.

“What’s going on?” He asked “Did something happen?

“No, we received word that there is going to be an attack on the capital city of Sundance” He explained, “I’m going to marshall some troops to head out tomorrow morning.”

“Were coming with you” Spyro told them ‘When you leave, so wait for us”

“Okay, I can’t say anything to change your minds anyways” Michael said, then summoned a portal, and walked through.

Over the next few hours, Spyro’s family returned to the square and relaxed. Most of the adults had stayed up well past midnight, and were very tired.

“You missed Flame’s breakdancing skills” Ember told Spyro, and Flame rolled his eyes

“That must have been funny” He replied

“It was” Ember answered, Flame snorted “But it was also really cool.”

Jake laughed as Storm grabbed his tail and held on. Cynder was playing with Sammy, showing off her wind powers to the giggling dragon. Suddenly Spyro noticed a handful of dark blue petals falling to the ground. The others took notice to this and watched.

“What does this mean?” Spyro asked

“I don’t know” Flame answered

Mary walked out of the house with a plate of snacks, and gasped “Not again”

“Do you know what this means” Spyro asked her

“It means that another war has started, you had your ceremony just in the nick of time” She replied

“Another war?” Flame looked up

“The Dark Authority has started another all-out attack on all things good” She answered “And Michael’s forces are retaliating. I couldn’t imagine what would be happening right now if Michael hadn’t returned, I suspect we would lose.”

A sadness fell over the city, and everybody felt it. Bells started ringing, slowly, signaling the arrival of war. The normal sounds of the hustling city began to grow quiet, and the flags of war were raised to their full positions. Watching the petals fall, Spyro shared a look with Cynder, who looked very pale.

“Kids, I think it’s time to come inside” Mary called

Suddenly, a portal opened and Michael stepped out of it. He looked strained and worried. He motioned for Spyro and Cynder to follow him, and they entered his house.

“The Dark Authority has struck six different planets in the last two hours. The war has begun.” He told them.

“What do we do?” Spyro asked him

“My forces are taking up offensive and defensive positions around all defended space. We are prepared, as much as we can be at least” Michael looked down at them “We are going to Sundance to fight and destroy whatever forces attack it, then we move from planet to planet. We will move into their territory, and strike them at their core. The only way this war will end is if all the central members of the Authority are killed.”

“When do we leave?” Cynder asked, determined

“Tomorrow, most likely right before noon” He answered “For now go home, enjoy some family time, but be ready for tomorrow.”

They did as they were told and went home.

“What’s happening?” Mary asked

“There were six attacks today, on different planets” Spyro told her

“So, the war really has begun” She sighed, then turned to Jake “We should leave for the capital tomorrow, we may be needed”

“I think Michael will be happy to send all of you home, with portals” Spyro told them

“We aren’t leaving” Sparx said, then turned to his parents, who looked at each other in worry “Are we?”

“We need to move the village to Warfang, where they will be better protected if an attack happens” Flash told his son “And we need your help”

“Okay, but I’m coming back as soon as we finish” Sparx told the

“We might not be here when you return, we’re going to join the front lines” Spyro interrupted

“What! Without me?” Sparx turned to his dragon brother

“It’s too dangerous” He said “We have our armor to protect us”

“But we always have been together” Sparx replied

“He’s right honey, the threat is greatly increased now” Nina told Sparx

“I think we should all go to bed early and get a good night’s rest for the days to come” Jake said

“I agree” Mary replied

The group all said their tearful goodbyes, because they may not have time in the morning, and went to bed. Cynder sighed, and crawled into bed with Spyro.

“I worry that Warfang will be attacked, and that we won’t be there too defend it” Cynder told him

“Michael has made sure that there is plenty of defenses spread out on Genrir” Spyro told her

“I know, but what if they aren’t enough” she looked up

“They are” Spyro nuzzled her “Go to sleep”

Trying to forget about the upcoming events, the two dragons nuzzled against each other and fell asleep.

Thump, Thump… Thump… Thump thump. Spyro woke up to the sounds of fortresses teleporting over the city. Cynder looked at him, worried. A letter appeared over their heads, Spyro grabbed it.

‘The attack is happening now, get armored up and head to the main fortress that should be above you right now’

They rushed to get their armor on and ran out of their house. Spyro quickly said goodbye to his aunt and parents before taking off. They landed at the fortress, it’s bells ringing and flags flying in the wind. Immediately after landing, Michael approached them.

“You ready?” he asked

“Yes” Spyro answered and shared a feeble smile to Cynder

They entered the control room, and Michael charged the fortress’s core. Then he stepped into the indents and focused. With the usual flash of light, they were on a new planet. Michael stepped back and let a pilot navigate them to their destination. Spyro walked outside and looked out at the city, hearing the thumps of dozens of other fortresses. Cynder joined him, and so did Michael.

“This is Sundance?” Spyro asked, looking at the ominous clouds over the city

“Yes, usually it’s known for its beautiful sunny weather year-round, but dark magic has caused this storm to appear” Michael told him “Hopefully when this is over…”

Michael didn’t finish his sentence, he was drowned out as a huge explosion burst from the city, the blast vaporizing most of it. A massive shockwave hit the fortress, sending Cynder into Spyro, both of them flying hard into the wall behind them. Michael gripped the ground and took most of the impact of the shockwave. The fortressed rocked back, hard, causing some of the wolves and dragons around them to slide back. Then, the fortressed righted itself, all of its bells ringing loudly. Another fortress that was closer to the explosion was falling and burning, its levitation cores shattered. Spyro groaned as he got up, then helped Cynder onto her feet.

“What was that?” Spyro asked Michael

“That was… war” He answered, watching as the city of Sundance burned.

TO BE CONTIUNUED

END OF BOOK 1

?

Book Two:

Perils Of War

“War, there has never been a species that has existed past a million years without war. For an unknown reason, any species that lives up to this time goes extinct before they continue to advance. They never reach a point of advancement. They are wiped out by a meteor, or a disease, or sometimes by themselves entirely. A pure species is one that will die, without war, a species will find itself endangered by themselves.”

Excerpt From:

The Book Of War

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Chapter One

Spyro looked out to see a blackened scar where there used to be a city. Thousands of small black dots were crawling all over it, fighting with anybody who survived. Michael roared, and when he did, a massive shudder went through the fortress. The wolves climbed onto the dragons, and they flew out into the battlefield. Spyro looked at Michael then looked back at Cynder.

“I need you to stay” He told her “I don’t want you to see that, up close”

“But I want to be with you” Cynder watched Michael slowly lift his wings, then take off with speed

“I… Okay, but stay with me.” Spyro replied

They flew out, joining the flocks of dragons flying towards the cursed army. They landed on the charred earth, and were immediately assaulted by hundreds of cursed soldiers. Spyro could hear Michael roaring, then a sudden pulse of light. He glanced over at Cynder beside him.

“We should help him” He yelled, and she nodded

The two dragons slashed, blasted, and sliced through the army until they reached Michael’s group. Michael charged into a pack of dark dragons, slicing through them with ease. Spyro looked out to see a dragon walking towards them, Spyro readied for a fight, but hesitated as he saw that this dragon wasn’t darkened, but blackened with ash. Michael noticed this dragon and gave a look of surprise, with a flick of his sword, he slashed the last dark dragon’s head clean off. The wounded dragon approached and fell over, Michael rushed over and helped him up.

“My sister, she was closer to the center, he coughed”

“Why were you even here?” Michael asked

“Vacation” he answered, “My sister”

Michael looked up and growled, Spyro followed his gaze to see another wave of cursed soldiers rushing towards them.

“Retreat!” Michael yelled “Save who you can and go”

Michael hefted the burned dragon up “Let’s go find your sister”

Spyro started to follow them but Michael stopped him

“No. go back to the fortress, both of you” he told them

“But what about you” Spyro asked

“The element cannons are going to cover your retreat, we’re immortal, they can’t hurt us. Now go!” he yelled

The two dragons retreated with the others, and the element cannons started blasting everything, covering the two immortal dragons in smoke and dust, masking them from view. Spyro and Cynder landed back in the main square. They were surrounded by wounded, and the loud bangs from the cannons made it impossible to hear. A dragon approached Spyro.

“Where’s Michael?” She asked

“He stayed with another immortal, to go find his sister” Spyro answered

“What are your orders?” The dragon asked

“Orders?” Spyro looked at her, confused

“You are the King of Elemental Dragons, what are your orders?” She asked again

“Hold the armies here, and keep blasting the cannons at the enemy’s forces.” Spyro told her “And send a battalion to go rescue survivors from the fallen fortresses.”

The dragon nodded and turned around, yelling out to another group of dragons. Spyro looked over to Cynder, who had been staring at what’s left of the city. Spyro rubbed against her and realized that she was silently crying.

“There were people there, living people. Why would anybody do this?” She asked

“Because they’re evil, that’s why we fight them” Spyro answered sitting down next to her.

Spyro spotted a beam of light erupting from the cloud of dust. He turned and yelled back at the general

“Focus some of the cannon fire around where that beam originated.” He said, she nodded.

“But what would anybody gain from doing this?” She motioned towards the battlefield “Not even Malefor wanted to destroy everything.”

“These people gain power from death” he told her

Eventually the cannon fire died down as they reported all clear. Then, Michael emerged from the dust cloud carrying another dragon. He back towards the fortress with the original burned dragon behind him. When Michael landed, some medics took the wounded dragon and the general approached him.

“Status report” Michael said

“We rescued the survivors from the downed fortress and activated their self-destruct protocols. We lost five in total, and sixteen have sustained serious damages, including this one. We have estimated the death toll to over six hundred thousand civilians and four hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.” The general answered “We have to return to a dock for repairs”

“Take us to the Fal Homeworld” He replied

The general walked to the control room. After a few moments, the fortress rumbled loudly, then flashed. Spyro looked out to see a city he had never seen before. Spyro looked out at the setting sun, realizing just how long he was fighting. He felt bone tired. He went over an nuzzled Cynder, comforting her as much as he can.

“Hey” Michael walked up to them “Were needed in the war room”

They silently walked over to a large room filled with chairs. Several dragons were already sitting down, some were wearing bandages, one of them had a splint on his wing. Michael sat down with a sigh.

“How did this even happen?” He asked

“We think that the explosion was caused by an overloaded fire core that we estimate to have been over two yards in diameter.” A red dragon answered

“How did they get it there?” A grey dragon asked

“It could have been brought in any time during the last 10 years” The red dragon replied

“Where did it come from?” Michael interjected

“The only dark planet in the section is Duule” A pink dragon answered “So we assume it came from there”

“Duule, what defenses does it have?” Michael asked

“Our scouts got back earlier, they have strengthened shields and many cannons. The whole city is sat on top of a hill, so its hard to approach as well.” The pink dragon answered

“Send 80 fortresses, use broodmothers, titans, knights, whatever you need to conquer that city” Michael sat up “Evacuate the leftover towns on Sundance, and prepare the neighboring planets for an attack.”

The dragons nodded

“Scan every single city, make sure there isn’t any unusual amounts of fire magic” Michael told them

Then he sat back and let the rest of them talk, Spyro watched as multiple different planets and cities were shown. Some where under attack, while other had plans of attacks drawn out. After a few hours of planning, the dragons dispersed. Michael led Spyro and a still shaken Cynder to their old room.

“Try to sleep, I know it might be difficult, but at least try.” He told them

They both entered their room, then wordlessly took off their armor. They climbed into bed and Cynder cuddled up to Spyro tightly, hugging him close to her. Eventually, they fell asleep.

‘Malefor’s eyes piercing into my soul, corrupting my body.’

Flash

‘I’m attacking Spyro, I’m hurting Spyro’

Flash

‘Malefor’s cold dark eyes. Dark Spyro attacking me’

Flash

‘An explosion, vaporizing an entire city’

Flash

‘An army of apes chanting “Cynder, Cynder, Cynder’

Flash

“Cynder, wake up, it’s just a dream, Cynder!”

Cynder woke up with a gasp, then opened her eyes to see Spyro, he was scared.

“What happened?” She asked

“You had a bad dream” Spyro answered, rolling off of her “I thought you were going to hurt yourself”

Cynder looked down, and yelped when she noticed a deep cut in his left haunch, bleeding steadily.

“You’re hurt!” She yelled

“I’m fine, your tailblade just cut me a little.” He nuzzled her check

“That’s deeper than a little!” She said, giving Spyro a worried look

“I’ll be fine” he said and kissed her

Still shaking Cynder kissed him back, but still held back.

“I don’t think we should sleep together if I hurt you while we’re sleeping” Cynder told him

“If I wasn’t here, you could have hurt yourself much worse than you hurt me. No, nothing can keep me from you.” He answered

Spyro cast a healing spell on his leg, and the wound closed up. Cynder cuddled back up to him, squeezing him hard.

“I’m sorry” she said into his chest.

“Don’t be, this wasn’t your fault” Spyro replied “This is why I don’t want you fighting, It could hurt you worse emotionally.”

“I’ll pace myself” Cynder said “I promise”

The two dragons sat together for a long time, a few small rays of sun shone through the windows, and slowly fell before disappearing. Eventually, the two dragons let their rumbling stomachs and full bladders call them out of their room. When they exited, an air of glumness could be felt from the soldiers marching across the square. After using the bathroom, they entered the mess hall. There was nobody else inside. After eating their meal, they went to find Michael. They found him asleep in his personal room, his armor still on. As they were leaving, he woke up with a start.

“OH, hey, what’s up?” He asked, yawning

“We were wondering what we do now?” Spyro asked

“I think I should take you back to Faun, things haven’t exactly gone to plan here” He answered

“I want to fight, but I also want to take a minute” Spyro replied

“And that’s totally understandable” Michael got up and stretched

They walked out into the square, and Michael summoned a portal

“Are you coming?” Cynder asked

“In a little while” Michael answered “I’ll find you when I return”

They walked through the portal, and entered the square outside their home. Flame and Ember rushed out of their house.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Ember asked

“The city, the whole city, it… exploded” Spyro answered

Flame and Ember gasped.

“They didn’t” Flame said

Cynder nodded solemnly, the two dragons stepped back in surprise. Then, with no further explanations, Spyro and Cynder walked home, leaving the other two dragons standing surprised, and scared. The two dragons slept the rest of the day, and the following night. The next morning, the two dragons awoke to a small voice through the door.

“Spyro, are you awake?” it asked

Spyro jumped and opened the door

“Mom?” He said, then looked for the others

“It’s just me, Sparx and your father are leading the others to a new location in Warfang. Ember told me what happened. Are you okay?” She looked him up and down.

“Were fine, it’s the hundreds of thousands of people in the city that aren’t” Spyro told her

Nina looked up “I don’t mean physically”

“Were fine mom, I’m glad you’re here though” Spyro replied

They sat down in the living room. Nobody said anything for a minute.

“Is it true there is a price on my head in every other territory but Warfang” Cynder asked, Spyro looked up at her, startled.

“Sadly yes, nobody is listening to the people siding with you, the queen, Michael, even the guardians are being ignored” Nina answered

Spyro got up, furious. “I’m going to fix that” he said, and went into the bedroom

Cynder gave Nina a confused look, and a few minutes later, Spyro walked out in full armor.

“Call her evil, what can I do to stop it, but put a price on her head…” he mumbled

“Where are you going?” Cynder asked

“Genrir, you stay here, I won’t be gone long” he answered, then left

“Let him go” Nina told Cynder “He needs to distract himself. That’s his way of getting past traumatic events”

“But he could get hurt” Cynder said

At that, Nina smirked “With that armor, and his powers, I doubt it”

Spyro flew fast to the dock, when he arrived, he walked up to the first dragon he could find.

“Where is your general?” He asked

“Dock 2” The dragon answered “Wait are you…”

Spyro took off before the dragon could even finish. He landed on the fortress square and made his way too the control center, when he got there, he ignored the whispers and walked right up to the general.

“I need a fortress, and 50 dragon soldiers” Spyro ordered

“Where is your destination?” The general asked, with no hesitation

“Genrir, the Fen capital”

With a flash of light, the fortress instantly arrived. Spyro was stunned at the speed of which his orders were accepted.

“The soldiers are in the square” The general informed Spyro “Best of luck”

Spyro walked back into the main square, approached the soldiers and briefed them on the situation

“My mate, Cynder, has had a price put on her head, we are here to remedy that. The biggest price so far appears to be from the Fen territory. We are going to nicely tell them to remove the bounty, and if they refuse, we will not so nicely make them. Do you understand?” Spyro looked out into the group

They all nodded. Spyro leapt over the railing and spread his wings, looking back to see the soldiers take flight and follow him. He landed in the square in front of Fen’s royal palace, he looked over to see a group of stunned guards stare at them.

“We wish to speak with the king” Spyro told them

One of the guards ran off into the palace, and was replaced by several more. The guards were looking at each one of Spyro’s soldiers, clearly afraid of a fight. A half hour later, the messenger rushed back.

“The king will see you now” The guards visibly relaxed.

Spyro walked into the palace, and motioned two soldiers to follow him. They entered the throne room, a large rectangular room with high ceilings, paintings of landscapes lined the walls. Spyro walked until he was right in front of the throne, the king looked at him and smiled.

“Spyro, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked

“You know why I’m here” Spyro replied

“Please, remind me” the king ruffled his wings a little

“You put a bounty on Cynder!” he yelled

“Oh, that. Yes, well, you see, my people want to bring Cynder to court, to face retributions for her actions” the king told Spyro

“The queen of Warfang pardoned her” Spyro said, giving the king a cold stare

“For her actions in the Warfang territory, yes, she has been pardoned, but not for the rest of us. Do you know where we can find her perhaps?” The king raised his eyebrows

“You won’t be finding her, but you will be removing that bounty and pardoning her” Spyro ordered

“And why, might I ask, would I do that. Just because you have those soldiers fighting for you? No, I don’t think I will.” The king sat back, and smiled

“Fine” Spyro replied “What do you want? What do you really want?”

“Well, I’m glad you asked, you see, I have a daughter, and she is about the same age as you, and I want you to be her mate” he answered

Surprised at his bluntness, Spyro stepped back “That’s definitely not happening”

“Here’s a deal for you, you become mated to my daughter, which in itself is a win, and I remove the bounty from Cynder, which is also a win. My daughter is known for her beauty in this territory, so she will suit you nicely.” the king stepped of his throne “Do we have a deal?”

“Here’s a deal for you, you remove the bounty or I flatten this miserable excuse of a city with the element cannons on the fortress I arrived on.” Spyro growled

The king flinched, then laughed “Miserable excuse, this city is prospering more than the entirety of Warfang.” He raised his eyebrows “and it has shields, your cannons can not penetrate them”

“This is my last warning; you will leave my mate alone or…”

“Your mate, is that what you’re calling her?” He stepped back

“That’s what she is” Spyro growled

“But I would have heard if there was a mating ceremony, my scouts in Warfang…”

“It didn’t happen in Warfang”

“Then you aren’t truly mated, you’re a royal, you must have a blessing from another royal. The queen hasn’t left Warfang in months. How about I give you a warning, you will be mated to my daughter, or I will declare war on Warfang, and order Cynder’s head delivered to me on a silver platter, and I will force you to mate with my daughter anyway.” The king gave Spyro a cold look “You should think better than to threaten me, young one.”

Suddenly a beautiful blue dragoness entered the room, noticed Spyro, and gave a look of confusion.

“Layla, come meet your new mate to be.” The king called to his daughter

Suddenly Spyro roared, startling the king.

“You dare raise your voice in front of me” He yelled

“You will not threaten me, the King of Elemental dragons, no matter what kingdom we’re in. This is my last warning, you will remove the bounty from the Queen, or I will declare war on you, and you will be overrun by my forces, and removed from your throne.” Spyro yelled back

Spyro noticed his guards enter a battle stance.

“Guards! Seize him, and kill the others” the king ordered

“Dragons usually don’t have a religion; most believe that their ancestors watch over them from above. They will adopt mannerisms such as ‘oh god’ or ‘god damn’, but these do not reflect their belief. The question of the afterlife is something only one being can answer, but doesn’t. Dragons share the belief of their ancestor’s protection, but some people have been known to twist this belief into control. They wish to taint some people’s ancestry in order to gain control over the rest. These people can rise to religious superiority and have been known to take over entire planets. The ML strives to spread the truth, but once under the control of a new religion, dragons tend to hold these beliefs.”

Excerpt From:

Dragon Gods

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Religion Section (Public)

Chapter Two

Spyro pulled his sword out and used it to knock a guard back. Then blocked a swipe from another, Layla was yelling at her father, Spyro could not make out what she was saying. Suddenly a guard burst forward and slammed a metal rod against the back of Spyro’s head. But it bounced off of his helmet, making Spyro’s ears ring. The rest of Spyro’s soldiers rushed into the throne room, Michael leading them.

“You dare defy the command of a king?” Michael bellowed

Everybody froze, the king stared at Michael like he was a ghost. He stood there, waiting for a response.

“You’re here?” the king asked “How? When? Where?”

“I have been back for a few weeks now” Michael told him, then looked to Spyro “Why are you here?’

“He put a bounty on Cynder, and pressured the other territories to do the same, now he wants me to mate with his daughter in exchange for her safety.” He told him

“You WHAT!” Michael yelled at the king, who flinched. “Everybody, OUT!”

The guards and the soldiers left, dragging their down members.

“You had the AUDACITY TO THREATEN A KING! And force him to mate with someone else when HE IS ALREADY SPOKEN FOR!” Michael yelled

“I only wanted a worthy mate for my daughter, I didn’t think the mateship was official.” The king whimpered

“THEN WHAT? Did you think that the perfect reward for saving the planet was to MAKE HIM MATE WITH SOMEONE HE DOES NOT LOVE?” Michael replied

The king did not answer, he looked down in shame.

“You, WILL REMOVE THE BOUNTY, and order your puppets to do the same, and if you ever cause a problem with the royal line again, I WILL CRUSH YOU INTO THE DIRT WHERE YOU BELONG” Michael bellowed.

The king nodded; head still lowered

Then Michael looked to Layla “If you wish, you can join the ML in search of a mate”

The king looked up in surprise “You would let her do that”

“I don’t punish people for the mistakes of their parents” Michael told him “Never have, never will”

Blushing, the dragoness nodded.

“Return with us to the fortress, and we will take you to Faun, from there you can find a fitting suitor”

With that, Michael shot the king a cold look, and left, Spyro and Layla followed

“I’m sorry about my father, there aren’t many royals left in this territory, so he got a little desperate.” She said to him

“I get it, but he needs to learn to listen” Spyro answered

“Yeah, that’s definitely not one of his strong suits” Layla replied

They arrived at the fortress and Michael turned to them.

“I must return, Spyro, take her to my house, she can stay there as long as she likes” he said, then vanished

“Thank… you” Layla started

With a flash, they teleported back to Faun, Layla screamed.

“It’s fine, we just teleported to Faun.” Spyro calmed her

“Is it like that every time?” She asked

“Pretty much” He answered “Follow me”

They flew out over the dock, and towards the city. Layla marveled at the sheer size of the city itself, she looked down and watched as they passed over hundreds of people. They watched people sort through the markets walked down the streets, and gathered in groups in the squares. Eventually they landed just outside Michael’s house.

“There’s food inside, you can take any spare room, come by later if you want to meet Cynder” Spyro told her

“Thanks” she replied, then walked into the house

Spyro went back home and walked through the door. Cynder jumped when he entered, and rushed over to nuzzle him.

“Are you okay? What happened?” She asked

“I had a run in with the king of Fen” he explained “He tried to make me mate with his daughter in exchange for your life”

“That, that…” Cynder was so enraged she was turning red

“Don’t worry, Michael came to save the day. He yelled at the king and now his daughter is staying with us in Michael’s house” Spyro told her

“She’s… here?” Cynder asked

“Don’t worry, it’s not her fault the king was so desperate for her to find a mate” Spyro replied

The two sat nuzzling for a while

“I was so worried” Cynder told him

“I’m fine, I cleared your name” he said, leaning into her

“You don’t need to do that for me” Cynder looked up at him

“Of course I do, I’m your mate. I’m supposed to protect you” Spyro replied

“You put too much weight on yourself. Let me take some.” Cynder said into Spyro’s neck

“I don’t carry that much weight, and I won’t give any to you, you need to spend some time without the pressure of making up for being the ‘Terror of the Skies’. I will not let you be punished for something that was done to you, not by you.” Spyro answered

Spyro took off his armor and laid on the couch, suddenly Nina came out of the kitchen

“It’s done” she told Cynder

Cynder rushed into the kitchen.

“You’re back” Nina said to Spyro “How was your trip?”

Spyro sighed “Eventful”

Nina landed on his nose, and looked into his eyes.

“You need to take a break. You have been working nonstop since you defeated Malefor.” She told him

“I can’t, the people need me.” He answered

“Michael and his forces can help them, you can relax.” She replied

“But it doesn’t feel right”

“I know, but it is necessary”

Cynder walked into the dining room and set down a plate

“The, what did you call it? Oh, right, the pie is ready” She called

“The what?” Spyro asked

“A recipe I found while wandering around the baking district” Nina explained

“What is it?”

“Some sort of crust, wrapped around some fruit, and baked over a fire.” Nina answered

“It looks really good” Cynder cut in

They sat down at the table. Spyro took one bite and savored the delicious taste.

“That’s pretty good” He said, and Cynder agreed

They devoured the pie, then sat back, satisfied.

“I’ll have to make one of those for Flame and Ember” Cynder stated

A clank sounded from the square, Spyro looked to see Michael, bloodied and limping. Spyro walked out to talk to him.

“What happened to you?” Spyro asked him

“I just killed a dark titan” he said, flinching as he walked towards Spyro.

“Your hurt” He stated

“I then crushed a massive cursed army and over four thousand dark soldiers” Michael explained “We’re ready to storm Duule tomorrow.”

“I’m coming with you” Spyro told him

“I am too” Cynder appeared beside him

Michael nodded, and walked back to his house. Spyro and Cynder returned to the dining room. Nina sighed.

“So, I take it you’re leaving again?” she asked

“We have too, they’re the ones who sent the bomb” Spyro answered.

Nina sighed again “We’ll I guess it’s good I was planning on leaving tomorrow anyway”

The dragons said their goodbyes to Nina, and went to bed. Spyro crawled under the covers and Cynder curled in after him.

“Hopefully we can stop it from ever happening again” Cynder said

Spyro grunted in agreement, and held Cynder close. After some time, they fell asleep.

Spyro woke up when the sun first peeked through the window. He nudged Cynder’s cheek with his own to wake her up. They got up and put on their armor, then they walked out the door. Spyro looked over and watched Flame and Ember walked out of their house.

“You’re coming?” he asked

“Yep, and there’s nothing that you can say to change our minds” Flame answered

They flew off and landed on a smaller fortress than usual. Spyro looked around and jumped when Michael appeared behind them.

“You all ready?” He asked

They nodded, and Michael snapped. With a flash, the fortress was teleported to a planet that was covered with dark, foreboding clouds. Suddenly, the cannons started firing, their shots blasting against the cities shielding. Spyro watched as the massive cannon at the top of the fortress started firing, massive shudders went through the whole square with each shot. The shield cracked, then shattered, and the cannons started pointing towards the city’s other defenses. A bell rang loudly, and the armies flew out of the fortress and landed in front of the city. Michael landed in the lead, he raised his wings and stretched them to their full length, and roared. A rune appeared in between his wings over his back

“ULTIMA” His roar could be heard over the sounds of the battle.

A light flashed in the sky. Spyro looked up and watched a meteor fall and slam into a watchtower. Then another, and another. Suddenly there were hundreds of meteors raining down on the city. After the spell ended, the city was on fire, flames rising from around the craters. Spyro looked at Cynder, her stunned face looked back at them. Then the army charged, rushing the city and breaking down its gates. Soldiers were pouring into the city, fighting anybody who resisted. Spyro and Cynder ran through hundreds of streets and alleys, hours past by as they rushed with the soldiers to claim the city. The soldiers suddenly slowed to a stop, and Spyro looked to the center of the city to see a beam of light burst from the tower, the beam struck the clouds, dispersing them to the winds. The soldiers cheered, Spyro grabbed Cynder and kissed her.

“We did it” He yelled, a smile finally appearing on his face

Cynder smiled back. They began to walk back to the main entrance to the city. They arrived to see Michael looking for them.

“There you are” he said, smiling “Now let’s celebrate”

The three met up with Flame and Ember, and they partied for hours, the civilians of the city hosted a feast, to thank them for freeing them from evil. They ate until they were overflowing, partied some more, then finally returned to the fortress. They had partied well into the night and into the morning. Exhausted, Michael bode them a good sleep and disappeared. Spyro and Cynder Fell into their bed, cuddling.

“That felt… right” Spyro said

“Yes, it did” Cynder replied

They let their exhausted bodies fall asleep.

Spyro woke up as the sun was setting. He looked out the window and smiled at the still celebrating city. Cynder rose her head and looked at him, yawning.

“Hello beautiful” Spyro said

She blushed, and kissed them.

“Want to go watch that sunset?” she asked

“Sure”

They walked up to the railing and watched the sun slowly fall beyond the horizon. Flame and Ember joined them, watching as the city launched fireworks. Michael walked out f his room and smiled faintly at the group. The look in his eyes was that of being dead tired.

“You okay?” Spyro asked him

“My magic is drained; I feel like I’m going to just fall dead asleep” He answered

“Well, you should get some rest then” Cynder replied

“I have to move the fortress away from the city, they want to fire off bigger fireworks” Michael replied

Michael nodded to the pilot, who had walked out from the control room “Move us a good distance”

The pilot walked back into the control room, a few minutes later the fortress starting humming, and the city started moving away from them. A loud bang sounded from the planet’s surface, Spyro wrote it off as fireworks, but froze when he saw the look on Michael’s face. Then, a sudden explosion rocked the fortress, sending everybody flying back. Michael yelled, but Spyro couldn’t hear him. Michael flipped as they were falling, reaching out with his paw, he casts a portal, and the four dragons fall into it. Spyro landed hard on the ground, hitting his head on a rock, the last thing he saw was Cynder landing on top of him.

“Spyro, Spyro, wake up”

Spyro jumped, then groaned in pain. He could tell three of his ribs were broken, and when he tried to get up he felt a sharp pain in his left wing.

“My wing, its broken” Spyro gasped in pain.

She looked up at someone else

“Hey, medic! I need your help” She yelled

A medic dragon walked up to Spyro then began to cast a healing spell on him. He finished by attaching a magic cast to Spyro’s wing

“You won’t be able to fly for a few months, and try not to breath to deeply or to hard” the medic told him

“Where are we?” Spyro asked

“We don’t know, there are about a hundred of us here, it appears to be safe. There are signs of life nearby, but we are waiting to get everybody up” the medic answered

“Spyro!” Flame called, Ember following close behind.

“Flame, Ember, you guys okay?” Spyro asked them

“Were fine, are you?” Flame replied

“Broken wing when I landed, broken ribs when Cynder landed on top of me.” Spyro explained

Everybody had entered the clearing, and started heading toward the smoke. Cynder lifted Spyro by his right wing and carried him forward. After a few miles of slowly walking, they entered a village. The locals appeared to be coyotes, the elder slowly approached them.

“You… are… Dragons!” he exclaimed

“Some of us” A captain stepped forward

“Are you in charge?” the elder asked

“No, but our leader is wounded, and needs rest” he answered

“This isn’t the first time dragons have come from another land” The elder told them “You can stay in the caves over on the cliff face”

Cynder led Spyro into a cave and laid him down, he gasped as he settled into the least painful position he could find.

“I, ah, I need you to go out and get a report, find out who’s here, and what happened, Ow, please” Spyro told them.

“Alright, but I’m going to send somebody in to stay with you.” She replied

She left, and a few minutes later Flame and Ember walked in

“There are only so many caves, so we have to double up” He said

“Mhm” Spyro grunted, still in a lot of pain.

Spyro fell asleep, and woke up when Cynder returned.

“There are 45 wolves and 78 dragons here, including us. All anybody can remember is a hidden element cannon firing at the ship, causing a direct hit to the fortress’s power core. Then Michael opened a series of portals and we all fell through. Nobody knows where we are, or how to get back.” She told him

“What do we do?” he groaned

“I don’t know, eventually Michael should come get us, so until then, we survive” she answered

Spyro leaned back, then flinched. Cynder curled up against him, careful not to hurt Spyro any more than he already is. Flame came into the cave carrying a roasted deer. He ripped off two chunks and handed them to Spyro and Cynder. Cynder dug in while Spyro carefully made small bites.

“Thanks” Cynder said to Flame

“No problem” he answered

Spryo felt his eyes close again as his body forced him to sleep.

“Dracios Elementia have many extra features, some are shared with most dragons, while others are quite rare. They can swim in lava, though ice and water dragons tend to avoid it. Ice, water, and air dragons can breathe underwater. Sun and moon dragons can survive the vacuum of space, and travel to their respective locations. But a very important feature is their ability to regenerate quickly, most enemies will coat their weapons with poisons that slow the healing process, but regular wounds can be healed extremely fast. Finally, a very important feature is their ability to petrify themselves. A dragon can petrify themselves for any reason, and can either set a guideline for when they will awake, or remain conscious and choose the right moment. This feature allows dragons to protect themselves over thousands of years, and allows them to wait certain events out.”

Excerpt From:

Dossier Of Dracios Elementia

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Species Dossier Section (Public)

Chapter Three

A pile of rubble sat smoldering a couple of clicks away from Duule. The city was still celebrating, only the neighboring fortresses knew what happened. Suddenly, a few rocks started to roll away, and a black arm, covered by gold and silver armor, reached out of a pile of large boulders. The arm snapped its claws, and the boulders broke into millions of small rocks. Michael got up, shaking off the pebbles, he looked around to see a handful of soldiers looking for more survivors. He slowly walked towards the top of the pile, where the moonlight poked through the cloud of dust and smoke. He used his light magic to send a beam to the closest fortress, it started hovering towards him.

Six months later

Spyro walked through the main path of the village, enjoying the beauty of the nature around him. His wing and ribs had healed, and he was back to normal. Spyro nodded at a villager as he passed, walking back towards the cave he was staying in. He arrived at the mouth of the cave and entered.

“Hey” Cynder said, looking up from the wood carving she was working on.

“Hi” Spyro answered, and kissed her

“What’s going on in the villager?” she asked

“Not much, somebody was born last night though” Spyro told her

“Aw, boy or girl?”

“Girl, the parents are happy, they wanted a daughter” he answered

“Good for them” Cynder smiled, and returned to her work

Spyro sat down and relaxed for a moment.

“I can’t help it; I just have to know what Michael is up to. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed the last six months here, but I’m worried about everybody.” He spoke

“I am too, but I know Michael can handle it. I think he left us here on purpose, for both of us. You have been putting too much stress on yourself after you defeated Malefor, and Michael noticed that. He will come get us when he feels you have relaxed.” Cynder told him

“You think he can get us, I tried to open a portal, but it didn’t work.” Spyro looked at the wood carving Cynder was working on

“He got us here, he can bring us back.” she replied

Spyro laid his head down on the stone floor and enjoyed the company of his mate for a while.

Michael watched as six massive, spider-looking creatures made of stone walk past him. The broodmothers were a magical species that Michael discovered on an ancient planet long ago. They had the ability to change their size at will, and were able to take a lot of hits before falling. Michael saved them from extinction and now they have spread throughout the ML. A city appeared on the horizon, sparkling lights with a massive tower in the middle. The army prepared for a siege, and kept moving. Mobile element cannons started firing on the city’s shields, the impacts of each shot sending a shudder through the buildings below. By the time the soldiers reached the gate, the shields were failing. Michael blasted the door with pure magic, blowing it out of its frame, and charged into the city.

Spyro woke up when someone nudged him. He opened his eyes to see that it was Cynder.

“Wake up, sleepyhead” she said

Spyro rolled over and got up, stretching.

“What’s up?” he asked, yawning

“You have been sleeping all day” she answered “I know you were up late last night, but I want to do something”

“Alright, let’s go” Spyro replied

The two dragons walked out of the cave and took off. Flame and Ember joined them in the sky, and they flew off in a random direction.

Michael slashed his sword out, cutting a demon in half, roaring. He rushed to the hellgate, casting a spell to close it. The red portal slowly closed, but not before letting a few hundred demons pass through it. Michael jumped forward and brought his sword down.

The four dragons flew around in random directions for a couple of hours, inspecting ancient, abandoned ruins. They tried to guess at the history of this planet, but could not understand the writing. After the sun had set, they had returned to the village, Spyro was exhausted.

“No more parties that last all night” he said, yawning.

“Aw, that was so fun though” Ember replied, looking just as tired.

Cynder smirked “Guess it’s good that I went to bed early then”

They sat around a fire and ate some leftover deer they had killed yesterday. Then they went back to their shared cave and fell asleep.

They woke up to a dragon entering the cave.

“Hey guys!” he said “A portal just opened!”

The four dragons jumped up and rushed out of the cave. They flew back to where they first came through the portals, to see a shimmering portal floating a foot off the ground. Then, Michael stepped through it, he was covered in red and black blood, the membranes in his wings were cut and torn in many places. Three parallel scratches ran down his left cheek. He looked beat up and bruised, multiple knives were stuck up to their hilts in Michael’s sides. His sword hung at his side, completely slicked with blood. Michael looked around at the group that formed in the clearing.

“Glad to see your all okay” he said

“What happened?” the captain asked

“I just killed a member of the high council of the Dark Authority.” he answered “I think it’s time for you to return, pack your things and return here.”

Spyro ran off to grab both of their armor, Cynder stayed to help Michael.

“Who did this two you?” she asked, pulling a knife out of his side.

“Demons, darkened soldiers, cursed armies” he replied, wincing as he pulled out another knife

Cynder’s eyes grew wide when she saw the serrated edge of the knife Michael just pulled out.

“How many people are on the high council?” Cynder asked, eyeing Michael’s torn wings

“There can only ever be ten, when one dies, they group together to find a replacement. But now during a war they won’t do that. So, all I have to do to win the war is to kill nine more of them.” He explained

Spyro and the others returned with their things, and Michael walked through the portal. They followed one by one until the whole group was back in Faun.

“What planet were we on?” Spyro asked

“I didin’t just send you to another planet, I sent you to another dimension. I made sure you couldn’t just portal back during your forced break.” he told them.

Spyro nodded, more than a little angry, but let it slide.

Jake walked around the corner, and ran to them.

“Your back! Mary was starting to get worried.” He said, panting

“Is she here?” Spyro asked

“No, she’s watching the kids. I got called to action in the Triad army but Michael pulled me out and put me in a defensive army for the capital. I came here to get some new armor made, and I heard Michael was going to get you.” Jake answered

Spyro watched as the rest of the group separated and headed in different directions. The rest of them walked home, watching the hustle and bustle of the patrons as they went about their daily lives. When they got to the square, Layla came out to meet them.

“Hey” she said

“Hi, how’s the hunt doing?” Spyro asked

“I’m dating a nice prince from another territory, its going nice.” She told him

“That’s good” Cynder replied “I hope it works out”

Spyro and Cynder walked into their house. They settled onto the couch and enjoyed the comfort of cushions for the first time in six months. They relaxed for a few hours, then ate a meal, and decided to go to the dock and see what had happened while they were gone. They took flight from the square and soared over the city. Landing just outside the dock’s main gate, Spyro and Cynder started looking around. Hundreds of docks were thumping in and out of the airspace above them, they were surrounded by the busy movements of workers, soldiers, and even a couple generals were walking around. Spyro walked into the newly rebuilt main center of the dock, watching as the receptionist looked up at him in surprise, then looked down, blushing. Cynder chuckled a little, then the two dragons walked into the main war room.

“What are you doing here?” the head general asked

“I want to get an update on the events of the last six months.” Spyro answered

“We’ll, the first thing that happened after you were, sent away, was an immediate attack on the Dark Authority’s core factories. We decimated them and cut off the enemy from their supply of weaponry. Then Michael led an army to force the retreat of the biggest threat we could find on our borders. He pushed the army all the way to the nearest fortress, which he immediately seized and crushed. He captured a dark apprentice, and tortured him for the whereabouts of his master. They found the location to be a very secure planet, we couldn’t even teleport a fortress to its surface. So, Michael opened a big portal and led another army onto the planet. Then he dropped off the grid for 3 months, and we kept pushing back against the enemy’s attacks, eventually reaching the limits of their armies. They started entrenching, and were still holding them there. After a while, Michael informed us that he was about to launch an attack on the capital, and to prepare to take the planet. We did as he said, and watched the holoprojection of Michael rushing into the city, fighting off demons and dark armies, then fighting and slaying the dark master. After that, he got you guys, and we took the planet. We now have a stronghold right in the middle of enemy territory, and are planning to start tearing away at the enemy from another front.” Another general told them

While he was talking, projections appeared above the table, of attacks, warmaps and other gruesome images. The projection froze on an image of Michael, holding the still smoking skull of the dark master, his mouth opened in mid-roar. Cynder reached out and tapped Spyro on his shoulder.

“I’m going to go to the market and get some errands done, and check on some things” she told him

He nuzzled her “Okay, I’ll see you at home”

Cynder hid her smile as she left. Spryo returned to the conversation.

“What’s next” he asked them

“We are going to concentrate a considerable number of forces in the new city. Then spread outward in every direction.” The head general answered

“When?”

“Soon, but not now, Michael needs a moment to recharge his magic, and we need to give our armies a break.”

Spyro nodded, then talked with the other generals for a while. Soon, the sun set and the generals set out to relay their orders. Spyro flew home, lost in thought about the current plan of attack, and wondering how his adopted family was doing.

“I’ll have to go to Warfang soon” he said to himself

He landed outside his house and noticed all of the lights were off. ‘Must have gone to bed’ he thought as he opened the door. Then, the lights suddenly flashed on.

“Surprise” everybody yelled

Spyro yelped and jumped back, instinctively launching a fireball. It struck Michael square in the face, the smoke cleared, revealing his face untouched except for a very annoyed look.

“Told you we shouldn’t have made it a surprise.” He grumbled

“What’s going on?” Spyro asked

“Well, last time we talked, Nina told me when your hatchday was, and I find its no coincidence that Michael brought us back today” Cynder told him

“It, wasn’t” Michael replied

Then the aforementioned fireflies flew out from around the corner.

“Happy hatchday Spyro” Nina said

“Hey there, another year for you huh” Sparx said “We missed the last few, due to being trapped in a crystal”

Spyro smiled at his family, Mary walked up to them, her kids were around somewhere.

“Your mother would always throw a party on your father’s hatchday, so Cynder thought she would take up the tradition.” She told him

Spyro celebrated with his family until midnight, then the party settled and everybody left to go to the neighboring house, Michael had repurposed the house so that visitors can stay as long as they want. Spyro and Cynder went into their room for the night.

“Thanks” Spyro said

“Your very welcome” Cynder smiled “Anything for you”

“I’m gonna find out your hatchday, and I’m gonna throw a HUGE party.”

“Good luck, Malefor never told me, nor did the apes.”

The next morning, they woke up to the sun shining through the window. Spyro looked out onto the square to see Michael walking out of his door, he turned and looked around, confused. He sat like this a little, then Spyro got up and walked out into the square, leaving Cynder still asleep.

“What is it” He asked Michael

“I think somebody is coming from a very distant dimension” Michael answered

He reached a paw out and it started to crackle, blue lighting between his claws. Suddenly, a portal opened, this portal seemed different, it radiated with a powerful energy unlike anything Spryo had ever experienced before. A light blue dragoness walked through the portal, she had the same horn and claw style as Michael, and she also had the same kind of blades as him. Her tailblade looked like it was tempered differently from Michael’s, it had darker layers mixed in a special design. Her chest and underbelly were scattered with darker blue scales, and her eyes were the same color as Michael’s

“Spyro, meet my daughter Beatrice, or Trice.” Michael introduced her

“Hi, nice to meet you” she said.

“Nice to meet you too” Spyro replied

Cynder walked out of the house, then looked at the new dragoness.

“Your daughter?” she asked Michael

“Yep” he answered

“You must be Cynder” Trice said

“You know my name?” Cynder replied

“Michael told me a lot about this dimension, and when I heard there was a war, I wanted to come check it out.” She explained.

“You love your war” Michael said

She blushed a little, then flew off. Michael laughed as she looked around for a moment, before flying towards the dock. Suddenly a letter burst into appearance above Michael’s head. He grabbed it and started reading.

“We need to go, some dark magic has been detected in Genrir, a siege is expected on Warfang within a few hours.” He told them

“Then let’s go!” Spyro replied

Michael woke up Flame and Ember while the couple got their armor on. Soon, the five dragons were ready to go. They flew out to the docks and met up with Trice. They went into the control room and Michael taught the four dragons how to charge to fortress, then let Cynder take control and pilot the fortress back to Genrir. With a shudder and the usual flash of light, the fortress teleported back to its position over Warfang. Trice walked out of the control room and took off to inspect the defenses. Ember took Flame to go see her mother, and Spyro left with Cynder to find his parents. Spyro landed near a major housing complex and started asking some guards where the dragonfly housing is. Eventually, a guard finally knew what he was talking about, and pointed them in the right direction. After walking through a labyrinth of alleyways and roads, they finally arrived at a large building, adorned with small decorations and doors. They knocked on the only big door, and a bright green dragonfly answered, flying through a small door nearby.

“What do you guys want?” It asked

“Were here to see Flash and Nina, my parents” Spyro answered.

“Eldritch magic is fear, but a user of it must not fear it. To control eldritch magic, you must have complete control over their fear, you must have none. Basic eldritch magic draws power from general fear, since all breathing creatures have fear, drawing from the planetary pool is quite easy. Eldritch magic is not made for mortal creatures, it is most commonly found in eldritch gods and terrors. Using this magic can cause mortals to become eldritch creatures, corrupting their souls and becoming immortal. Misuse of this magic can cause entire planets to suffer, one mistake can release beings of destruction. This isn’t just in the magical field either, advanced technology can sometimes reach into eldritch magic. Interdimensional technology involves cutting through the eldritch plane, and if the calculations are incorrect, the user may bring eldritch plagues upon the entire dimension.”

Excerpt From:

The Eldritch Tome: Volume One

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Eldritch Magic Section (Restricted Level Five)

Chapter Four

“Your… parents? Oh, your Spyro!” the green dragonfly said

“That’s me” He answered, and Cynder chuckled

The dragonfly flew back inside, then they heard a latch slide and then a voice called them inside. They walked into the house to see a bunch of tiny huts spread out around a massive room. The green dragonfly landed outside one of the huts and knocked on the door. Nina peeked her head out and immediately noticed Spyro.

“Spyro!” She yelled, and burst out the door to land on his snout

Flash flew out and stopped right in front of him.

“Where have you been?” He asked “We’ve been worried about you”

“In another dimension, Michael made us take a forced break after the fortress we were on got shot down.” Spyro answered

“For six months?” Nina replied

“He was a bit… Busy” Cynder cut in

“I’m glad you’re okay” She replied

“Where’s Sparx?” Spyro asked

“He’s at work, he collects building supplies for the village” Flash answered

“I wanted to check in, but I also wanted to warn you, some dark forces were detected not far from here. They expect a siege soon.” Spyro told them

“What! Here?” Flash asked

“Warfang is the planet’s best defense, they will try to take it first before taking the rest of the planet” Cynder told them.

“I should go warn June, and she will go find Sparx.” Flash flew away

“We tried to get a letter to Michael asking about you but all we got was a brisk ‘they’re fine’ on a paper covered in blood” Nina told

“Yeah, he was leading an army into a siege, so I’m surprised he even was able to respond.” Spyro said

A letter appeared over Spyro’s head, he grabbed it and read it

“A cursed army was spotted advancing on the city, were needed on the fortress. I love you mom, stay safe, this part of the city should be untouched.” Spyro told her.

The two dragons flew back to the fortress, they landed right beside Ember, she had an annoyed look on her face.

“You okay?” Cynder asked

“Fine, just my mom being terrible to Flame. She is a bit busy, so busy in fact, that she had no time to see her daughter after she was away for six months. And when Flame called her out, she snapped at him.” Ember answered, with a frustrated sigh.

Trice landed across the square and walked up to Michael. She said something and he laughed, the six dragons made their way to the war room. Once in there Spyro noticed a projection of Warfang, it showed the entire city and its immediate surroundings. The cursed army was staged a few clicks away from the main gates. They had siege towers and cannons pointed at the city.

“Can we hold them?” Cynder asked

“With the shields over the city and the new cannons in place, we should be able to hold an army four times that size, I don’t think they know the importance of this planet.” Michael answered

“We have six fortresses on standby if we need them” A general told them

“We will be fine” Michael reassured them.

A bell started ringing at the main gate.

“They’re advancing”

The group left the room and landed on top of the gate, watching the army march towards their location. The fortress’s cannons started firing first, massive booms echoed through the city. Then as the army reached their range, the city’s cannons started firing. Spyro felt the vibrations of each shot. The cannons were severely damaging the enemy, barely any of the first wave made it to the shields. The offense cannons and catapults started returning fire. The city’s shield took the direct hits, but did not crack. The soldiers started to pass the shields, and charged the city’s walls, archers took their positions and started releasing arrows down on the ascending soldiers. After a few agonizingly long minutes, the wave died down, then stopped, leaving no cursed soldiers left to advance.

“There will be more waves” Michael told them “But we will hold”

Suddenly, a massive horn sounded from within the cursed army, and the second wave began, this one had siege towers. The cannons began firing again, focusing on the towers. After a few shots, they were destroyed, leaving only a small number of soldiers left. The rest of the wave was quickly picked off before they reached the shields. After holding off several more waves, the guards change shifts. Spyro and Cynder flew up to the fortress and entered their rooms, the booming of cannons signaling another wave.

“I don’t know if I can sleep with all this happening” Cynder said

“We have to try; we need our strength because the waves will get more and more powerful as they progress” Spyro answered

They crawled into bed and curled up against each other, listening as the cannons boomed their assault. They eventually let their eyelids slowly close as they fell asleep.

They woke up to the loud thumps of projectiles battering against the shields. The two dragons got up and put on their armor, preparing for another day of fighting. They walked out onto the fortress’s main square and watched another wave of cursed soldiers advance towards the city. This wave was a lot bigger than the first few. Massive towers rolled slowly towards the city, none of them were making it to the shields. They flew back to the gate, and landed next to Michael.

“Hey, have a good rest?” He asked

“It was okay, with the cannons and all.” Cynder answered

“Yeah, the cursed armies have been increasing in strength, it’s getting harder to hold them all off” he told them.

“How much longer are they going to be doing this?” Spyro asked

“Not much longer, they are running out of power.” He replied, watching the next wave prepare for their attack.

The next wave moved forward with a loud blast from the horn. The garrison was noticeably depleted and showing signs of running out of forces. A dozen more waves came and went, and were held back. The city’s shields were holding, but couldn’t withstand these attacks forever, and the cannons were starting to wear down a little. Hours flew past, and waves flew with them, eventually the waves got farther and farther apart. Spyro heard a new sound from the horn, and the soldiers around him started cheering.

“The retreat horn” Michael explained, looking worn

Spyro smiled, and looked over at Cynder, beaming.

“We did it, they couldn’t break the shields” he told her

Cynder said something, but Spyro couldn’t hear her over the celebration, she motioned for him to follow her and they both took off. They landed in a random square and Cynder looked back at him.

“I said, we showed them” she said

“Yeah we did” Spyro answered, smiling

Trice suddenly landed next to them, breathing hard. She looked up at them in surprise.

“What are you two doing…. Oh, wait…. I don’t want to know” she said, immediately turning to leave

“No, wait, we just wanted to get away from the noise” she yelled at her

“Oh…. Okay” She turned back towards them

“What were you doing?” Spyro asked, just noticing how much she was covered in ash and dirt.

She smiled, a sinister look in her eyes “Sabotage”

They didn’t ask any further. Eventually, Michael caught up with them, Flame and Ember following not far behind.

“They won’t be coming back” he told them

“How can you be so sure?” Cynder asked

“The Dark Authority knows better than to keep attacking a city that has defenses they can’t breach, they underestimated this city, they will not come back” He answered “I’m going to go take a nap, I feel like I haven’t slept in weeks”

Michael took flight, knocking over Ember with his powerful downstroke. Trice laughed

“You should know better then to stand that close to him when he’s tired, he doesn’t want to use the magic to curve it around you.” She spoke

Flame helped her up, she rose, giggling, and got her balance again.

“It felt like I got hit by a tornado, he’s powerful” Ember said

“He can use that to knock over titans, so, yeah, its pretty powerful” Trice replied

“Can you do that?” Ember asked, her eyes wide

“Yep, but I don’t usually, don’t need too” Trice answered

The group sat in stunned silence for a moment.

“What! I’m his daughter, I can do a lot of the things he can.” She yelled

They chatted for a while, then flew back to the fortress landing in the main square. The walked into the mess hall to see a party raging, the tables were pushed to the sides and violin music was playing fast but steady. Many dragons and wolves were dancing in the center, while others were hanging out and chatting. Spyro grabbed some food for himself and Cynder, then walked over to the table and sat down.

“Thanks sweetie” Cynder said as Spyro handed her plate over.

Flame gave them a smile.

“Lucky you, the roles are reversed for me, Ember loves to run around and do little things like that. Then gets mad if I do things for her.” He rolled his eyes

Ember joined them with two massive plates of food. She sat down and immediately dug in, demolishing her plate. They ate for a while, then danced, then chatted and enjoyed the music. Eventually they left the party and retired to their rooms. Spyro and Cynder took off their armor, completely exhausted from fighting and dancing, and fell into bed.

“That is a huge load off my shoulders, I feel much better about the safety of my family now. I bet Ember feels even lighter considering that this is going to be all hers” Spyro said

“That is a very weird image, seeing her on the throne. She must be worried about it too” Cynder replied

“She must be, but she was raised to be the next queen, so I think she will be able to thrive.” Spyro said

“But what about you?” Cynder asked “You’re a king, but you weren’t raised to be”

“Fury was raised to be a king, but he didn’t do much when he inherited the kingship, his dad was a more active and focused king then, but when he retired, nothing changed.” Spryo explained

Cynder nuzzled Spyro, then looked up at him. “I just realized I’m a queen now, that’s pretty weird, I guess I know how Flame feels now.”

“You were always my queen” Spyro nuzzled her back

“You….” She paused, blushing “I don’t even know how to respond to that”

He laughed, and looked down at her, enjoying her presence for a minute. Then sighed, satisfied. They fell deeply asleep, enjoying the silence since the fortress had climbed altitude, the cold making Cynder cuddle in deeper, Spyro instinctively covered her with his wing, making a comfortable pocket of warmth for Cynder.

Spyro woke up, and shivered, even with his fire element, it was quite cold since they forgot to close the window because the wanted to let the cool breeze flow through the room. Spyro strained his head to peek out the window, and saw that they had teleported back above the dock during the night. The dock was nestled in between two mountains, and the wind from one was blowing cold air onto the buildings below. He lifted his wing and tucked his head under to watch Cynder sleep. Her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept, oblivious to the cold. Spyro held Cynder close and snuggled her.

Cynder woke up to the warmth of Spyro around her, he had tucked his head under his wing, and cuddled her close to him, she stuck the tip of her nose out from under Spyro’s wing, then recoiled when she felt how cold it was, Spyro opened his eyes and looked at her.

“We are really high up” he whispered to her

“I thought we had teleported to an iceberg” she replied

“Nope, we are back to the dock though” he answered

“We are? I thought teleporting would wake us up” she yawned

“I did too, but it is quiet, and I slept so deep I don’t think the cannons could have woken me up”

“Same”

Spyro got up and stretched, Cynder flinched and shivered at the cold. Spyro leaned over and kissed her, she blushed in surprise at first before leaning in. Spyro let some of his fire magic flow through him, Cynder gasped as she was suddenly warmed, fire magic flowing through her veins. Spyro broke the kiss, and leaned back.

“What… was… That?” She asked, huffing

“I learned that from Rose’s spellbook” he told her “It is only temporary, but it should help for now”

“Thank you, I love you” Cynder kissed him

They walked down into the square, the cold winds blowing hard. Immune to the cold, Cynder enjoyed the feeling of the wind on her scales. Ember and Flame walked out into the square, as soon as the wind hit Ember in full force, she immediately started shivering, the pink earth dragon not used to the cold. Flame covered her with his wing, offering her some protection from the wind. Cynder blushed, and turned to Spyro.

“We should teach them how to do it” she said, blushing

Spyro turned to the other couple. “Hey Flame, have you ever transferred your fire element before?”

Flame looked up, confused “Yeah, why?”

“Do it to her” Spyro motioned to Ember

Ember peaked from under Flame’s wing, confused, then noticed how Cynder was unaffected by the cold. She looked up at him with a curious expression. Flame lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, he covered their faces with his wing in embarrassment. After a few moments, much longer than the other couple had taken, Flame lowered his wing, exposing their blushing faces.

“Wow, this feels, weird” Ember said “I, feel, warm. Is this how all fire dragons feel?”

“I guess. Ice, lava, sun, and moon dragons are also immune to the cold” Spyro answered

Michael walked into the square, Trice beside him, neither of them seemed affected by the cold.

“Hey” Trice called out to them

“Why are we so high up?” Ember asked

“Because there aren’t any docking points available right now, were up here so we can be out of the way. There is a lot of incoming and outgoing fortresses right now.” Michael answered

“Then let’s go” Ember expressed

They flew down over the dock, then headed to Faun. They landed back at their square, and Ember sighed.

“What’s wrong?” Cynder asked

“Nothing, my mom just wants to know everything about where I live and how my daily life goes. She wants me to be living in a palace at all times. ‘Such is the life of a princess, and future queen’.” She answered

“Yeah, I noticed that dragons tend not to want to spend their lives living in the house they grew up in” Michael told them “Your dad was very stubborn about that, he would not live in the palace, even after he gained his crown.”

“Wait, the palace? They had a palace” Spyro cut in

“Have, you have a palace, its still kept up and is perfectly fine, your father, Mary, and all their other siblings grew up there, and none wanted to stay.”

“Where is it?”

“We can go there, if you want to see it” Michael replied

“I think I want to see it” Spyro answered, uncertain

“Aether dragons have powers beyond what they know, they can create portals not only to other planets, but other dimensions. This knowledge was lost over time, but they can control the aether plane. The most commonly use trait for aether dragons is their ability to create protective shields. All aether dragons from all species can use crystals to create strong, permanent, and secure shields. This work is very important, and gives aether dragons an importance that other common dragons aren’t born with. Dark dragons also have unique powers, they themselves are not dark magic creatures, but have an affinity towards it. Dark dragons have the ability to access and travel through the shadow realm, and are perfect scouts as well as perfect elite soldiers. This led to the inevitable isolation of any dark dragon that is not in an army. All dark dragons that weren’t part of an army were abused, made fun of, and assaulted only because they decided to take a different path in life.”

Excerpt From:

Elemental Dragons Volume Eight: Aether and Dark

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Draconic Section (Public)

Chapter Five

The six dragons flew over the city, gliding over the airstreams. Cynder felt Spyro’s fire magic wear off, the familiar warmth leaving her system. They landed in front of a massive structure, it was obviously a palace, its massive doors were closed. Michael opened the doors with a snap, they swung wide, exposing the antechamber. Spyro walked through the hall, he looked at each of the paintings in turn. He noticed that the paintings were in order by generations, males on one side, and females on the other. Spyro stopped when he saw Fury’s smiling face on the last painting before the throne room.

“This place kind of reminds me of the castle I rescued Cynder in.” Spyro said, shivering at the memory.

“That was an old Element Guard stronghold, the Element Guard reported directly to the king, so of course they would build the stronghold like this palace.” Michael replied

They walked past the throne room, and into a strange room similar to the one Spyro and Michael found back at the magicarium.

“The Vault” Michael told them “Only Spyro or Cynder can open it now”

“I can open it?” Cynder asked

“You’re the queen, of course you can open it” he answered

Cynder walked up to the door.

“How?” she asked

“Just tap it with your claws, when you mated, I tied your souls, making you connected, so you can do the same things he can, royalty wise.” Michael answered

Cynder looked back to Spyro, who nodded. She walked up to the door and tapped it. The door flashed with a white rune, then opened. Spyro watched as the doors opened to reveal massive piles of treasure.

“WOOOOH, that’s bigger than the piles back in Warfang” Ember said

They walked into the room, Spyro stopped and picked up a thick leather-bound book. He opened it and gasped when he saw dozens of different scales.

“When a dragon dies, a handful of scales are handed out to their loved ones before they are burned in soulfire, this is your entire family history since they moved to this dimension.” Michael explained

Spyro looked up, and over to Cynder. She looked down at the book and flipped through the pages with him. Eventually Spyro put the book down and moved on, Cynder stopped when another book caught her eye.

“Is this my family’s?” She asked

“Yes, they left their most prized possessions here for protection.”

Cynder pulled a piece of fabric off of a painting, then stared for a minute at the faces of her parents. They finished looking around the vault. Then Michael gave them a tour of the rest of the palace. Cynder couldn’t help but think about raising a family there, the thought surprised her. After a few hours the group returned to the square. Spyro looked distracted, He walked into the house and fell onto the couch.

“Did you have the same thoughts I did?” He asked her

“About a family?” She replied

“Yes”

“I did, but I don’t know what to think about it”

“Maybe we should ask Mary how growing up in the palace was for her.” Spyro looked at her

“That’s probably a good idea.” Cynder replied

Spyro sat up and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, he wrote on the paper for a while, then signed it, and wrote the fire rune. It vanished, with a flurry of sparks. Cynder walked over to him and sat down, nuzzling him. He smiled at her.

“I can’t believe my father grew up there, his room looked so neat and organized.”

“Yeah, it was fun to look at all the trophies and medals on the wall”

Spyro chuckled “I didn’t even know you can win anything for those things”

“Rock Ball? What even is that?”

“I think I saw a team practicing once, they were tossing a large boulder around, it looked like they were trying to get it across a line.”

“Maybe we should try it” she laughed

“Yeah” he responded “So, you saw your family’s scale tree”

“Yeah, and you did too”

“Our parents must have been close, to let them use the royal vault. The people of Warfang wouldn’t even tell me where it was”

“Me neither, I asked Ember about it, and she seemed dodgy”

Michael knocked on the door, Cynder went to answer it. He entered the living room and looked over at Spyro.

“So, how do you feel about the palace” he asked

“I don’t know, my family has lived there for thousands of years, off and on” he answered

“Don’t feel pressured to move in immediately, that palace will always belong to you, nothing can change that” Michael told him

“I was wondering how raising a family would work there?” Spyro asked

“Well, I use to live there a while back, usually the family would live close together in a wing. Every generation is different, some barely spend time together while others spend most of their day together. It’s certainly easier in the palace because it will have maids and cleaners. Your father did not want to live in the palace because he hardly ever spent time with his father, he spent all of his time with his mother or his siblings, which left for the same reasons.” Michael answered

“What happened to them, my grandparents?”

“Well, the king died when your father was in his late twenties, and the queen vanished, I’ve been looking for her since she left, but I think the Malefor incident made her go even farther away. They never really fell in love, so I think she was glad to get away. But, since the story of you has been going around, Spyro, King of the Elemental dragons, the Hero, it has to reach her eventually.” Michael explained

“Maybe we can go out and find her?” Spyro said, looking hopeful

“Believe me, there is nothing more that Mary, Sam, and James want then to find their mother, maybe I should send some hunters to find her.” He replied, looking up in thought

They talked for a while more, then Michael left and the two dragons ate lunch. After they had finished, Spyro left to go restock their food supply and run some other errands. Cynder walked out into their square, stretching her wings a bit. She looked up to see a maildragon stop and stare at her for a moment.

“Excuse me ma’am, are you Cynder?” He asked

“Yes, is there something wrong?” She replied

“We have a massive pile of mail for you and Spyro, Is he back too?”

“Yes, were back” Cynder answered

The maildragon pulled out a piece of paper, quickly wrote something on it, then drew the fire rune and it vanished.

“We will give them to you in good sized amounts, every other day, so you can have time to go through it.” He told her

Just as he said that, a portal opened and a cart rolled in with 4 large bags of mail, another maildragon pulled the cart through then set it down.

“Where do you want it?” She asked, panting

“In the old nest room” Cynder told them

They each picked up a bag and brought it inside, once the cart was empty, the original maildragon brought the cart back through the portal.

“One of the bags is yours, not sure which one though.” The other maildragon told her “I’m a big fan by the way”

Cynder blinked, noticing that the dragoness was, in fact, all black under her uniform.

“Thank you” Cynder replied nervously

The maildragon smiled and left, the portal closing behind her.

“Surprised you have fans?” Michael said behind her.

Cynder jumped a foot in the air, then turned around and gave Michael a dirty look.

“Why must you do that?” She asked

“Do what? I was here the whole time”

Cynder blushed, realizing that he probably had been watching the entire event that just took place.

“To answer your question, yes, I’m quite surprised” Cynder said

“You have no idea, I have placed some defensive spells to keep out those who are not welcome, these spells have been in place since I built these houses.” He told her

“Really, what would happen without them?”

“Hundreds of fans would bother you, every day of every month. You hear about the stories and how people are fans. But you don’t see the newspapers devoted too you two, or the fanart, the merchandise. There are three main papers devoted too you, one specifically for you, one for Spryo, and one for the both of you together. You have seen some of the fanart, but that’s just the beginning, and there are posters, statues, banners, matching jewelry, all sorts of things after you two. They respect you enough to not bother you while your out and about, but they always want to meet you and get a claw sign.” Michael sighed “God, the number of fans I get is…. Obscene”

Cynder raised her eyebrows. “Is that why I keep seeing other dragons wearing the same jewelry as me? I thought it was just a popular look.”

“It is, because you are wearing it” Michael told her “You are an inspiration to all black dragons, being a queen and overcoming the corruption.”

Cynder blushed, then looked back at Michael

“Do all the elemental kings, queens, princes, and princesses get the same problems?” She asked

“Yes, Mary still has an issue even though she left the palace, her kids are always being made fun of because of their status. The paper that covers the entire royal family talks about her sometimes. The others live in distant villages and stay away from cities.”

Trice walked out of the house, chatting with a sniffling Layla. They walked over to them.

“What happened?” Cynder asked

“The drake she was dating broke up with her, saying she is a little too ‘backward’. That prick” Layla answered

With a flash, a letter appeared above Michael’s head, he absently grabbed it and looked down, Cynder ignored this.

“Why would he think that?” She asked

“I don’t know, my traditions are different from his, maybe it was the way I talked.” Layla said

“It was his father, telling him what to say to you” Michael cut in, still not looking up from the long letter he was reading.

“Why? Why would he do that?” Layla asked

“Because he didn’t think you were real royalty” he answered

“Well, forget him, well find you someone else” Trice said “Even better than him”

Cynder felt a little embarrassed, she had never had these feelings before and they were new to her.

“On another note, Cynder, your uncle Jasper, and his mate and kid, are coming to stay for a while. His mate, Samantha, is a hunter, and has a job in Faun. He will be staying in the guest house for a while.” Michael jumped in

Cynder smiled in delight, she wanted to get to know her family better.

“When will they be arriving?” she asked

“In a few hours, they have to take a bunch of different portals, and I even had to get a special transport out of their village.” He answered, then breathed fire on the letter, incinerating it immediately.

“Was that what the letter was about?” Cynder said

“No, I had been meaning to tell you but you were a bit distracted with the fans some other things. I received a projected message from Samantha telling me she got a mission in Faun, and I organized their transport and stay here. The letter was a detailed report on my two important hunts. One is for Spyro’s grandmother, and the other is for the void dragon. I’ll have to tell you about that later” He responded, then took off.

Cynder watched him fly off “A void dragon?” She mumbled to herself

“A powerful jet-black dragon that is even more rare than purple dragons. Even though a purple dragon is more powerful than a void dragon, they have power over different things, things that purple dragons can’t even touch.” Trice explained “They are why other dragons used to hate all black dragons, because of their connection with dark magic. Which is nonsense, you only have a natural resistance to dark magics, not an active connection.”

The light blue dragon sighed, and shook her head. Layla looked around.

“Where is that purple dragon?” She asked

“Running errands, I think he needed some time to think after going to the palace. It seemed to shock him.” Cynder told her

Trice smiled a little, then turned to Layla.

“You want to go check out the royal hangouts? You’ve only been meeting possible suitors at the boring spots; you should go to the places that their parents don’t want them to be, and aren’t watching their every move.” she said “God, royal courting traditions are so complicated. During the events drakes have to wear special armor, and the girls must wear a symbol that they are available.”

“Really?” Cynder looked at her, a surprised look on her face.

“Yeah, were going to a place where only singles are allowed, that’s it’s purpose.” She answered

Layla blushed “Are you sure that’s a good idea, I don’t want to be seen as desperate.”

“Yeah, that’s where all of the young royals go, its not a bad establishment, the parents don’t like it because they aren’t allowed in.”

“And you dad is okay with you going?”

“Ha, I am a LOT older than I look, I can take care of myself” Trice laughed

“Alright, maybe we can check it out” she replied, still doubtful

“Trust me, this is where you can meet suitors the real way, you can really meet them, not what their parents want them to be.”

The two dragonesses took off, Trice said something and Layla laughed. Cynder watched them go with a smile, then saw Ember leave the house.

“Hi, where’s Flame?” Cynder asked

“Out doing errands” She tilted her head when she saw a confused look cross Cynder’s face “Did Spyro go too? They’re planning something special; they must be.”

Cynder smirked “We should let them, that’s their job; to do special things for us”

Ember laughed “I guess so”

“Flame told me that you don’t like it when he does little things.”

“Well, I grew up in a palace, I’ve had maids and servants that always did all the little things, sometimes I like to do them myself, and do them for Flame” Ember explained

“Just let him, I can tell from Spyro that doing things like that is almost instinctual, and it messes with them if they can’t. You saw Flame’s look of pride when he was able to share his fire element with you.”

“I know, maybe I should. If it would make him happy, I’ll let him do whatever he wants” she decided

“Don’t tell him though, he’ll figure it out. He probably will like discovering it himself” Cynder added

They went into Cynder’s house, and chatted for a few hours. Spyro came home with a massive satchel filled with supplies.

“Hey Ember” He said, then paused when she gave him a knowing look “What?”

“Nothing” was all she said, smirking.

Spyro shook his head, confused, then walked into the kitchen to put away the supplies. The two smiled at each other for a minute, then continued their conversation. After a couple of minutes, Spyro poked his head through the archway, and used his magic to float a small wrapped parcel towards Cynder. She grabbed it and gave him a weird look, he returned it before returning to the kitchen.

“What is it?” Ember asked

Cynder opened the wrapping, then gasped as she saw a glass orb. The orb was hollow except for a beautiful statue of a Cynder, the statue was intricately carved with extreme care and precision. She looked at the base and read the writing, ‘Made with love, Spyro’.

“Awww, that’s so sweet.” Ember said

Then Flame popped his head through the front door.

“There you are” he said “Come home, I want to show you something”

Ember gave Cynder a sly smile, then left. After she was gone, Cynder jumped into the kitchen and tackled Spyro.

“Ooof” was all Spyro could manage to say as she smothered him with kisses.

“How do you keep doing things like this?”

“I… only went to a glassworker and tried out a spell they gave me, Flame made Ember a pink flower shaped one” he gasped

“Not how are you doing it, how are you finding all of these things”

“Cause I’m looking”

Cynder eventually let up.

“You’re lucky I didn’t do that while Ember was still here” she told him

They got up, and Cynder inspected what Spyro bought. Satisfied, they made dinner together, while eating they saw a flash of light pass their window then another, then a smaller one. They finished their meal and walked outside. They noticed three phoenixes had landed outside Michael’s door. Michael opened the door and walked out.

“Hey, your back, how was your journey?” he said

“It was good, Flicker loved the landscape” Torch answered, then turned “Hey Spyro, long time no see”

“This is Spyro!” the young phoenix exclaimed “Hi, I’m so excited to finally meet you”

“Hi” Spyro replied sheepishly, stunned at her excitement

“This is Flicker, she’s my daughter, and this is my mate Charlotte” Torch introduced them

“Hi, nice to meet you” Spyro said “This is Cynder”

“Cynder” Charlotte sighed “I knew she would pick that name”

Michael looked around “What’s taking them so long, your uncle was supposed to be here by now. They must have gotten lost” He took off, and left to search for them.

Torch watched him go, then turned back to Spyro.

“Right after we met, I had to go to the capital and meet with a bunch of other phoenixes. We have been gone for a long time, and just got back. Lumi is one of Michael’s highest generals, and has been at the front lines since the war started.” He told them

“I was wondering what happened too you guys, but we also had some things going on” Spyro said

“Congrats on the ceremony by the way” Charlotte cut in

Flicker stumbled a bit, her wings flapping a little

“It’s time to get you into bed” Torch said, “We were flying for a long time”

Flicker said goodnight, then flew up and landed on Michael’s roof, Charlotte followed her. Torch saw Spyro’s confused expression.

“We live up there, Michael built a house just for us” he told him

“He loves to support as many people as he can doesn’t, he”

“Well, he has been doing it for hundreds of thousands of years. He built this city for your family, he brought them here from other dimensions, he brought phoenixes too. I stopped questioning it centuries ago.”

“Centuries? How old are you guys?” Cynder said, stunned

“Phoenixes are immortal, Flicker has yet to go through her first reset, but I have gone through hundreds. I’m over six thousand years old, while Charlotte is only two. I’ve been friends with Michael all my life, he saved me from some hunters on some random planet when I was a chick. I met Charlotte while fighting some cursed soldiers with Michael. That was over a thousand years ago.”

“You waited a thousand years to have kids?” Spyro asked

“Phoenix reproduction is quite different from dragons; our egg cycles are completely random. We were just unlucky for a while.” Torch answered, shrugging “It was meant to happen, so it happened, when it was meant to happen”

They said their goodnights, and Spyro and Cynder went to bed. The two dragons curled up in bed with their normal positions, and slowly fell asleep.

“Life, I love life, it’s beauty, its wholeness. Life is existence, it comes from no magic, and it can exist without it. I have lived for so long that I have seen life in every possible form, but I am still surprised almost daily. Life finds a way to bring joy to me at all times, it gives me the confidence to do what I must, because no matter what I do, life will live on.”

Excerpt From:

Speech Of Life

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found On The Multiversal Internet

Chapter Six

Cynder woke up, wiggled out from Spyro, and stretched. She looked at her mate’s relaxed expression as he slept. He twitched a little, curling his legs back against himself. His body had noticed her absence. Cynder walked out onto the square, then over too Michael’s house and up to his door. She knocked, and Michael answered, looking at her with a slightly annoyed expression.

“Its 6 in the morning” he stated

“What’s going on?” Layla’s voice came from inside

“Nothing” He called back “You should get more sleep, you got back late”

“I was wondering if you found my uncle” Cynder stated

“I did, they’re in the guest house” Michael told her, then closed the door.

Cynder stood there for a moment, confused, then walked over to the guest house. She stopped at the door, realizing that it might be a little too early to wake them up just yet, she was just about to leave when Japser opened the door.

“It’s fine, come in.” He called her in.

She walked into the house and they sat down in the dining room.

“Samantha is still asleep, and Camry went for a quick flight around the city.” He told her

“Oh” Cynder replied

“So, six months in a dimension very far from here. How was your vacation?” He asked

“It was cool, the landscape was beautiful, but we were worried about everything the whole time. Also, Spyro spent half of it with a broken wing and a few broken ribs.” Cynder answered

“Broken wing?” Jasper replied, confused

“I may have accidently landed on him when we fell through the portal” she told him

“Ouch”

“Yeah, it was bad” Cynder replied

Samantha stumbled into the room, yawning, then froze when she saw Cynder.

“Oh, hey sweetie, I didn’t know you were here.” She spoke

“I wanted to get to know you guys a little better, since you are the only members of my family I’ve had a chance to” Cynder explained

“Well, I wish could help with that, but I have to get started on the hunt.” Samantha told her

“What are you hunting?” Cynder asked

“Just some dragon that stole something valuable, the usual” Samantha explained

“So, you work for Michael?” Cynder replied

“The hunters do work for Michael, but we also pick up contracts here and there. This one was worth too much to pass up, and it gave us a chance to come see you” She responded while putting on her armor “I got to go, see you later”

She kissed Jasper, then left. Cynder could hear Camry arrive and say a quick goodbye with his mother before she left. He walked into the room and gave a surprised look at Cynder.

“Mornin’ cuz” he said

“Hi, have a good flight?” She asked

“Yeah, this city is pretty cool” He answered

The three dragons talked for a while, Jasper explained their story, and how they have been living since Malefor corrupted. He told Cynder about how they bought a massive amount of land using Michael’s support, and accepted the lord status. They have been living near a large city, Samantha working as a hunter while Jasper managed the land.

“So, you’re a lord?” Cynder asked

“Always have been, your family has owned a massive amount of land not far from here for thousands of years.” Jasper answered “We just have to own land ourselves to gain the lord status”

“How do these status things even work?” Cynder replied

“Well, a lord is a dragon that owns a large amount of land. A king and queen are obvious, and their children are princes and princesses for life, even when their eldest sibling becomes king. Their mates also pick up the role. The children of a prince and princess are dukes or duchesses, and so are their children, and so on. Close friends of people with any of those can be given the status of baron, or baroness. That status makes them royals, and allows them all the rights of such. Finally, a count or countess is a status given to those as a reward for extreme acts of good.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of options” Cynder replied

“It is, technically you are a Queen, a lord, a count, and a princess.”

“I get the lord and count, but what is the princess for?” Cynder asked

“Your grandmother was supposed to inherit the role of queen of her planet, the name of which we never found out. Then your mother was supposed to get it, then you, and until you get the role, you’re still a princess. I wouldn’t think about it too much, everybody is going to call you by your higher status anyway.” Jasper explained

Spyro knocked on the door, and Camry answered it.

“Hey” Spyro said “Nice to see you again”

“Hi, Cynder’s in the dining room” Camry replied, nodding in her direction

Before closing the door, movement caught Camry’s eye. Michael’s door opened, and the most beautiful blue dragoness he had ever seen walked out the door. Camry froze, and stared openly. Another light blue dragoness walked out of the door, talking with her and laughing. The light blue dragoness looked around and stopped when her eyes fell on Camry, then looked between him and the blue dragoness for a moment. Then smiled, a devious look in her eyes. The light blue dragoness nudged the blue one, and motioned for her to follow. Camry stepped outside to meet them.

“Hi, I’m Trice, Michael’s daughter, and this is Layla, princess of Fen. Layla, this is Camry, Lord of, what’s the name of your planet again?” Trice asked, putting emphasis on lord.

“Skol” Was all Camry replied

“Lord of Skol, right. I have to go, stuff to do, you guys should hang out, bye” Trice took off with speed, the wind blowing away Layla’s quiet objections.

“So… Do you want to… Go get something to eat?” Camry asked, extremely nervous.

“Sure” Layla answered, blushing a little.

Camry told Jasper he was leaving, then took off with Layla towards the food district.

“What was that about?” Jasper asked

Spyro smiled “Trice introduced Layla to Camry”

Cynder chuckled “She’s pretty good at that, isn’t she?”

“I heard that she’s famous for her matchmaking skills” Spyro replied

Jasper choked, just realizing what was going on.

“Wait, did he *cough* seem interested?” Jasper asked

“He definitely did” Spyro laughed

“Samantha is going to be so happy to hear that.”

They talked for a while more, then Jasper made lunch. Much to their objections, he made an extravagant meal for the three of them. After the meal was over, a letter appeared over Spyro’s head. He grabbed it, expecting it to be from Michael, but after reading he discovered it was from Samantha.

“Samantha needs help with something I guess, she said not to bother you two and that she’s fine.” He told them.

“Are there no hunters here? When she needs help, she usually calls one from close by” Jasper asked

“Michael has been sending them on his hunts” Cynder answered “You should go, see you later”

Spyro kissed Cynder on the cheek and left.

“Hey, I’m going to go to a lord’s market, you can come with me if you want” Jasper told her

“What’s that?” She replied

“It’s basically a market for royals, it’s most used by lords to trade supplies and help each other.” Jasper answered

“Sure, why not”

They took off, Jasper kept having to check the map because he didn’t know where the market was. But eventually they made it to a hidden part of the city Cynder had never seen before.

Camry and Layla landed back in the square. Michael and Trice were waiting for them near their house.

“How was your date” Trice asked, Michael gave her an amused look and chuckled

“How blunt” He whispered to his daughter, who rolled her eyes.

“It was… good, I enjoyed it” Camry stated, then turned to Layla “I would like to do it again”

She blushed at his words “Me too”

Then Layla walked into the house and Trice followed her. Michael gave Camry a knowing look, before taking flight.

Spyro landed in the middle of an abandoned square, he spotted Samantha talking with a couple of hyenas. He waited until she was done, then walked up to her.

“You didn’t have to wear your fancy armor” she said to him

“You said to be ready for a fight. Also, this is my only set.” He replied

“Alright, I’m looking for the thief that stole the Triad king’s royal sword.” She told him

“Somebody stole that? How?” Spyro asked

“The king never uses it anymore; he won’t even show up to battles anymore” Samantha replied

They walked through alley after alley. Eventually, they walked up to a door.

“Hey, big man with your big armor, knock it down” Samantha told him

Spyro gave her a cold look. Then pulled his sword out, he charged his sword with wind power then launched it at the door. The reinforced wooden door vaporized, sending wood shards in all directions. Samantha looked at the new hole, stunned.

“I said knock it down, not blow it into smithereens. You show off” She mumbled

A green dragon rushed out of the house, but Samantha stopped him in his tracks, slapping him with her tail. She grabbed him by his neck and threw him back against the wall.

“I don’t know where he is, I promise” the green dragon yelled

“I don’t need to know where he is, I just need to know where he will go” Samantha told him

“I don’t know” the green dragon answered, then looked at his captor’s faces. “Okay, okay. I think he might be going to his old family home. It’s about two clicks west of here.”

Samantha motioned for the dragon to leave, and he did so with haste.

“Is this normal for your job?” Spyro asked her

“Pretty much, trace your prey’s steps, interrogate their close relatives and friends, cut his ties, chase him down, repeat.” Samantha answered “Michael trained me himself, so I’m pretty popular. This contract is worth a lot of money, enough to push us forward for years. I stopped caring about the money, and since Camry is older, I just can’t sit still for long.”

They took off, and flew west. After a quick flight, they landed outside of an old abandoned home, this obviously used to be a high-class house. But had started to fall apart from disuse. Samantha got into position, and motioned for Spyro to knock down the door, he raised his eyebrows, and lightly tapped on the door’s hinges. The door fell with a slam. Samantha rolled her eyes and entered, Spyro following. Spyro flicked his tail, launching a ball of light across the room, exposing a dragon halfway out the opposite window. Samantha reached forward and grabbed the brown dragon by the tail, and pulled him back. The second the dragons head was back through the window, he turned on Samantha. He bit down hard on her neck; the sudden movement left Samantha unprepared. Her legs wobbled a bit as she almost lost her balance. Spyro jumped forward and slammed his head against the brown dragon, the dragon lost his grip on Samantha’s neck. He lunged forward towards Spyro and clawed at him. But his claws bounced off his armor. Spyro leapt forward and swung back, batting the thief’s head back. He quickly cast a binding spell on the dragon, binding his jaw, and his green wings closed. Spyro turned back to Samantha, who was bleeding heavily from various bite wounds on her neck.

“Are you okay?” He asked

“I’m nnnnrghhh I’m fine, I’ve been through worse.” She answered, clearly in pain.

Spyro quickly dragged the theif outside then bound him to a wall, then helped Samantha outside.

“Here, let me help you.” He told her

Samantha gave him a worried look, then exposed her wounds. Spyro quickly cast a healing spell on one side of her neck, then the other. Samantha sighed; her pain lessened.

“That’s as far as my healing magic will go. Your wounds are deep, you should have a rest after we turn him in.” Spyro told her

“I’m fine. Thanks, but I’m fine” Samantha told him

Samantha walked up to the thief, who was still grumbling angerly. She tried to use her claws to break his bindings to the wall, but it would not budge.

“Can you let him off the wall, and free his mouth?” She asked him

Spyro cautiously walked forward, and cut the two binds with his sword.

“You bitch” The green dragon yelled.

Samantha slapped him, raking her claws across his face. Spyro backed up, and went back into the house.

“Where is the sword?” She yelled

Spyro looked around and launched another light ball. He saw a gleam of polished metal hidden in between the walls. Spyro walked up to it and pulled it out, revealing a beautiful sword. Its design was similar to his own, gleaming diamonds glittered instead of amethysts. Spyro walked out and threw the sword on the ground. It clattered, causing the green dragon to flinch. Samantha gave the thief a sinister smile, and dragged him forward. They walked this way to the nearest jail. After the thief was imprisoned, a portal opened, and seven royal guards walked through. They froze when they saw Spyro holding the sword, looking between the one in his paws and the one attached to his side. He wordlessly handed the lead one the sword. He grabbed it, and nodded to him, then turned around and led the guards back through the portal.

“That was the first time I’ve seen that prick speechless.” Samantha smirked at Spyro, then flinched when she stretched her neck.

“Let’s go back” Spyro said “You need to rest, or your wounds will open again”

Samantha begrudgingly agreed, and they walked back home. When they walked through the door of the guest house, Jasper walked over to greet them, then noticed his mate flinching in pain. He rushed over to her, nuzzling her and looking her over. He saw the wounds on her neck.

“He fought back I’m guessing.” He spoke

“He was faster than he looked.” Samantha replied, flinching when he nuzzled her neck

He looked back at Spyro.

“These are your healing spells, thank you, I’m glad you were there to help her.” He said to him

Spyro nodded.

“Hey, I know what will cheer you up, Camry met a girl” Jasper lit up

Samantha lifted her head in surprise, then flinched. “He what? Who? Where? Was she pretty? Did he like her?” Then looked down to Spyro with narrowed eyes “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Spyro returned the look “Because he wanted to do it”

“Cynder told me her name is Layla, she is a blue ice dragon. Trice set them up on a date in like, half a second right in front of the door. I didn’t see her myself but from what I heard, she’s quite pretty. She’s the princess of one of Genrir’s other territories, and she’s under Michael’s protection until she can find a mate. Oh, and Spyro said he looked pretty interested.” Jasper told her.

“He’s grown up so fast” Samantha cooed, glassy eyed. “Maybe its time to have another”

Jasper choked again, coughing. Camry had just walked into the room as she said that, and immediately turned around and walked back.

“No, you get back out here mister, I want details” Samantha called to him.

“Dracios Elementia don’t usually have last names. Only royal lines have family names that are traced down by genealogy. Instead of last names, dragons usually pass down sigils, that are hammered into their armor. These sigils are usually passed from father to son, and mother to daughter. But for royal lines, the most prominent line passes their sigil and name down to all descendants. The highest status between two mated dragons is considered first, then the length of the line. Lines that can be traced all the way to Providence, usually gain priority.”

Excerpt From:

Dossier Of Dracios Elementia

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Species Dossier Section (Public)

Chapter Seven

Camry walked back into the dining room. But before he could say anything Cynder walked through the front door.

“I thought I saw you get home” she said to him.

“Camry’s about to tell us about his date with Layla” Spyro whispered to her

“Not much happened, I took her to this nice restaurant we flew past on our way here. We talked while we ate, then we came back” Camry explained

“Well, did you get to know her?” Samantha asked

“Yeah, she’s pretty cool” Camry asked, starting to blush

“Do you like her?’ Samantha pushed

He blushed even more, but said nothing. He didn’t need too, she got her answer.

“Jasper, how long can you stay before you have to return home?” She asked her mate

“Around three months” Jasper sighed “I’ll send a message for our things”

Samantha was beaming at her son, who was still embarrassed about the whole ordeal, when Michael knocked on the door. She answered it and told Michael the news.

“Just as Trice suspected” Michael said to her, then turned to Spyro “The king sends his regards, as well as some other passive aggressive messaging regarding the treatment of his sword, saying something about your sword paling in comparison and that he was surprised you didn’t swap them when you got the chance. Blah blah blah”

“They really do hate the elemental royal line don’t they.” Jasper cut in

“Yeah, but that’s their own problem” Michael retorted

Camry took the moment of distraction and left, Spyro saw his wings flash as he took off.

“Well, lets celebrate, Camry…” Jasper trailed off, just noticing his absence

“Lay off of him, this needs to go at its own pace. You need to let them connect, and if it’s supposed to happen, it will happen.” Michael told them

“I know, I know, I remember you telling that to my parents. But it’s so exciting, my little boy is all grown up!” Samantha exclaimed. Then froze, blushing, suddenly embarrassed for some reason.

Michael raised his eyebrows at her, then hurriedly turned to Spyro “Oh, right. I forgot to tell you, were leaving tomorrow to join the front lines. They spotted a fortress and I think there is a high council member entrenched in there, this could be our only chance to get them.”

Michael walked outside, Spyro and Ember following them.

“Why don’t we get Camry and the others, and go do something fun before we leave?” he said

“That would be nice, a bit of fun before we have to go fight a battle.” Cynder answered, smiling to Spyro.

“Let’s do it” Spyro replied

“I’m gonna grab Layla, to mess with Camry a little” Michael smirked “And see if Trice wants to come”

He walked into his house and closed the door behind him. Spyro walked up to Ember and Flame’s house, he knocked on the door, and jumped back when Flame threw it open.

“Whoa” Spyro yelped

“Oh, sorry, I thought you were one of those kids that keeps knocking on the door to see Ember.” Flame looked apologetic.

“They’ve been doing that?” Cynder asked

Ember walked out from behind Flame.

“Every few hours or so. They probably don’t do it too you because they fear being blasted.” She answered “Look, there they are now!”

Cynder looked over to see a dozen young dragons giggle and run away when Ember yelled, she laughed.

“That’s… interesting”

“So… What’s up?” Flame asked “I know were leaving tomorrow”

“Michael wanted to do something fun before we leave, we wanted you to come. We also wanted to see Camry and Layla’s chemistry.” Spyro told them

“Oh, I saw them when they got back from lunch, they looked so cute” Ember replied, smiling

They watched as Trice walked out of the house, her eyes glowing a very bright pink, she looked around before something caught them. Then took off with haste. Layla walked out and watched her go, blushing. A few minutes later, Michael exited as well, and walked over to the four dragons.

“Trice went to hunt down Camry. Were going to a music festival, the annual Strings of Power festival. It’s the same kind of music as what was playing during your ceremony. Along with others.” He told them

“That sounds cool” Layla cut in “I’ve never really heard much music before.”

Camry landed next to them and looked up “The Strings of Power festival, I’ve always wanted to go to that”

Spyro and Cynder shared a look. Trice was good, but Michael was better. Like father like daughter.

Trice landed behind him; her pink magic was fading from her eyes. Michael looked around and spread his wings to prepare for flight.

“Alright, everybody’s here, let’s go.” He spoke

“Wait, what about my parents?” Camry asked

“They are… busy, preparing for an extended stay here.” Michael answered

They group took off, and Michael led them outside the city and into the fairgrounds. There was a massive crowd, filled with dozens of species. Some of them gasped and whispered when Spyro and Cynder landed. Then nearly passed out when they noticed the rest of the group. Michael led them around to a different entrance, a sign labeled it as the musician’s entrance. Two large earth dragons were guarding the path, they nodded to Michael as they passed by. Spyro looked around the backstage area, many musicians were tuning their instruments. Spyro looked in surprise at a dragon who was playing a harp, then back to Cynder.

“This is fun” she said to him, he smiled in agreement

“We have our own little area to hang out in” Trice told us “Fenced off from the others”

They walked into the area, it was right next to the stage, where there were workers preparing for the event. After a few minutes of walking about and chatting with the other royals, the first set of musicians entered the stage and started playing. Cynder grabbed Spyro and pulled him onto the dance floor. They laughed and danced for a while, Trice and Michael laughed and watched them. Spyro watched Camry approach Layla, blushing. He said something and she nodded, and he pulled her onto the floor. The group danced for a few hours, many different bands came up on the stage and played different kinds of music. Spyro and the others enjoyed interesting new kinds of food and drinks, and talked to some of the musicians. The festival stopped at midnight, and the partygoers left the main area. Some of them retired to various sleeping areas. The festival will continue for three more days. The group took off and flew home. Spyro looked over at Cynder flying beside him, her eyes sparkling from the reflection of Fauns lights. She caught him staring at her, and blushed. Near the back of the group, Camry was entranced in Layla’s eyes and her smooth movements as she flew. Layla knew he was watching her, and was trying her best not to blush. Both of them are confused about the feelings that they have, they knew what they were, but they were still confused about it. Everybody landed back at the square, and went into their respective houses. Spyro and Cynder slid into their bed and curled up together.

Spyro woke up to a knock on their front door. He gently nudged Cynder with his muzzle, making her smile and open her eyes.

“Good morning” he said

She nuzzled him, and smiled. The two got up and slowly put on their armor, still sore from the dancing. After they finished, they ate a quick snack, and walked out the front door. Michael was waiting outside of Flame and Ember’s house, tapping his right paw impatiently. He nodded to them and motioned them to look up. The fortress had moved closer during the night, and was now directly overhead. They flew up and landed on it. After a few minutes Flame and Ember joined them, and Michael flew into the control room. They looked over the railing when the fortress flashed, watching the city of Faun vanish to reveal a massive cleared out space filled with tents and small buildings. The group flew down and landed near the center. Spyro spotted a familiar face, Lumi was talking to another general, he looked exhausted. A dragoness, that must be his mate, was very affectionately nuzzling him. Lumi turned and smiled when he saw Michael.

“Hey, you guys going to take the stronghold?” He asked

“Are you not coming?” Spyro replied

“I’m pregnant, so I get to drag him back to Faun” His mate said

“Oh, congratulations!” Cynder exclaimed

“I don’t think any of you have met, everyone, this is Amber. Amber this is Spyro, Cynder, Flame, and Ember.” Lumi introduced them.

“Took you guys long enough, weren’t you trying since before I left?” Michael asked

“We wanted to wait for your return. We couldn’t raise children without jobs could we.” Lumi shot back

“Well, enjoy nice cushy ones as Guard Generals” Michael replied.

They bid their farewells, and flew up to a fortress. Michael turned back to the others and smiled.

“Good for them, Amber wanted to have kids when the others did, but was just unlucky.”

He pointed to a dark cloud on the horizon.

“That is the stronghold, if my info is correct, there is a high council member in there. We will be storming it soon.” Michael told them

A loud bell sounded from the fortresses, and a massive number of soldiers took off from the ground and flew to them. The group followed, landing on their main fortress. It slowly started moving its way toward the stronghold. When they reached cannon range, the fortresses started firing. Shells slammed against the stronghold’s shields, causing them to crack. Eventually, they shattered, but instead of landing and charging the fortress, the element cannons switched from fire to earth. Massive boulders shot out and slammed into the stronghold, smashing against its walls. Cursed soldiers rushed out of the stronghold, the ones with wings took flight and charged the fortresses. They were stopped at the shields, bunching and scraping at the magical barrier. The stronghold collapsed, falling outward into pieces. A cluster of dark creatures crawled out of the rubble as the cannons stopped firing.

“There they are, lets go” Michael called to them.

They leapt forward, taking flight and charging toward the cluster. They landed with a bunch of other soldiers. Michael jumped forward, and launched a wind blast at the dark dragons, separating the group. A darkened dragon wearing strange armor covered in red gems stepped out.

“So, a dark dragon is hunted by an even darker dragon. What was that saying again? The lesser of two evils” A gravelly voice came from the dark grey dragon.

“Yeah yeah yeah, your friend already said that line” Michael responded

“And where is he know?”

“His skull is in my vault, where yours will join him, and the rest of him was burned in the tradition of dragons” Michael replied

“Evil like that can only be defeated by more evil. Nobody ever sees that you are darker than you look.” The grey dragon glanced at Spyro

“Billions upon billions of years of good and prosperity because of me says different” Michael flicked his wrist, causing several of the dark dragon’s heads to abruptly fall off.

The master flinched “You can’t defeat me without dark magic, I thought you were against all evil”

“Using dark magic isn’t always evil, I can use all magic without the fear of corruption” Michael replied

His eyes turned from blue to black, shadows danced, and strengthened. Fear sparked in the dark master’s eyes as Michael’s armor faded, until his entire body was pure shadow. Michael, or his shadow, fell into the ground, vanishing. Dark tendrils reached from the ground and grabbed the dark master. He struggled against them, sending bursts of red magic into the tendrils. But the spells had no effect. The shadow version of Michael rose from the ground, his sword drawn. He charged forward slicing outward. The dark master ducked, barely avoiding the shadow blade, and fired a dark magic beam at him. The beam went through Michael as if he wasn’t even there. The shadow tendrils tightened, forcing the dark master to fall. Michael didn’t hesitate, he leapt forward and arced his blade, sinking it into the dragon’s grey side, piercing his heart. The wounded dragon groaned, then collapsed, his body began to dissolve, leaving only his smoking bones. Michael resolidified, his eyes returning to their normal blue, he faltered, clearly spent, and stepped back away from the fight. The rest of the dark dragons had fallen, Spyro looked around at the soldiers, some of them had been wounded, and were being brought back to the fortress. Luckily, nobody had been killed. Spyro went over to Cynder, and looked her over, making sure she was okay. After she kept telling him she was fine, he closed his eyes and nuzzled her. Flame and Ember walked over to them, they looked beat up, and shocked at the powerful display of magic that was shown. Michael called to them, and took off, the soldiers followed. Once they had returned safely to the fortress, Flame gave Ember a rundown, and Ember did the same to him. They had some cuts and bruises, but seemed okay overall.

“What was that?” Spyro asked Michael

“Eldritch magic” he replied, and nearly fell over. He righted himself, and stumbled out of the square towards his room.

Cynder walked up to Spyro and nuzzled him.

“We’re one step closer” she said

He nuzzled her back. Spyro could tell that the fighting and Michael’s fight had bothered her. She was incredibly tense, and had a sad look behind her smile. Spyro knew he had to cheer her up somehow. They relaxed and chatted until the sun went down, then everyone retired to their rooms. Cynder curled tightly against Spyro, he held her close, covering her with his wing. They sat for a long time before they fell asleep.

‘Michael was in his shadow state, but instead of fighting the dark master, he was fighting her. The dark tendrils gripped her, and dragged her into a dark void. Darkness surrounded her, became her. She screamed, but no sound came out.’

Spyro woke to Cynder screaming. He started shaking her, shouting her name. He moved his legs out of the way just in time to miss her tailblade swipe. She was still screaming, screaming for him. Spyro closed his eyes and focused, he allowed his light element to flow through him and into her. Cynder woke with a gasp.

“Spyro!” She called

“I’m here, you’re okay, we’re okay.” He nuzzled her frantically

She looked over at him, and kissed him.

“That… was the worst dream I have ever had” she said, and nuzzled his neck

He held her close, trying to stop her shivering, and covered her with his wings again. They laid there for a while, Cynder felt like she would never sleep again. After a while, her pure exhaustion brought her into a dreamless sleep. Spyro felt her relax as sleep took her, he watched her for a few hours, then fell asleep himself.

“A new form of petrification has been discovered; jade petrification. This petrification is unwilful and caused by another being. Usually, goblins or mercenaries will use this attack as a defense when they are attacking or looting. Shortly after this discovery, a new species of snake was breed to naturally create the petrification venom. This species now runs rampant around Faun, and has since only become a nuisance.”

Excerpt From:

Jade Petrification: The First Study

The Council Of Science: DR. Drane Falner

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Council Of Science Section (Public)

Chapter Eight

Cynder woke up to Spyro tightly holding her. She realized that her episode last night had probably scared him just as much as it had her. She sighed, realizing that these fights are affecting her mental state. She couldn’t resist her instinct to be by her mate’s side, but she knew that his instinct is to protect her, and that he will do anything to make sure she is okay. She wished that she could show less weakness sometimes, Spyro has his own, but he puts too much pressure on himself to push them deep inside. Cynder had the slightest feeling that he is shoving all of his feelings and weaknesses away for her and for the others relying on him. The six-month vacation helped, but he needs to spend some time without others relying on him. Spyro felt her tension, and opened his eyes worriedly.

“Are you okay, did you have another dream?” He asked

“I’m fine, just relax. Let’s just stay here for a while.” She answered

They stayed like that for a while, resting their sore bodies and allowing their wounds to heal. After a couple of hours, the grumbling of their stomachs called them out of their room. They walked out into the square, and over too the mess hall. The hall was mostly empty, they spotted Flame and Ember at one of the tables, and joined them.

“Hey” Cynder spoke

“They got some different food today” Ember told her

Spyro went over to the food trays and grabbed two plates of food. He brought them back and sat down.

“What is this?” Cynder asked

“I asked the chef, and he said it was something called a burrito” Ember answered

“It’s pretty good” Spyro replied

They ate in silence for a while, then finished. Spyro looked through the window to see Michael walk out into the square, talking with Trice. Spyro rushed over to him.

“Hey” Michael sad to him.

“I still want to know what that was. That magic felt darker than any I have ever felt.” Spyro told him

“Eldritch magic and Ethereal magic are two sides of the same coin. They are the oldest forms of magic in existence. Before the concept of darkness and light, these two forms manifested, and when they did, the unbreakable rules were formed. Eldritch magic is fear and death based, while ethereal is joy and life based. After these two formed, some eldritch and some ethereal beings decided that they wanted to change the rules, the eldritch beings formed dark magic, which is evil, and includes demons and necromancy. The ethereal beings formed aether magic, others have called it light, or heavenly magic, which represents good, and includes beings like angels, and good magic. But these new magics caused a problem. Eldritch and ethereal magic has always lived in harmony, but dark and light magic are constantly fighting. This fighting caused wars to spread through the entire multiverse. It’s what caused all the battles between good and evil, which caused a fifth magic to form, fairy . Eldritch magic is pretty simple compared to dark magic, they live in darkness, consume fear, and will occasionally corrupt other creatures and make them eldritch terrors. Ethereal magic feeds on joy and prosperity, and sometimes help other creatures to ascend. There are only a few hundred thousand origin ethereal beings left, most of them moved to light magic and fought evil. I used eldritch magic to kill that master, I used it to kill the last one. You felt darkness because that was what it was, my normal aura was changed from calm to fear, I caused fear in everyone around me, that is how that magic works.” He explained

“So, what kind of magic do I use?” Spyro asked

“Light, Cynder uses both light and dark” Michael answered

“And you eyes changed color why?” Spyro turned to him

“The main colors of magic, blue for ethereal, black for eldritch, red for demonic, white for light, and green for fairy.” Michael told him “My eyes, and half of the jewels in my armor reflect that. But ethereal is a tad different. Each ethereal being can change their color to whatever they want, you probably noticed Trice’s color is pink, my mate’s is yellow. My custom color is a darker blue then the normal ethereal blue.”

Cynder had joined Spyro’s side and looked stunned.

“So, you can use both eldritch and ethereal magic?” she asked

“I can use all five of them.” He answered

“And I use dark magic?” she replied

“Yes, your fear, poison and shadow elements are dark magic. But those elements are from eldritch origins, so they can’t hurt the wielder.”

A general landed in the square, and Michael went to talk to him. Spyro looked back at Cynder, who looked worried about what Michael had told them.

“I use dark magic. Malefor made me evil”

“It’s not the magic that is evil, it’s how you use it. Michael just used the darkest of magic for good, you are not evil, you are good.” Spyro replied sternly “Stop letting these thoughts affect you”

Cynder nuzzled him, Michael returned to them.

“Wait, I’m a dark dragon, and Spyro’s an aether dragon. How does he not hate me?” She asked him

Michael gave her an exasperated look “The magic that you use doesn’t define you, unless you let it. He didn’t hold your corruption against you, and he fell in love with you, regardless of your magic. Some believe that opposites attract, or that fate controls everything. But fate isn’t permanent, it changes just as quickly as the future. Regardless of your magic, what you look like, and your past, Spyro loves you for you, when he agreed to be your mate, he agreed to accept all of you. You remind me so much of your mother, I adopted her, she was Trice’s sister, I loved her like she was my own, because she was. She didn’t believe that she didn’t deserve happiness, just because of her powers. Malefor’s parents didn’t really help, they tried their hardest to separate them, but I told her that she was my daughter, that no wasn’t an option, and that if Malefor returned her feelings, nothing can stop them. By the time they had their ceremony, Silver knew that she didn’t just deserve happiness, but she also deserved the right to be proud of herself. Now, I wasn’t able to raise you with the power and the self-esteem that I did her, so you need to search deep within yourself and find at least one logical reason. When you eventually find that you don’t have one, you will realize that all this worry is useless.” Michael’s speech brought tears to Cynder’s eyes. “Also, even if you don’t deserve Spyro, it’s too late, you have him. The mateship of dragons is irreversible.”

Spyro chuckled “Even if it was, I wouldn’t let her do it”

Cynder looked at him, and saw the seriousness in his gaze and sighed. Spyro looked back at Michael.

“What’s the news from that general” he asked, Cynder was glad for the change of subject.

“The fortress was cleaned out completely, and all leftover magic has been dispelled. The councilors apprentice was captured while he tried to escape. We’re trying to interrogate him and find where another master is. He isn’t talking so far, but I think he will, eventually.” Michael explained “Oh, and Lumi and Amber made it safely to Genrir, and are back at their house. Which is close to yours, so you can talk to them when we get back.”

“Are we heading their soon?” Cynder asked

“No, were going to go to another front-line planet for a minute, the ground forces keep getting hit by aerial assaults, and they need some shielding.” Michael answered “Were also receiving a surprising amount of resistance on that planet, which means they are protecting something. We have no idea what it is though, it’s not a dark master, so it could be anything.”

Michael’s eyes pulsed, and the fortress flashed onto a new planet. Spyro looked out over the railing to see a maze of trenches, all of the buildings, tents, and other structures were in deep trenches, protecting them from enemy fire. The clouds overhead was thick and grey, spreading out over the horizon. Beyond the small bump of sandbags piled on one side, dark figures can be seen shuffling around. Occasionally, one would conjure an element ball and launch it at the trenches. Spyro walked forward, preparing to take off, but Michael stopped him.

“No, there are too many, and there is a lot of dark magic defending them.” He told him.

“I can feel it from here, it’s… Strange” Cynder replied

“They have been here for hundreds of thousands of years. The magic is deep-seeded.” Michael said

A sun dragon popped his head over the sand bar and fired a light beam, vaporizing a handful of soldiers. Spyro watched as more cursed soldiers replaced them, stepping into the same positions without a reaction.

“How long have they been fighting here?” He asked

“Since the war started. This line hasn’t moved much because of this planet. We have taken most of the planets in this sector and others past it, but we can’t fully move in with this planet still controlled by the enemy.” Michael answered

Flame and Ember walked up to them and looked out at the scene below them.

“That’s a big trench” Flame said “I haven’t seen a trenched army since before the eternal night.”

Cynder blushed, vaguely remembering herself tearing through an entrenched army when she was corrupted. Flame saw this and gave her an apologetic look. They took off and Michael showed them how to fly in a way to avoid getting hit with the enemy’s element balls. They landed in the center of the trenches, and were approached by a general, his armor was covered in dirt, and he looked worn and exhausted.

“Sir, there has been no changes since you were last here, the enemy keeps attempting to advance on us, and our element cannons keep getting interrupted by their defense magic.” He told them

“Could this be a source of the cursed soldiers?” Spyro asked

“I don’t think so, they would have decimated us with a massive number of forces by now.” The general answered

“Where’s your mate?” Michael asked

“She’s in the medic tent, healing one of our scouts.” He answered, motioning towards a red tent.

A large explosion rang nearby, causing everyone but Michael and the general to duck.

“They can fire on us but we can’t fire on them, we need to break that curse” Michael said

“We keep having to recharge the shield crystals, we have six sets alternating every four or five hours.” The general replied

The fortress fired a few shots, Spyro looked over the trench to see the element charges flicker out before they even reach their targets. The enemy cannons fired a few shots in return. The booms of their charges hitting the fortress’s shields reiterating Michael’s words.

“I’m going to study the curses, we need some tents to stay in, the fortress needs to leave before its shields start to crack.” Michael informed the general, then left

“We can get a few tents for you, for now you should huddle around the fires, it gets really cold here at night, even for fire dragons.” The general told

Night fell and the group huddled around a large fire, it crackled faintly as they sat and waited. The soldiers had changed shifts, many moon dragons were throwing flares periodically overhead, temporarily lighting the ground ahead of them. Michael appeared from the darkness, startling them, a white dragon appeared behind him.

“Hey, I want you guys to meet Aura, she’s an aether dragon, like Spyro.” Michael said

“An aether dragon?” Spyro asked

The white dragon turned to him “I can use fire, sun, moon, earth, and wind elements.”

Aura appeared to be the same age as the rest of them.

“Why are you here, in a war?” Cynder asked

“I wanted to fight, but Michael hasn’t been letting me. He finally let me come here to fight with you guys.” Aura answered

“I found her egg long ago in a small village in a different dimension.” Michael told them

“I had nobody, my parents abandoned me and I had nobody else. So when Michael came to clear out an old temple, he found my egg and took it with him” Aura explained “I’ve been staying in the fortress so far, but he’s been trying to get me to go live in Faun.”

Aura laid down in front of the fire.

“You need to find a mate, and you aren’t going to find one on a fortress full of soldiers.” Michael told her

She blushed, and tried to change the subject “Did you find a way to break the curse?”

Michael gave her a look “I need to launch a ball of pure ethereal magic, the land itself is protected, but pure ethereal magic will break the curse.”

“When will we be attacking?” Aura asked

“In an hour or so, were going to jump them.” Michael replied

The dragons got ready for a battle, Aura left and returned with a set of armor that had the same designs as Michael’s set. Cynder looked at them confused.

“He gives these symbols to the dragons he adopts.” Aura told her “I figure it’s his family emblem”

“My mother must have worn it too.” Cynder replied

“She did, Rose did too” Michael said, walking out from the darkness.

Cynder jumped, and gave Michael a half-hearted snarl. He laughed at her.

“The terror sure doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings.” He spoke

Cynder looked over to Spyro.

“Don’t look at me, I saw his eyes glowing from way over there.” He told her

The armies all convened against the sand bar. Michael poked his head out over it and looked around, then nodded to the others. He walked up onto the bar, and summoned a massive sphere of blue magic, then fired it at the enemy’s land. The blue sphere hit the ground, and exploded, sending blue sparks across the area. The soldiers rushed out from the trench and charged, flares flew over the field, exposing the cursed army. The cannons fired, sending fire and molten rock flying crashing into the cursed soldiers. Most of the soldiers were destroyed quickly, by the time Spyro reached the enemy, they were already decimated. After a few hours, Michael’s army defeated the enemy, and took their trenches. The exhausted soldiers cheered in celebration over finally becoming victorious. Dozens of fortresses announced their arrival with a series of thumps, they floated over and begun a charge. Pushing the enemy into a retreat. Michael called his soldiers to return to their trenches. After they had returned, their main fortress teleported above their heads. Michael looked over at Aura, she was glowing, light energy radiated from her. Then over to Spyro, who was celebrating with the others. He took flight towards the fortress.

Spyro woke up in their room, he was curled around Cynder, his wing protecting her from the cold. It was still cloudy outside, but Spyro could tell that it was around noon. Cynder murmured in her sleep, and clutched Spyro tighter. Spyro looked out the window to see another fortress floating out on the horizon. The view was surprisingly peaceful, a vast forest spreading out to the horizon, broken only by a faraway island. Spyro enjoyed the peacefulness for a few hours, listening to his mate murmur in her sleep.

?

“The ML trains it’s dragon soldiers in a unique way, they need to know not only the basic magical defense runes, but they also need to learn how to enter combat with a bipedal partner. The standard pair is with a wolf, they are fast, have keen eyes, and are able to leap off of the dragon with speed and defend with skill. Dragon-wolf pairs are meant to train together to defend each other. Partnerships are carefully studied and selected by a council. The partnerships are symbolized by a simple design of their armor, they will wear matching armor so they can recognize each other in large crowds. This partnership is same sex, because the ML wishes to promote friendships instead of emotional connections. These pairs will usually become best friends, and will stick together even after there service. The ML has noted a eighty percent chance of a dragon-furry pair settling down together and raising families together.”

Excerpt From:

The No-Tech Training Handbook: Dragon-Furry Partner Program

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In Any Academy Archive

?

Chapter Nine

Flame woke up and looked down, noticing that Ember wasn’t with him, he looked around and saw that she had left a note explaining that she took their armor to get cleaned. Flame yawned and got up, he noticed that their knife pair was still there. He grabbed Embers, and unsheathed it, looking at the intricate designs etched into the blade. He set the knife back down and stepped outside, and shivered, it had grown cold overnight, and the fortress was pretty high up. He charged his fire element, and warmed himself. Then he looked over to Spyro and Cynder’s room.

“They’re still asleep” he mumbled to himself, then looked around “So is everybody else”

He walked over to the control room and poked his head through the doorway, he spotted Michael studying a projection that hovered above a table in the corner, and walked over to him.

“What’s new?” He asked

“We are almost done taking the planet, our forces are pushing the main line all the way forward now.” He told Flame

Aura stepped through the door, yawned, and stretched. Flame could tell by the look on her face she was not a morning dragon.

“Morning sunshine” Michael said to his adopted daughter.

“Meh” she replied

She snapped her claws and a cup appeared in her hand, she drank it and sighed. Then looked over at Flame

“Where’s your mate? What was her name? Oh, Ember, right” She asked him

“She went to get our armor cleaned, I think she got up right after the sun rose, she loves mornings.” He answered

Aura snorted, then looked at the projection.

“Almost done, nice” She noted

“Were going to Faun tonight, and you’re going to settle into one of my spare rooms.” He told her

“Fine” She replied, rolling her eyes.

A letter appeared over Michael’s head, he instantly grabbed it and looked down.

“This planet is officially clear of dark magic” He informed them. “Let’s get out of here”

Spyro laid awake curled around Cynder, the cold was seeping into their room, he held her close so she wouldn’t feel it. A sudden flash of light made him look up. He peered out the window to see that they were right above Faun, but very high up. Spyro returned his head to its earlier position, happy to be home. After another half an hour, Cynder woke up. She lifted her head and nuzzled Spyro.

“How long have you been up?” She asked “And are we back over Faun?”

“A bout 5 hours, and yes were back” He answered

“You could have gotten up” she told him

Spyro rolled his eyes, then lifted his wing a bit. A small gust of cold wind hit Cynder’s face. She quickly grabbed his wing and lowered it again.

“I retract my earlier statement” she said

Spyro chuckled, and nuzzled her under his wing. He nudged her mouth to his and kissed her, summoning his element power and sharing it with her. Cynder felt the parts of her body that weren’t covered by Spyro’s wing warm up, and sighed.

“Want to go get breakfast, or more likely a late lunch” Spyro asked her

“Yesss” She purred

The slowly got up and stretched, and walked out of the room. They both shuddered in discomfort at the cold. Trice and Aura were in the square, chatting. They both turned to them.

“Look who’s finally awake” Trice stated

“How are you two not shivering” Cynder asked

“We’re Michael’s daughters, I inherited the ethereal magic and she had it gifted to her.” She answered

“So, you’re sisters?” Cynder replied

“Of course, though I am a LOT older than her” Trice told her “She has always been my sister, so were both of you mothers”

“That feels so weird, you look the same age as the rest of us.” Spyro replied

“Yeah, she’s looked like that all my life” Aura told them

Michael walked out onto the square.

“Good, everybody’s awake” He spoke, then took flight

The rest of the group followed, and made their way to their homes. Aura looked nervous about settling into a house in a city to look for a mate, but she knew that it had to be done, and that she will be happy with whatever happens. They landed in the square, and Cynder turned to her.

“Wait, you’re from another dimension, how does that work?” She asked

“She’s the same species as you, but from another dimension” Michael told them “Dracios Elementia, common elemental dragon.”

“How many different kinds of dragons are there” Spyro asked

“Millions”

They sat stunned for a moment, then Camry and Layla landed in the square. They watched as the two young dragons chatted and ignored them, then walked into the guest house and closed the door. Michael chuckled Trice joined him. Then he snapped his claws and a medium-sized wooden box appeared. Aura grabbed the box and walked into her new house. Spyro saw a small red sun dragon peering out the window of the guest house, then he rushed out the door.

“Spyro!” He yelled and hugged him.

“Ray?” Spyro said, hugging the little dragon back.

Jake walked out of the guest house, smiling.

“Hey” he said

“I wish I knew you were coming; I would have got back sooner.” He told her

“Your fine, Mary put an application to transfer here, she feels like she needs to help return this city to it’s former glory” Jake told him, then turned to Michael. “I also need to talk to you about maybe moving into one of your houses.”

Michael smiled, as if he already knew this was going to happen. He pointed to an empty house two houses down from the quest house.

“That house is already set up for you guys.” He told Jake

“How many houses do you own” Spyro asked him

“I own the entire district” Michael replied, ignoring the stares he received.

“Where is Mary?” Spyro asked

“She’s scouting the location for the new economy inspection and control center.” He answered

Michael narrowed his eyes “The ML runs its main trade line through this city, it can’t fail even if it wanted to”

Jake looked up at him. “It does, so that’s why we keep hearing of massive amounts of wares being transferred around here.”

“This is the branching point for this dimension. All ML supplies come here to be sold and transferred to the planets where they are needed.” Michael explained

Jake nodded, then looked back into the house

“Girls! Spyro and Cynder are back” He called

Storm and Sammy ran out the door and greeted Spyro. Then ran to play with Trice, who leaped up and splashed pink sparks, making the young dragons giggle. Samantha walked out the door and looked over at them.

“How was the battle, battles?” She asked

“We won both of them, of course because Michael was there.” Spyro answered

“Another dark master bites the dust” Michael retorted

The group enters the guest house, and talk for a while.

On a distant planet, a Female red dragon hides in a bush and watches an armored grey dragon walk along a path. The grey dragon walked along the rough path, ducking branches and stepping over the sharp thorns. The dragon approached an abandoned building, then poked his head through the entrance. He noticed signs that a dragon had been staying there and studied them, he looked around, knowing that the dragon he was hunting must not be far off. Suddenly, the female dragon leaped out of the bush and charged the hunter. The grey dragon dodged and swung around.

“Not bad” The female spoke “It only took you over a century to find me”

The hunter lifted his head “A hundred years? Miss, I’ve only been looking for you for 8 months.”

The red dragon froze, then snarled “Nevertheless, I’m not going back, I’m not going back to the city where my line no longer exists, I’m never going back to…”

“Fury had a son” The hunter interrupted “He defeated Malefor”

The red dragon snapped her neck back “What? Who?”

“His name is Spyro, he is a purple dragon, he…”

“A purple dragon! Another one?” She yelled

“Yes”

“And he defeated Malefor?”

“Yes”

“Where is he now, I assume with Michael”

“Faun”

She sighed, looking down.

“Michael sent me to find you after Spyro brought him back”

Tears started to form in her eyes “I don’t want to go back; it hurts too much”

“Your grandson is there, and he wants to know you” he told her

“Tell me about him”

“He was hatched and raised by dragonflies on Genrir, he eventually found the guardians, and they taught him about his powers. He rescued Silver’s daughter, Cynder, from Malefor’s clutches. Then was trapped in a crystal for three years. When he woke, he defended Warfang from Malefor’s armies, and defeated him. The victory came at a cost, Genrir was shattered. They woke up in the Valley of Souls, and found Michael’s statue. Spyro woke him up and he told them of their history. Now Spyro and Cynder are mated…”

“Mated! My grandson mated with Malefor’s daughter.” She yelled

“Yes, they fell in love while working together to defeat Malefor. There is another war going with the Dark Authority, and Michael wanted to make sure they were together before it started.”

The red dragon looked up at him “I never caught your name”

“I’m Canthos, hunter of the outer rings”

“I’m Nuri, though I expect you already know this”

“Actually, I didn’t, they only told me to find the old queen, I think the general Michael gave the order too didn’t actually know your name.”

“Those pricks”

“Will you return with me to Faun now?” Canthos looked hopeful

“I think I will, and I want you to tell me everything you know about my grandson”

The two dragons walked down the path, Canthos telling her a story.

“Where did you guys go?” Mary asked

“Just two nameless darkened planets” Michael answered

The group had settled down at the dining table, and were eating a nice meal

“Another dark master down, eight more to go” Jasper remarked

“Yep, and they are only going to get harder to find” Michael replied

“So, Layla what did you do while we were gone?” Trice asked

“Not much, just went to a cool music museum and explored the city.” She answered, blushing

“Nice, looks like somebody knows what their doing” she sent a sly look to Camry, who blushed

“Hey, a weird letter from somebody named Junior was dropped off, it was addressed to you Trice” Layla handed her a letter

“This came by maildragon?” Trice laughed “That goof”

Michael chuckled “What does he want?”

“He wants to know which planet were on… Wait… He’s HERE!” She laughed

“Who’s Junior?” Spyro asked

“My brother, by blood not adoption” Trice answered

“Where is he?” Michael asked

“Middle of nowhere, by the looks of it” Trice showed him the paper

“I know how he got there, that’s the old portal henge. But he knows that we never settled there.” Michael remarked

He summoned a letter and wrote on it, then quickly added the symbol and it vanished

“What’s he doing taking the old portal systems?” Trice asked

“He probably just wanted to take the scenic route.” Michael answered

Everybody finished their meal, and went home. Spyro and Cynder relaxed on their couch.

“Another one of Michael’s kids” She laughed

“He once told me he has four biological children, but millions of adopted ones.” Spyro replied

“That must be interesting” Cynder remarked

Eventually the sun fell and the two dragons went to bed

Cynder woke first, the morning sun shone through the window and hit her in the face. She yawned and looked up at Spyro, his sleeping face was smiling, as if he was having a good dream. She knew she had to wake him up, there are things they need to do today. Cynder licked his check, and he opened his eyes. He smiled, and licked her back.

“Time to get up, we have errands to run.” She said to him

“They can wait.” Spyro replied, and kissed her.

They stayed like this for a while before Cynder broke off and nuzzled him.

“We can’t just ignore them” She mumbled into his neck

Spyro sighed, then got up, grunting as his bones popped. Cynder followed him, grabbing her armor and putting it inside her magic storage.

“We need to get these cleaned, they are covered in mud and blood.” She told him

Spyro nodded, and grabbed his armor. They walked out of their house and stretched their wings. Camry was standing in the middle of his square, waiting for something.

“What are you doing?” Spyro asked

“Layla and I are going to one of those royal events, I’m going to buy her some new jewelry” Camry answered.

“That’s nice, what event are you going too?” Cynder said

“One of those brunch things” Camry told her “All I know is that royals are supposed to have special jewelry when attending certain events, and Layla has been receiving some bad attention about it. Hey, can you guys come with us, I don’t know what I’m supposed to buy.”

“We can come” Spyro looked over to Cynder, who nodded. “We don’t know what to get either, but I expect that she would need one of those special sets as well.”

“Drakes need a special kind as well, and I have mine, but I don’t know what the ladies need.” Camry replied

“I guess we’ll find out” Spyro responded

Layla walked out of Michael’s house and up to them.

“Michael said that the proper jewelry needed for royal events is a set of silver bracelets, a headplate, a tailbrace, and a necklace. Also, drakes need all of those things except for a headplate.” She told them

“We need our own sets as well” Spyro told her

“Oh, thank god, I have no idea what I’m doing” Layla replied

They flew off toward the jewelry district, and landed on its gemstone studded floor. They entered one of the royal shops.

“Hi” one of the workers approached them, eyeing Cynder’s headdress, the one that Spyro had given her.

“We need three sets of royal event jewelry, one for a drake, and the rest for two dragonesses.” Spyro told her

“For?”

Spyro gave her a weird look

“Your much too young to have children”

“They’re for ourselves” Spyro replied

The worker recoiled “How do you not already have a set, it should have been gifted to you, did you lose it?”

“No, we were raised on Genrir, I only recently discovered my heritage, and have never attended any events.” Spyro explained

The worker gave them a confused look, then motioned them forward. A blacksmith stepped into the room and gave them a strange look, then shrugged it off and measured them. After a few hours, the blacksmith handed them their new jewelry. The two younger dragons hurried off to their brunch, and Spyro and Cynder flew towards the market. They landed in a different market district then they usually go to. A couple dragons noticed them, and ran up to them.

“Your Spyro and Cynder!” One of them exclaimed

“Uh, yeah” Spyro replied

“I’m your biggest fan!” The other one replied

Spyro noticed another dragon approach them, this one had a floating book and quill and a camera floating next to her head.

“Hello, my name is Letta, I’m a reporter for Faun’s main newspaper, would it be okay if we have an interview” Her camera clicked

“Um, were a little busy right now, maybe some other time.” Spyro answered

The reporter nodded and backed away; her quill was scribbling frantically. Suddenly, a crowd started to form around them.

“What’s your reaction to the king’s new taxes targeting magical wares?” Another reporter dragon asked

“Can I get your autograph?” A green dragon called

“Uh, wait, what taxes?” Spyro asked

“Are you oblivious to the rest of the territory? Are you ignoring things that don’t affect you?” The reporter pushed.

“What? No, we’ve been focused on fighting a war.” Spyro explained

“Are you two going to have children? If so, when?” A different reporter asked

Cynder blushed and backed up, the crowd was pushing closer to them. Spyro covered Cynder with his wing, protecting her.

“What are you hiding? Why are you cowering? Has Spyro been abusing you?” Different voices called out to them.

“No, i…” Cynder stuttered

“Why haven’t we heard much from you two? What’s been going on?” more voices rang

“Hey, wait…” Spyro tried to speak

“Cynder, shouldn’t you be next to your mate? Is Spyro forcing his will on you?”

“What?” Cynder looked out into the crowd

They had their backs against the wall, the crowd bearing down upon them.

“Hey, give her some space.” Spyro told them

“Let Cynder speak for herself. Is he hurting you?”

“No, he’s been nothing but kind and loving to me” Cynder called out, she was clearly scared and overwhelmed

Spyro looked at her, worried about how Cynder was reacting to the whole event.

“Is he making you say that? What does he have on you?”

Cynder ducked under Spyro’s wing, huddling closer to him.

“Alright, that’s enough, you guys need to back off.” He told the crowd

“What have you been doing to her? Have you corrupted her further?”

The crowd closed in around them. Spyro held Cynder close and growled, his instincts kicking in.

“Back away from my mate.” He ordered

“Why the sudden aggression? We’re right, aren’t we? You ARE hurting her!”

“No, you are hurting her, can’t you tell that she is freaking out!” Spyro yelled back

“I’ll save you.” Another dragon yelled.

The crowd closed in

?

“Ethereal gold is most commonly found in asteroids that orbit around ethereal suns. These suns are made of ethereal magic, and radiate it throughout its entire system. This will end up forming veins of ethereal metals on any surface not protected by an atmosphere. The ML mines this metal by the trillions of pounds an hour, and mine twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Automatic systems collect the meteorites and bring them to be demolecularized, which means they will be torn apart by the element, leaving only the base molecules to be sorted and reformed into completely pure bars. To strengthen ethereal gold, a precise method of melting and mixing in small amounts of ethereal silver was invented. This created a metal that can be thin and very strong, it is used to build all of the ML’s spaceships, cities, and it’s even used to create their clothes. This metal is also used to create weapons of all kinds, and the metal does not scratch or wear, it can survive for quadrillions of years. Only magical weapons can pierce armor made of this metal, and they can be blocked by certain runes, and if the armor is enchanted, it can even repair itself.”

Excerpt From:

Element Index: Ethereal Gold

Council Of Science: Albert Tunes

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Element Section(Public)

?

Chapter Ten

Spyro tensed, ready for the crowd to reach them. Michael appeared behind the crowd and roared.

“Enough, you will leave these dragons alone.” He ordered.

“Does this mean you support mate abuse?” a voice rang form the crowd

“Abuse? Cynder is not abused, you will stop these stupid accusations!” Michael yelled

“You have to say that, to keep the royal line from being tainted” the same voice yelled out again

Michael roared again, causing the crowd to scatter. Michael walked over to them and looked them over. Cynder poked her head out from under Spyro’s wing. He nuzzled her, making sure she was okay. She looked shocked, and was shaking, but physically, she was okay. She nuzzled him back, looking around worriedly. Michael scanned their surroundings, then spotted the original reporter, shaking her head in disgust.

“Letta!” he called “I need an article, stat”

She walked over to them

“You know her?” Spyro asked

“We’ve been friends for a while” Letta explained “I’m going to write a report on what just happened”

Cynder looked out at her “You are?”

“I need to tell the people what really happened, and hopefully prevent it from happening again. You will be jumped by a crowd again, but hopefully you will be better prepared next time” She told them

Michael nodded to her, and she left.

“You two go home, give me your list of errands, and I’ll complete them for you.” He said to them

Spyro handed him their armor, and a piece of paper, and led Cynder out of the district. After a few minutes of walking, Spyro managed to get her to take flight. They landed in their square, Ember rushed out when she saw her face.

“What happened?” She asked “Are you okay?

“We went to a different market then usual, and we were jumped by a crowd of fans and reporters.” Spyro explained

Ember nodded, and Spyro walked Cynder inside. They laid down on the bed, and Cynder held Spyro close.

“They could have hurt you, because of me.” She said to him

“It’s okay” Spyro calmed her

She nuzzled him, still worried about what had happened. They laid like this for a few hours. Spyro watched her, worried, she obviously was affected by the accusations that were held against her mate, all because she relied on him for protection. She felt like this was her fault, because she couldn’t handle a crowd. ‘He must hate me’ She thought ‘and resent me for all of this’. How could she stand with armies without a second thought, but the second a crowd starts asking her questions, she breaks down.

“Stop thinking what you’re thinking” Spyro told her

“How do I have so many weaknesses?” Cynder asked

“You’re not the only one, my weaknesses are less noticeable, but are certainly there.” Spyro replied

Cynder huffed

“You don’t believe me, I overwork myself, I rub my scales off with worry, and I can’t stop thinking about the time I became dark Spyro.” Spyro told her

She sighed, and he kissed her.

“We will figure it out, not now, but later.” He added

Cynder laid her head down, and they fell asleep together.

‘Cynder opened her eyes, a massive battlefield was in front of her. A grey dragon rushed her, she grabbed him and ripped through his armory. The dragon grunted in surprise, and Cynder closed her jaws around his throat. The dragon’s eyes rolled back as he died. Cynder savored the taste of the dragon’s blood in her mouth. She spotted a group of civilian dragons running away from the battle. Cynder flew up and landed in front of them. They screamed and she laughed, she charged a poison ball and fired.’

‘Cynder woke up, but she wasn’t in her bed with Spyro, she was back in Warfang, the dark armies were still sieging. Cynder looked over to see Spyro, growling at her.

“Spyro what…”

“You did this, it’s all your fault”

“What are you talking about I…”

“You killed all those people, those children. You did things that are unforgettable. You brought death and destruction to all of us. You think I would forgive you for this, I’ll never forgive you, I HATE you.”

‘Spyro leaped forward, and dived at her throat. She dodged, calling his name, he snarled and hissed.’

“No, I won’t fight you, if that’s how you fell, then finish me off”

Cynder bared her neck in submission, and Spyro lunged, tearing at her throat.

Cynder screamed, eyes flying open, Spyro was standing over her.

“It’s okay, it’s just another dream. You’re okay, I’m here,” he repeated, over and over.

Cynder felt water running down her face, and realized she was crying. Spyro looked genuinely terrified, his face was contorted in worry. Cynder sobbed, she coulden’t control her tears as she kept crying. Spyro laid down on top of her and started nuzzling her, trying his best to calm her down. He kept making calming noises as Cynder kept shaking. Eventually she calmed down, Spyro didn’t stop nuzzling her, making sure she knew without a doubt that he was there, and he was protecting her. Spyro looked at her, and Cynder noticed that he was shaking in fear. She realized that this probably scared him worse than anything he had ever experienced, even his fight with Malefor. She started nuzzling him back, reassuring him that she was okay.

“They’re getting worse, I think you just had a panic attack.” Spyro told her

“It was pretty bad, I dreamt we were back in Warfang during the siege, and you were attacking me” She replied

“That’s how you can tell it’s fake; I would never hurt you, NEVER” He kissed her cheek

Cynder looked up at him, tears still falling, she faintly smiled.

“But what if I get corrupted again? And do all of those horrible things again?” Cynder asked

“Then nothing can stop me from saving you again, but you won’t get corrupted again, I’ll make sure of it” He answered sternly “I’m going to ask Michael for help, if these get much worse, it could cause actual damage”

They laid like this for a while, the sun rose and shone through their window, but Spyro refused to move, He closed his eyes and rested his head on her chest, still trying to calm down using her heartbeat. Spyro could feel his instincts telling him to stay put, to defend his mate while she is vulnerable, so he stayed put, and did just that. Eventually Cynder fell back asleep from pure exhaustion, Spyro was torn between staying in case another attack happens, or going to get help. He decided to go get help, he slowly got up and kissed Cynder on the cheek. His tired eyes stung when he walked out into the sunlight, Ember was lounging on the warm stones of the square and looked up when he arrived. She immediately saw the expression on his face and jumped, she had never seen Spyro like this, not even when they faced that golem in Warfang. She walked over to him, but he shook his head, not wanting to explain what was happening. Ember sat back, ‘Had something happened to Cynder?’ ‘His family?’ She thought as he slowly walked over to Michael’s house. Spyro knocked on the door and Michael answered. He also saw the look on Spyro’s face and frowned.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” He asked, looking around.

“I need to talk to you, in private” Spyro told him

Ember nodded and walked into her house, Michael stepped out into the square and closed the door behind them. They walked over to one of the corners and sat down.

“Cynder’s been having nightmares, and they’ve been getting worse, I don’t know what to do, I feel so powerless. Seeing her panicked and vulnerable makes me scared, because I can’t do anything other than hold her down. She had one last night, and it was followed by a panic attack, and it terrified me. I thought they would be getting better but they aren’t. I don’t know what else to do.” Spyro explained

Michael nodded “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but I think I need to teach you the mind element. I guess its necessary now.”

“Mind element” Spyro cocked his head

“All purple dragons have access to elements that normal dragons need extra artifacts to use. The mind element, the ethereal element, the dimensional element, and the aether element. The mind element allows you to enter people’s minds, the ethereal element allows you to draw power from the ethereal plane, the dimensional element allows you to travel between dimensions, and the aether element allows you to give element powers to other dragons. I was going to teach you the other three eventually but I wasn’t planning on teaching you the mind element. Malefor used it to corrupt Cynder’s mind, you’re lucky that he wasn’t that good at it, or the spell wouldn’t have broken when you rescued her. Now there are also some elements that you inherited as well, a soul element from your mother, and a boosted fire element from your father. Those I will teach you as well.” Michael explained

“Okay, how do we start?” Spyro asked

“You should be able to enter someone’s mind, entering is easy, it’s finding the problem areas that are hard. You should start by focusing on the person you want to travel too, then allow your mind to flow away from your body and into them. Then you can access their mind, now, when you enter Cynder’s mind, you must find the darkest part of it, and enter it with her. Together you will help her get over her past, and the nightmares and attacks will stop.” Michael told him

Spyro closed his eyes and focused on Michael, he noticed this and his eyes went wide.

“No… Wait”

Spyro focused hard, and felt his mind leave his body, he felt himself float bodyless towards Michael, then into him. Spyro saw a light, and suddenly he was looking at his own body laying splayed out on the ground.

“Spyro” a voice boomed“You got it on your first try, nice, but we need to be very care….”

Suddenly, Spyro felt himself get pulled out of Michael’s body. He floated in a strange void, a feeling ran through him, joy, was he in the ethereal realm? Spyro looked around, then suddenly was pulled into another form. Spyro looked through Michael’s eyes to see a group of dragons singing, Michael was using his magic to float a large cake towards a beaming young grey dragoness. The young dragoness inhaled, but before Spyro could see her blow out the candles, he was pulled away. This time he looked out to see Michael standing in a strange city, this city was made of a strange metal, and was covered in beautiful shining lights. Spyro could feel that Michael was wearing a strange kind of armor, it covered his whole body, a strange shield covered his face. Spyro felt the strange whirring of the armor as Michael moved. Then, he was snapped back to the void. When Spyro saw light again, he saw that this time, Michael was in a wolf form. Spyro looked in surprise as he saw that Michael was holding another wolf by the neck. This other wolf was wearing a crown, and some ceremonial armor.

“I’ll never surrender” Spyro heard the wolf say.

Michael extended his right arm, and a blade snapped out of his armor. With a swift motion, Michael brought the sword up, slicing through the other wolfs armor and into his heart. Spyro recoiled as Michael tossed the lifeless body to the ground and turned around. Spyro gasped as he saw a city burning in front of them, screams echoed through the streets. Michael turned towards a symbol on the ground, Spyro saw that it was a dragon symbol, with its wings spread wide and mouth open in mid-roar. Michael reached the symbol, and punched it, the rock cracked and shattered, exposing a small cavity under it. Michael then cleared the rubble, exposing a dragon egg. Spyro recoiled from the sight, and noticed a strange coldness. When he tried to investigate, it sucked him in.

Cold, so cold. Spyro found himself in a different void, all he felt was coldness and fear, he knew he somehow made his way to the eldritch realm, but he did not know how. He was snapped into another form. Spyro looked through Michael’s eyes once again to see something entirely different. Michael seemed to be standing on a metal object, in space. He was looking at a planet, the planet had strange purplish stains spread across it. Spyro realized that Michael did not have fur or scales, but was entirely made of exposed flesh. He felt feathery wings brush his back. Michael turned to another one of these strange beings, and he nodded to him, Michael turned back towards the planet.

“Fire”

The metal platform they were standing on vibrated, and two red beams fired from it, they met at the center of the planet, Spyro was snapped away right after it had begun to crack. Spyro went back to the cold void, then swiftly fell into another form. Spyro sighed in relief when he felt the familiarity of a dragon form, then stiffened when he noticed that the terrain Michael was walking on was scarred and burnt. Michael had the strange armor again, but he could feel that it was damaged in places. Michael kept walking, Spyro was holding on to this form as hard as he could. Suddenly a strange shadow creature burst out of a ruined building. Spyro watched as a large group of strange bipedal machines charge the strange creature. They also looked damaged as they ran up to the creature and started firing small projectiles towards it. Another dragon walked up beside him, his front right arm was missing, and was replaced by a machine prosthetic.

“Your far from home Spyro” A voice rang in Spyro’s head

“Michael, where are you?”

“You are in my head, I’m everywhere”

“Where are we”

“On a dimension VERY far from here, you seem to have gotten a little lost”

“I don’t understand how I got here”

“You entered my infinite mind, and have been bouncing between a small fraction of my nearly limitless forms.”

“How do I get back? Can you help me?”

“You got yourself here, now you must learn to get yourself back. Listen carefully, Spyro, to return to your body you must return to the ethereal realm, and search yourself for the ties to your body, and to your mate. The tie between you and Cynder are far stronger than you will every understand, use them to guide you home”

Spyro felt Michael launch him back into the ethereal realm. He sat their a moment then focused. ‘My mate, I have to find my mate’ he thought. Spyro felt a weird calling, it was a mating bond, Spyro knew that, so it must have been his. He followed it, and was soon snapped into another form. Spyro saw through Michael’s eyes again, he was once again in a fleshy form. Michael sat next to a female on a bed, reading a book. He looked up from his book and sighed.

“This is my mate Spyro, you have to search within yourself to find yours”

“Rookie” a female voice rang

Michael chuckled and looked over to the female, who was smirking. Michael launched Spyro back again, but this time he did it with force. Spyro sat floating in the void for some time, then started to search within himself. After some digging, he felt a very weak bond, he focused on it and felt, hunger? That must have been his body, Spyro latched onto the bond, but coulden’t hold on. He kept digging, then found nothing. He sighed, and tried to look for any sign of light. He found nothing, and started to panick. ‘Wait’ He thought ‘He talked about two bonds, body, and mate, CYNDER’ Spyro’s heart jumped as he focused on his mate, her face, her voice, her soft breath on his neck. Suddenly, Spyro discovered a very strong bond within himself. A bond so strong that when he took hold of it, it snapped him back with such a force his entire body felt the pressure. Spyro was tossed out of Michael’s mind and into his own body.

He opened his eyes.

?

“Dracios Elementia have interesting breeding habits. Female friend groups will end up subconsciously align their cycles, and all tend to lay clutches together. These dragons tend to have an urge to raise families together, and it is beautiful thing to watch multiple families create life at the same time. A major clutch year is usually started by one or two pairs deciding that they want to have clutches, this will usually cause most of the other pairs to want clutches, and will usually be decided before the season even starts. While I was spending time with a nomad tribe, I once watched as one mated pair announced to their friends that they would be having a clutch that year, and I preceded to watch as every other pair of that group also laid that year. I helped twenty-six dragonesses lay over two hundred eggs that year.”

Excerpt From:

Dossier Of Dracios Elementia

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Species Dossier Section (Public)

?

Chapter Eleven

“Spyro! Spyro! SPYRO!” Cynder’s voice rang

Spyro opened his eyes and gasped. Cynder was shaking him and crying. Michael, Flame, and Ember were looking down at him with a worried expression. Spyro licked Cynder’s nose, causing her to sniffle a bit.

“I’m okay, I just went on a little trip into Michael’s mind” He told her

“Why, why would you do something like that?” Cynder practically yelled at him

“Because he didn’t listen to my whole lesson before deciding he wanted to try out a new element on me. Any other element would be fine, BUT THAT ONE” Michael replied

“But now I can go into your mind, and help you get over your fears” Spyro whispered into her ear

“NOW?” She yelled

“You really want to do that right now?” Michael raised his eyebrow.

“Why not? The sooner the better” Spyro answered

Michael sighed “As if one mind stroll wasn’t enough. Spyro, Cynder’s mind isin’t as safe as mine, whatever demons she may have can hurt you.” He explained

“I don’t care, I want to do it” Spyro said firmly

“Well, go get something to eat first” Michael told them

“I just ate breakfast” Spyro replied

“Spyro, you’ve been gone for four hours” Michael told him “Go get something to eat”

“Four!” Spyro yelled “How?”

“Time is different in the ethereal realm” Michael answered

Spyro looked stunned for a moment, then walked into his house with Cynder. They ate a meal in silence, Cynder was still mad at him because of the risk he took. She was madder at herself though, because he did it for her. His weakness is that he overworks himself and takes unnecessary risks for other people. They finished their meal, and Michael joined them in the living room.

“I recommend curling up against each other on top of the couch while doing this”

They did as they were instructed, and Spyro focused and charged his mind element again. He focused on his mate, and allowed his mind to roam free. He felt himself float once again, and slowly traveled to Cynder. He entered her mind, and looked through her eyes. Cynder gasped.

“I can feel you” Cynder’s voice rang

“You need to go deep into her subconscious” Michael told them.

Michael then breathed out a breath of green smoke.

“This will make you sleep” He told them

Spyro watched Cynder close her eyes.

Spyro dropped on the ground, hard. The cold hard stone unyielding. He looked around to see Cynder running towards them.

“Are you okay?” She asked

“I’m fine, just a hard landing.” He answered

They around and noticed a structure in the distance. They flew towards it, but as they got closer, they noticed it was the same stronghold Cynder used to live in when she was corrupted. She gasped, and looked in through the massive gates.

“This… Shouldn’t be here” She stuttered

They entered the stronghold, and walked through its main corridor. They arrived in a main arena, and looked around. A strange clicking sound sounded from the roof. Cynder look up and froze, horrified.

“My my my, look who’s back again” Dark Cynder called to them

“You, what are you doing here?” Spyro yelled up at her

She landed hard, chuckling

“You have to kill me here to get rid of me you pitiful excuse for a purple dragon” Dark Cynder answered

Cynder had backed up against the wall, in pure horror. Spyro gave her a worried glance, then turned back to the corrupted dragon.

“Enough, I shall vanquish you forever” Spyro yelled, and charged

The two dragons fought, their claws slashed and their horns clashed at each other. The dark dragon was an extremely good fighter, but Spyro was better. Cynder watched, pertrified, as her mate fought her corrupted state, again. ‘You must join him’ She told herself ‘You must fight.’ She shook her head, and ran forward, charging to help her mate. Together, the fought the dark dragoness backwards. Cynder slashed her claws, raking them across her right eye, she screamed and scrambled back. Spyro dived forward and finished her off, slicing her throat. The two dragons stepped back, breathing heavily. Cynder went over to Spyro and licked his cheek.

“Malefor must have left a lasting affect on you” Spyro told her

Cynder looked at him, and Spyro noticed she was crying.

“What? What is it?” He asked, nuzzling her

“I’m a danger too you, this is the second time you have had to fight an evil part of me.” She sobbed

“Nonsense, Malefor did this to you, I would fight thousands of Dark Cynders for you” Spyro told her

She kept sobbing

“Do you feel better?” He asked

“I feel like a massive weight is lifted” She sniffled

“Then let’s leave, I’ll wake you up when I get back.” Spyro told her, and she nodded

Spyro focused, and opened his eyes, he was back inside his body. He leaned over and licked Cynder’s face, making her mumble and smile. Her eyes slowly opened and Michael walked into the room.

“That was fast!” He exclaimed

“We found a Dark Cynder inside her subconscious, we defeated her and killed her” Spyro told him

“Malefor must have put a more powerful spell than originally thought, when you freed her, it must have left her corrupted version deep in her mind.” Michael told them, he summoned a book and pen and started writing.

“Spyro, the mind element should only be used in dire circumstances, only when there is no other option and only with someone who trusts you.” Michael told him sternly.

Spyro nodded and looked at Cynder, happy to finally be able to help his mate with her vulnerability.

“Thank god that’s over” Cynder sighed

“You will likely get more nightmares, but they won’t be as vivid or have the same affect as they did before. You won’t be getting any more attacks, and you should know that you are dreaming.” He told her

Cynder nodded and looked over to Spyro, Michael chuckled and vanished. They cuddled for a while, finally able to relax.

Layla looked out at the commotion outside, Michael was giving them an update. Aura sat on the couch and napped. Layla felt her heart leap when Camry walked out of the guest house. She knew she was in love with that red dragon, but didn’t want to say anything. They shared a kiss, and he seemed super shy about it. Last time they went on a date, he told her he felt something for her, and he wanted to talk about it more. Camry walked into the house, and walked up to her.

“Hey” He said to her “I wanted to ask you something”

“Yes?” She replied

“Well, ever since I first saw you… I… I felt my heart beat in my chest like it never had before. Now that we have got to know each other, I’ve noticed that my feelings have evolved into something more. I… I… want to be your mate, I want to be your mate Layla, and I know things have been moving fast, but I know this is right, you are the only one for me” He stuttered the whole time.

Layla blushed beet red, and looked down.

“You don’t feel the same. I’m sorry to have done this to you Layla, I understand, I’ll go home now” He sturred

Layla jumped in his way and tackled Camry, landing on top of him. She leaned in and kissed him.

“I love you too Camry” She said

They kissed for a while, and Aura’s chuckle broke their embrace.

“Trice’s hidden power strikes again” She spoke

They both blushed, and Layla got up off of Camry. Michael walked into the house and stared at the two.

“Engaged?” He asked calmly

They both nodded.

“Your telling Samantha” He replied, then walked out of the room “Your Next” He called to Aura as he left.

The couple walked into the square; Camry was beaming proudly while Layla was shyly ducking behind him. Flame recognized Camry’s expression, as he had worn the same one when he announced his engagement, and smiled back at him. Ember looked between the two drakes, confused. Then realization hit her like a boulder, she wiggled in joy, then rushed into Spyro and Cynder’s house to tell them the news. They walked into the guest house and approached Camry’s mother. She was cooking and turned to look at them.

“There you two are, I was just finishing lunch.” She turned to them

“We… Have some news.” Camry told them

Samantha froze, and turned slowly towards them, a massive smile on her face

“You got engaged” She squealed “And pretty fast too”

Layla blushed more, and buried her face in Camry’s side. Michael walked through the door, and greeted Samantha, Jasper was behind him.

“Hey, honey” Samantha called to her mate “Send a message to the planner, they just got engaged”

Jasper’s eyebrows rose high “Already!”

“Yep, Trice knew what she was doing” Michael replied

“Well, congrats you two, I remember when I proposed to your mother.” Jasper smiled at the memory

The awkwardness of the situation made Layla wiggle with embarrassment, Camry held her close with his wing, smiling.

“Look at how proud you are, big man” Samantha cooed

Michael burst out laughing, and Camry’s smile turned into a deep blush. “So, who’s staying with who?”

“What?” Camry asked confused

“You two are engaged, usually engaged couples sleep together.” Michael answered

“Wherever she wants” Camry looked over to Layla

“Let’s stay here, with your family.” She told him.

“Do you want me to tell your father, or do you want to.” Michael asked

“I think you should, he wanted me to mate with a prince.” She said sheepishly

Michael snapped his claws “Done” Then left

The family enjoyed celebrated with a lunch. Mary and her family arrived and celebrated the news with them.

Spyro smiled at Cynder. “I’m happy for them, it’s hard for royals to find and actually get true love”

“Yeah, just look at Ember and Flame” Cynder replied, chuckling

“Yeah, I had to order the queen. Me, order the queen of Warfang” He replied

“Yeah, that was hot” Cynder kissed him

Spyro felt a sharp pain in his head, he flinched.

“Is something wrong” Cynder asked

“Just the side effects of leaving your body for four straight hours” He groaned “I think I need to lie down”

Cynder helped him into bed, then joined him. They napped for a while, then got up to eat. They were in the middle of their meal when Michael rushed in.

“Spyro, there is someone I want you to meet, but they are outside the city a bit.” He told him

They quickly finished their meal and met him outside. Ember, Flame, Trice, and Aura were with him. The seven dragons took off, Michael leading them. They flew out of the city, and coasted over a massive forest. They spotted a strange light in the distance, and as they closed in on it to investigate, they discovered that it was a house, and it was on fire. The group landed next to it and Michael ran inside to make sure everybody had left. He walked out of the blazing house, a stony expression on his face. He yelled out to them.

“Run, it’s a tra…”

Suddenly a group of hyenas, wolves, and dragons rushed out and attacked them. There were hundreds of them, Michael jumped forward and tackled a large group, sending them flying backwards. He lunged swiping his tailblade swiftly. Spyro leaped forward and dodged his first attacker, and flicked his tail back, forcing the hyena to take a step back. Cynder took that moment to leap, and finish the hyena off. Spyro took flight, and Cynder followed, they used their element powers to help their friends from the sky. Aura was blasting her opponents with sun beams, and Flame and Ember were back-to-back, defending each other. A group of archers emerged from the tree line, Spyro called to Cynder, but she couldn’t hear him. Spyro watched as an archer let loose and arrow, and he leapt in front of her. The arrow sank into his side, almost all the way to the feather. The force of the dragonbolt knocked him off balance, and the pain made him fall. Cynder glanced at Spyro, or at least where he was. She looked around and saw Spyro fall out of the sky, and hit the ground hard. Cynder screamed, and dived down to land next to him. Cynder roared and hissed in a defensive position over her mate. Cynder looked worriedly at Spyro, then glanced up at Michael. He was fighting off a dozen advancing dragons. Arrows, knives, even a sword was stuck in various places around his body. Trice was suffering a similar fate, she was fighting with Aura, using her body to defend her from the archers. A wolf jabbed at Cynder with a spear, she flipped around and quickly slit the wolf’s throat with her tailblade. The wolf fell back, Cynder was surrounded by wolves and hyenas, they were holding spears and poking her with them. Cynder extended her wings out to protect herself and Spyro. She heard a female cry and looked over to see Ember fall, an axe was buried in her left haunch. Flame gave a cry and jumped forward, ripping out the throat of the attacker. They were fighting a losing battle, Michael finished off the last of the dragons, and roared. Michael charged into the group surrounding Cynder, he swung around and flicked his tailblade, decapitating half of them immediately. The archers turned and loosed several arrows, each one found their mark. Michael hissed in pain, then flipped around and launched a fire beam, incinerating them. The rest of the attackers were quickly picked off, Michael finished off the last wolf, by slashing his throat with his claws. He stumbled towards his daughters, but fell over after a few steps. Cynder looked down at Spyro, he was having difficulty breathing. Cynder nuzzled his head, and called for help. Trice looked over at them, and tried to run towards them, but collapsed, blood pouring from her wounds. Aura walked up to her, worried. Cynder looked at the arrow sticking out of Spyro’s side, he was bleeding heavily from the wound, and other cuts around his body. Cynder knew that he was hurt, bad. A portal opened and a couple dozen dragons rushed out of it. A medic dragon rushed to Spyro and started applying healing spells. Another dragon tried to drag Cynder away, but she growled and hissed the most ferocious noise she had ever made. The other dragon let go immediately, knowing better than to separate a dragon and her mate. The medic dragon looked up form Spyro.

“We have a critical!” He yelled.

Immediately five more medics ran up to Spyro. They summoned a stretcher and placed him on it, they swiftly brought him back towards the portal. Cynder rushed to follow but was stopped by another medic dragon.

“Miss, your hurt” she said to her

Cynder looked at herself, she saw the many cuts, gouges and other wounds she had gained.

“I want to be with my mate.” She told the medic

“Not in that condition, now sit down!” The medic ordered

Cynder reluctantly sat down, she looked over at Michael, and watched as a team of medics were slowly pulling arrows and knives out of him. She flinched when a medic grabbed an arrow and ripped it out. Cynder looked back at Ember, and saw Flame help her up. A medic helped Flame carry her through the portal. The medic quickly dressed Cynder’s wounds, and nodded to her.

“Let’s get you through the portal.” She said to her

Cynder rushed through the portal, she was brought to the hospital. She looked around to see a group of medics and healers grouped around one of the beds. Cynder rushed up to see Spyro, he was convulsing. Cynder noticed the arrow was gone, and they were trying to stop the bleeding. Cynder watched in horror as Spyro was going into shock.

“Were losing him” a healer shouted

“No!” Cynder yelled “Spyro!”

Cynder watched, a coldness growing inside of her, as the healers scrambled to charge healing crystals into him. Spyro’s eyes opened and he groaned.

“Cynder” was all he said, then his eyes closed again.

The healers froze as he went still. Cynder cried.

“No, Spyro, wake up, don’t leave me, DON’T LEAVE ME, SPYRO!”

She shook him, but he didin’t move. Michael rushed through the portal, and up to the bed, the healers move out of the way as Michael spread his wings. There was a flash of light and a loud crack, and his wings seemed to disappear through a strange veil, the veil was blue, and mixed with millions of sparks. Michael summoned as much power as he could, and launched into Spyro. He arched, and took a gurgled breath, Cynder gasped and the medics immediately rushed to stabilize Spyro. Ember was brought to another bed and was laying, a pained expression on her face as a healer bound the wound in her leg. Michael fell into a bed as well, bleeding heavily as he had spent all his magic and could no longer heal. After a few hours of pacing, and hissing at anyone who tried to move her, Cynder sighed in relief when the healers finally stabilized Spyro. He was asleep, his breathing was still troubled, but he was alive. Cynder carefully curled around him, and let her instincts take control. She growled at anyone who approached her, eventually they gave up trying to get her to eat or drink. She laid there, watching the rest of the hospital bustle about.

?

“The price of complete immortality is one most cannot comprehend. To truly live forever is more a curse than anything else. To watch the birth and death of entire galaxies truly changes you. Every immortal that has ever lived this long has been forced to deal with it in different ways. Such as through complete disconnection, forcing oneself to forget, or to enjoy life while it’s there, and protect it as long as you can. The latter is the most difficult, to live among those you know will eventually die, on a planet that will be destroyed, in a galaxy that will grow cold and emit no light is very difficult. To do that you must live in the present, you must not think of the future but enjoy the now, immortality allows you to witness change, and truly have no fear.”

Excerpt From:

What Is Immortality?

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Important Education Section (Public)

?

Chapter Twelve

Cynder woke up to a quite hospital, Ember was sleeping peacefully with Flame curled around her. She looked around to see Trice and Michael, covered in bandages, were also asleep. Aura was sitting on a couch next to the bed, and looked up when she saw Cynder’s movements.

“Hey there.” She said

“How long have I been out?” Cynder asked

“Only a couple hours” Aura answered

“What did the medics say about Spyro? I was too out of my head to pay attention.”

“They said that he was hit with a dragonbolt, it had magic on it to prevent healing, and it had at least four poisons on it. Michael used all his remaining magic to remove the poison and jumpstart his heart. He is going to be asleep for a while, weeks even.”

“Who were those guys?”

“Mercenaries sent by the Dark Authority to kill us, their plan was to distract Michael and Trice long enough to finish the rest of us off, but they underestimated our strength.”

“How are they?” Cynder asked, looking at the two dragons

“Drained, Michael used most of his magic to keep himself moving, then the rest to save Spyro. Trice used all of hers to protect me.” Aura answered

A medic dragon approached Cynder, wanting to check Spyro’s vitals. She hissed at the medic, then gave her an apologetic look, and lifted her wing. The medic checked Spyro’s pulse and his heartbeat.

“I’ll be right back.” She told Cynder

“You okay?” Aura asked her

“Yeah, I just have this strange instinct to kill anything that approaches him, I can’t control it” Cynder answered

“Yeah, I have that a lot.” Flame cut in, blinking the tiredness from his eyes

“Really?” Cynder turned to him

“Yeah, males always feel that feeling, while females only feel it when their mate is really vulnerable.” Flame replied

The medic returned with a plate of food and a strange core.

“This core will keep Spyro nourished while he’s asleep, but you need to eat. When I come back, that plate better be empty.” She told Cynder

Cynder squirmed when the medic lifted her wing and placed the core next to Spyro’s heart. The purple dragon coughed, but showed no signs of waking. Cynder grabbed the plate and ate slowly.

“So, Spyro always feels this instinct?” Cynder asked

“Probably, and it multiplies when you actually are vulnerable, you get used to it, but when it takes control, it tends to freak a dragon out.” Flame answered

Ember nuzzled against him in her sleep, he looked at her.

“Is she okay?” Cynder asked

“Yeah, the axe that hit her had the same spell that prevents magical healing, and with Michael out for the count, it will have to heal naturally, so she won’t be walking for a few days, maybe a week.” Flame told her

Suddenly a familiar ice dragon walked through the door.

“Cyril?” Cynder exclaimed, surprised.

“Hi, Cynder” The ice dragon replied

“What are you doing here?” Cynder asked

“We heard about the attack, and came to check on Spyro”

“We?”

“We as in all three of the guardians, Terrador and Volteer are outside, they only let one guest in at a time.” Cyril replied

“We’ll he’s asleep, and he might stay that way for a while. He was hit by a dragonbolt.” She told him

“The others will be glad to hear that” He said “Thanks for being here for him”

Cyril left, and Mary immediately rushed in.

“How many people are out there?” Cynder asked

“Were all out there, were worried about you guys. I heard her mom walk in as I was leaving.” Mary motioned toward Ember.

Just as she said that, Cynder could here the queen’s voice ringing through the hallways, demanding to see her daughter. Ember jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice, and tried to get up. Flame stopped her, and leaned her back. The queen walked into the room and rushed up to her daughter.

“Are you okay? What happened? How did this happen?” She asked

Flame explained the events to her, when he was done, the queen was furious.

“How could you let this happen to her” She yelled at Flame

“It’s not his fault, he stopped tons of arrows and attacks, he was fighting off two dragons when a random hyena threw an axe at me.” Ember objected.

“Why were you even there in the first place”

“We were traveling to go meet someone outside the city” Ember told her

“That’s it, you two are coming to live in the palace. I don’t want you to be in any fights anymore.” The queen told them.

“We’re at war, there’s going to be fighting, we were caught off guard without our armor.” Ember replied.

The queen sighed “I don’t want to constantly worry about you, I want you close”

“I know mom, but we have a home here, and I want to fight” Ember told her

The queen softened when she noticed Cynder curled around Spyro. Her face went white.

“Is he okay” She asked

“He’s going to be fine, he just needs to heal” Cynder told her

She looked around at the others, at Michael and Trice laying asleep.

“How many were there?” She asked

“At least a hundred, half of them were dragons” Flame answered

The queen sat back, then sat down on a couch next to them. Mary smiled to Cynder, and left. A strange dragon entered as she left, she was a red dragon that Cynder had never met before.

“Hi” she said to Cynder

“Who are you?” Cynder asked, ducking her head low and baring her teeth

“I’m Nuri, Spyro’s grandmother.” The red dragoness answered

Cynder blinked in surprise.

“I’m guessing you’re his mate, Cynder” she said to her

Cynder nodded, then lifted her wing slowly to let her see Spyro. Nuri gasped, looking at his horns and his tail, they were the same as hers. She stared at him for a while, studying the features she recognized from her own self and her son. After a couple of minutes, she looked back to Cynder.

“We don’t know when he will wake up.” She told Nuri, lowering her wing.

“I’m guessing your not moving until he does?” Nuri replied

“Nope” Cynder answered

Nuri stayed with them for a while, before leaving. Cynder fell asleep. She woke up to the noon sun shining through the big windows. She looked around to see about a million flowers, notes, cards, and sweets spread about the room. Confused, she looked around for Michael, he was still in the same bed, but he had removed the bandages, Cynder could see he had regained a small amount of his magic and was able to hold the wounds closed. She could feel Spyro’s steady breathing and his heartbeat, she lifted her wing to look at him, some of his cuts were healing, but not very fast. Cynder sighed and lowered her wing again, Michael heard her and looked over at her.

“Good sleep?” he smiled faintly

“Not really” Cynder answered

She wanted to get up, but her instincts didn’t want her to move.

Michael got up and walked next to her.

“You should get up and move about, don’t worry I will guard him ‘till your back.” Michael told her

Cynder nodded, then got up, her entire body was screaming at her to go back, but she resisted. She walked out of the room, used the bathroom, and stretched. Cynder looked out of the window and noticed a large crowd had formed outside the entrance to the infirmary. Cynder did not want anything to do with them, so she immediately returned to the room. When she walked through the doorway, she noticed that someone had brought in a few plates of food. Flame and Ember were eating theirs. Cynder settled back around Spyro, and began to eat her breakfast. She looked up at Michael, she noticed that movements were painful for him, and that every time he stretched a muscle, pain soared through him.

“What’s with the crowd outside?” Cynder asked

“They heard about you guys, and press is press, there going to show up wherever they can” Michael answered, flinching as he sat back down on his bed.

Cynder finished her meal and sat back. “I wish my instincts would relax; I know he’s safe with you.”

“You will get them ten times as bad when you lay eggs” Michael told her, he summoned a book, and flipped through its pages

“Really? They feel so bad already” Cynder replied

Michael chuckled “You have no idea”

Samantha had just walked in and heard their conversation; she blushed a little. Cynder looked over at strange expression and cocked her head.

“What is it?” She asked Samantha

“Well… um… about that… I’m pregnant” She stuttered.

Cynder jumped “Congrats, I didn’t know you were trying”

“We weren’t, but with Camry leaving us, I couldn’t help but want to have a full clutch this time.” She told him

“Well I’m happy for you” Cynder replied

Flame and Ember nodded in agreement.

“When are you guys going to have your own?” Samantha asked

Ember blushed heavily, and hid her face under Flame’s wing.

“I hope that we will soon, but Ember shies from the topic.” Flame told her

“I don’t know when, but I hope its soon as well” Cynder answered

For the next three weeks, Cynder did not leave Spyro’s side. Ember healed after a few days, and went home with Michael and Trice, but Spyro kept sleeping. Cynder woke up to the usual sight of a medic giving her a plate of food. But unlike most days, when she reached out to grab it Spyro mumbled and slowly opened his eyes.

“Cynder?”

“Spyro! Your awake!” She kissed him, and nuzzled him furiously.

“How long have I been asleep?” He asked looking around at all the gifts that were in the room.

“Three weeks” Cynder answered, purring against his neck. “The arrow had poisons and curses on it that slowed your healing, but you’re okay now”

Spyro tried to get up, but hissed in pain and clutched his side.

“You’re not completely healed yet; the arrow punctured your lung and barely missed your heart.” Cynder told him

Spyro licked her “Were you here the whole time”

“Never left you for longer than ten minutes.” She nuzzled him

Spyro tried to get up again, this time he was successful. He walked out of the room, Cynder following, and out the back entrance. A medic tried to stop them, but Spyro brushed them aside and walked home. Once he got to the square, everybody greeted him. Samantha told Spyro about her pregnancy and he smiled brightly and congratulated her. She already had a small bump forming in her stomach. The group threw a small celebration for Spyro. Everybody showed up but Michael, even Lumi and his mate. Cynder stepped back from the crowd, and saw Amber laying near a wall. She walked up to her and sat down.

“What are your doing away from the party?” Cynder asked

“It’s my first pregnancy, my mood swings are pretty hard to control, for some reason I feel sad. I know I should feel happy, but I feel sad, and I don’t know why.” She told her

Cynder looked out at the crowd. “Yeah, I don’t like crowds”

“I never really did either” Amber replied

“How are you feeling about the pregnancy?”

“I’m glad that I have someone else going through the same thing as me. Dragonesses tend to get pregnant in groups so that they have each other. Samantha is a big help because this is her second clutch. It’s also helpful for Lumi to have a friend as well.” Amber sighed

“Is that why my parents and Spyro’s parents laid eggs at the same time?” Cynder asked her

“Precisely, we tried then too but had no luck.” Amber answered

Cynder watched the kids run around, Camry and Layla were relacing at the opposite wall, Cynder caught Layla’s eye and smiled too her.

“They’re so cute together” Amber remarked

Spyro looked at the crowd around him, everybody had shown up, except for one person.

“Where’s Michael?” He asked Trice

“He left right after he was released from the infirmary, He was called to the front lines.” Trice answered

The party lasted well into the night, but eventually died down and they went to bed. Spyro winced as he was climbing into bed, he had been hiding his pain in front of everybody, but now that it was just him and his mate, Spyro let his pain show. Cynder nuzzled him kissed him on his check. Spyro curled up around her, Cynder could tell that he was exhausted from the excitement and holding back his pain. He quickly fell asleep, allowing his body to relax around his mate. Cynder was glad that Spyro was awake and okay. She watched him sleep for a while, then allowed it’s peacefulness to take her into her dreams.

Spyro woke to a burning pain in his side, the wound was still healing, and the exertion from last night stretched muscles that hadn’t fully healed yet. Cynder was still sleeping, he watched her for a while, then lightly licked her nose, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. Spyro smiled back, and coughed, a searing pain ran through his body, and he flinched, his body curled in pain. Cynder’s face changed from joy to worry as he writhed in pain. The pain subsided and Spyro relaxed, the attack had left him exhausted and defeated. Cynder licked her mate, still worried.

“I’m… fine” He gasped

“I’m going to go find some pain medicine” Cynder told him

“No… I’m fine” Spyro wheezed

Cynder nuzzled Spyro’s snout as lightly as she could, he tried to lift his head, but flinched again and laid it back. She walked out the door and up to Michael’s. After knocking on the door, she stepped back, and Trice answered.

“Hey” She yawned

“I was wondering if you had any kind of medication for Spyro? he’s in a lot of pain.” Cynder aked

Trice vanished behind the door for a minute, then returned, handing Cynder a large bottle of a strange liquid.

“Give him a small sip of this when he starts feeling high amounts of pain.” Trice told her

“Are you okay?” Cynder asked, noticing her discomfort

“I haven’t fully healed yet; my magic is low and I can barely stand right now.” She answered

“I’ll let you go back to sleep now” Cynder told her “Thank you”

Trice nodded and closed the door. She returned to Spyro, he was groaning, and breathing heavily. She uncorked the bottle and gave him a small sip of its contents. Spyro immediately relaxed, his breathing calm. He looked up at her and gave her a thankful look. Cynder curled back against him.

“So, what happened while I was asleep?” She asked

“Well, other than Samantha announcing that she was pregnant, you grandmother came, apparently that was who we were going to see.” Cynder told him

“What!” Spyro lifted her head, then set it back down.

“Yeah, she didn’t want to come to the city, but changed her mind when she heard that you got hurt. I heard she was staying in the palace for the time being.” Cynder replied

“Can we go see her?” Spyro asked

“No, she can come to us, you’re not flying for a long time.” Cynder told him, a stern look in her eyes.

She reached out and grabbed a pen and paper, she wrote a quick message on it before sending it off.

“There” She stated

Spyro kissed her “Thank you”

Cynder smiled, and kissed him back.

?

“Being an Ultimate Guardian is more difficult than anyone can every imagine, I have billions upon billions of different forms that I control simultaneously. My power is unlimited in the magical planes, but limited in the mortal ones. My form serves as a magical reservoir, I draw magic from the ethereal plane in different amounts depending on the dimension. If I run out of magic and am seriously injured, I will have to abandon my form. There is one work around, in some cases I can create a veil between the mortal plane and the ethereal one, through this I can draw massive amounts of pure magic. But there are side effects; my magical reserves will be depleted for a long period of time afterwards.”

Excerpt From:

Biography Of The Ultimate Guardian

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Biography Section (Public)

?

Chapter Thirteen

Spyro took another week to recover enough to fly again. He had spent a lot of time with his grandmother, who told him everything about his parents. Michael had returned a few days earlier, informing them that he had managed to kill another dark master without using magic. There were only seven left, Spyro was happy to see an end to the war, even if it was far away. Spyro soared over Faun, enjoying the air currents. Cynder was in front of him, she was leading him to a cool forest she had found. The two dragons landed in the beautiful woods; the massive oaks loomed over them. They played, weaving through the trees, and chasing each other. Spyro enjoyed the exhilaration of chasing his mate, finally able to move without pain. They played for a few hours, then collapsed in a clearing, panting. Cynder rubbed against Spyro, filled with joy.

“I missed having fun with you” She gasped

“Me too” Spyro replied

They heard a twig snap, and looked up to see Michael and Trice walking through the woods. They watched as the two dragons walked up to the oldest tree they have every seen. Michael tapped on the tree, and it reached down into the ground and pulled out a strange bag full of cores. Michael grabbed the bag and put it in his personal storage. The two dragons could barely hear Michael’s voice as they spoke.

“These are the last of their kind in the whole dimension, it would be a shame to use them, but they are needed.” He told Trice

“Maybe I could go to a close dimension, and find some of the other ingredients?” Trice asked Michael

“Yes, that would be good.” Michael answered

“I’ll use another form, but it’s going to take me a while.” She told him.

“It’s going to take me even longer to find the rest of them” Michael replied “I still have to find the two other souls.”

Trice sighed. “I want to see my sisters again”

“I know, I do too” Michael replied.

They took off, and Spyro looked over at Cynder.

“They were talking about our parents” Spyro stated

“They’re trying to bring them back” Cynder replied “They probably don’t want to get our hopes up, that’s why they haven’t been telling us”

They laid there for a while, napping, then got up and flew home. Spyro was lost in thought, they landed in the square and walked up to Jasper and Lumi.

“Hey” Spyro said

“Hi, just got back from your trip?” Lumi asked

“Yep” Spyro replied.

“Have you seen Camry?” Jasper asked

“We saw him and Layla flying around the market district when we left” Cynder told him

Jasper sighed and rolled his eyes. “They’re planning a trip to Fen, Layla wants to introduce him to her father.”

Spyro’s eyes went wide at that, and he chuckled “Let’s hope it turns out better then when we met.”

Michael burst through his door, in full armor, and took flight. They watched him fly off with speed, and give each other a confused look. A fortress thumped into view, and they saw the black dot of Michael fly into, then it thumped away.

“He’s been busy” Lumi explained “The Dark Authority is getting desperate, they are hiring mercenaries, using different spells, and attempting assassinations.”

Spyro shuddered, remembering the attack. He wanted to fight, but Michael wasn’t letting him. He looked over to Cynder and smiled.

“Busy dragon” he said

A portal opened on the other side of the square, Trice stepped through it, and it closed behind her. She looked tired, her armor was covered in dirt, she looked like she had been crawling through a mineshaft.

“Where have you been?” Lumi asked

“Searching the Abyssal trench” Trice answered

“Did you find anything?” Lumi replied

“Some things, but not what I was looking for” Trice told him

She shook, knocking the dust and rocks off of her, sending them flying. She nodded to Lumi, and walked into her house.

Spyro talked with the others while Cynder went inside, after a few minutes she called him in for dinner. They sat down together at the table, and ate their meal.

“We need to do some errands tomorrow” Spyro stated

“Yeah” Cynder replied “I barely had any ingredients to make this”

“Do you want to come with or…” Spyro asked, remembering the crowd.

“Sure” Cynder answered “Let’s not go to that market we went to last time though”

“Yeah” Spyro agreed

They finished their meal, and relaxed on the couch, Cynder had taken up history books, and had one in her hand she was reading. Spyro was looking through one of the spell books Michael had given him. He was looking through the elements section when he found something.

“Hey, Michael told me that I had a boosted fire element, and it says here that dragons with boosted element powers can not only control their own fire in ways that others can’t, but they can also control other sources of fire, which is pretty cool.” Spyro told her

“It’s kinda hot” Cynder replied, snickering at her pun.

Spyro laughed and turned the page, they relaxed for a few more hours, then went to bed. Spyro took his usual position, curled around Cynder, and laid his head down. His mind kept straying to thoughts of the war, how it was just like many others. Michael’s pity had allowed the Dark authority to keep existing, whenever they would back down and stop attacking, Michael would too, declaring victory. Now, Michael seems to be pushing harder than ever, the cursed armies had stopped attacking a long time ago, but Michael’s armies are still taking planets, still pushing the lines. He felt Cynder’s breathing slow as she fell asleep, then cleared his mind and followed her.

The morning sun shown through their window, making Spyro open his eyes. They were talking about getting better shades, but never went through with it. Spyro looked down and smiled, the sun had shown directly onto Cynder’s face, but she was unaffected by it. He watched the glittering of her black scales for a while, enjoying the beauty of her relaxed features. She yawned in her sleep, and snuggled more against him. Spyro spotted Michael out the window, he had taken off his armor, and was talking with Lumi. Spyro watched them talk, Aura landed in the square, and joined them. They talked for a while, one of them laughed occasionally. Torch stepped out of his house and stood on the edge of Michael’s. He called to them, and they turned to look at him, he called again, and they laughed. Spyro watched with a confused expression as Charlotte walked out of the smaller house wearing some armor. They clapped and Michael fake bowed. Spyro assumed that he had made the armor. The two phoenixes flew off and Lumi returned to his house. Flame walked out of his house, stretching his wings, he yawned, and looked over at Michael and Aura. He walked over and talked to them. Cynder opened her eyes and yawned again, then looked up at Spyro and smiled.

“Morning” she cooed

Spyro kissed her, and nuzzled her a bit.

“I think they’re planning something out there” Spyro said

She lifted her head to look out the window, Ember had joined her mate and was talking enthusiastically.

“Definitely”

“Speaking of planning, I asked Michael when your hatchday was” Spyro told her

“You what?”

“He said he would look into it, when I find out what it is, you’re going to get the best party ever”

Cynder sighed “There probably isn’t anything I can say to change your mind”

“Nope”

“What if it already happened?” Cynder asked

“I’ll just throw one anyway, and just tell everybody what day it is” Spyro answered

Cynder playfully slapped him “Don’t”

Spyro laughed “Try and stop me”

Their fake serious faces fell apart and they laughed. Much to Cynder’s protests, Spyro got up and stretched. He walked out the door and into the kitchen, Cynder could here him cooking, and soon the smell of food pulled her from their warm bed. They ate, and talked about the plans for the day, and packed a lunch in preparation. Michael knocked on the door and Cynder answered.

“Hey” she said, letting him in

“Hello you two, so apparently since Camry and Layla are going to Fen, Ember and Flame also want to visit Warfang for a bit. I’m leaving tomorrow to collect reports on the war, and I won’t be back for a few days at least. Everybody else was planning on leaving tomorrow as well. I wanted to make sure you guys would be okay for a week.”

“Is everybody leaving?” Spyro asked

“Well, Torch and the others just left to go visit his parents. Lumi and Amber are going to be secluding themselves because of her instincts. Jasper and Samantha will be staying in Warfang while Camry is in Fen. Aura and Trice are coming with me. So, the only people that will be left will be Mary, Jake, Nuri, and the kids.” Michael ticked them off

“Wow, it’s going to be quiet” Cynder remarked

“I’ve been speaking to Sam and James, and they want to find Jade, so when I get back, we’ll travel to Kanos and start looking” Michael told them, then looked to Cynder “I also sent a team of hunters to find Dawn and Shane, your aunt and uncle have been staying together, but they went into hiding a long time ago and haven’t left. But I did hear that Shane found a mate a few years back.”

“Good for him” Cynder replied

Michael looked at the small bags they had packed

“Errands?”

“Yep” Spyro told him

Michael nodded “Alright I’ll go now, If I don’t see you later, I’ll see you when you get back.”

He left, and Spyro looked over to Cynder. “A nice quiet week for us”

Cynder smiled “It should be fun, maybe we can go to one of those royal events.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Spyro responded

They walked out of the house, and took off towards the market district. They shopped and looked through many stores. Unlike the other markets, the crowds here left them alone. Spyro spotted a stack of magazines, the top one had a photo of him and Cynder on it. He bought the stack and a few others from a very embarrassed shopkeeper and showed one of them to Cynder. She gave him a confused look and laughed. While they were looking at a set of intriguing quills, a small black dragoness approached them.

“Are you Cynder?” She asked

“Yes, I am, and who are you little one?” Cynder lowered her head to look at the young dragon

“I’m Cynder too!” The young dragon wiggled “I was named after you!”

Cynder looked up to Spyro, shocked, he shared her look.

“Where’s your mother, or father?” Cynder asked, turning back to her

“She’s around there” The black dragon pointed “I came as soon as I saw you”

Just then, a cry was heard through the crowd.

“Cynder, where are you”

The little dragoness turned “Over here”

A very dark blue dragoness ran over. “I was worried sick why are you over here?”

“Look!” The little dragoness pointed at Cynder

The mother looked up and blushed. “Oh, hi”

Spyro could tell that she was only a little older than they were.

“I’m guessing you’re a fan” Cynder smiled

“Well… when I laid her, I was trying to think of good names for a black dragoness, and the only one I could think of was you, Cynder.” She explained “I’m sorry for bothering you, we’ll go now”

“We weren’t bothered” Cynder replied “Bye”

Cynder waved at her younger version, who waved back at her. When they were out of view, Cynder turned to Spyro, beaming.

“I wonder how many young dragons are wandering around with the name Spyro” Cynder bumped his shoulder.

“Probably not much, I have seen many black dragons, but so far only one other purple” Spyro replied

They finished shopping, and ate their lunch in a massive community area. They watched the crowd as they walked, shopped, talked, and ate food from the many vendors. There were many people that recognized them, some took photos, but they all kept their distance. Cynder caught Spyro’s attention.

“Hey, you see those kids over there, I think they’re roleplaying us”

Spyro looked over “Yep, two purple painted ones, a black painted one, and a yellow painted one. Sparx would be happy to hear that. Look, there’s even two wolves playing Meadow and Hunter.”

“I wonder what they’re up to” Cynder replied, watching the kids run and play, laughing

“I don’t know, we’ll stop by next time were in the area.” Spyro told her, then turned to the kids “Want to mess with them?”

Cynder smiled and nodded, they walked up and sat just outside where they were playing, and watched the kids run. They were oblivious to their presence, running and reenacting their adventures. The two dragons watched the kids for a while, Spyro realized that the one roleplaying as him was female, Cynder gave him a funny look. One of their mothers noticed them, and smiled. She was about to say something, then thought better of it, winking at them and returning to what she was doing. After a few moments the kids got tired out, they stopped chasing and were talking about what happened after they defeated Malefor. They each had their own ideas of what happened, and while the dragoness painted as Cynder glanced behind her and jumped when she saw them. She nudged the yellow painted dragon, and he turned to look at where she was pointing.

“Are you two the real thing, or are those really good costumes?” The yellow dragon asked

“Were the real thing” Spyro told them, they gasped “And none of those theories are correct by the way”

“What really happened?” The dragoness roleplaying as him asked

“Well, Michael didn’t save us from the explosion, my magic did. We were sent to a very magical place known as the Valley of Souls. Michael was there, in a statue, and I woke him up. He told us all about our history, and our family. He helped us come here, and we had our little mating ceremony. Now where here.” Spyro explained

The mother had finished her work, and was waiting patiently for Spyro to finish. When he did, she called them with a smile.

“Kids, time to go”

After a chorus of “Awws” The kids said their goodbyes to Spyro and Cynder, then left. The two dragons smiled at each other.

“Fame has it’s benefits” Spyro told her.

Cynder bumped him again, they took off, and flew home. They landed in the square, the setting sun still shining some light on the stone. After unpacking and setting everything in their places, they went into the nest room. Spyro’s eyes widened at the massive pile of letters and other mail. They spent the rest of their day reading mail and opening packages. Cynder had moved all of the stuff from the infirmary, except for the flowers. They collected a massive pile of sweets, a bunch of cards, and a surprisingly high number of random gemstones. After they had finished clearing out the mess, they stared at two large piles. One was entirely made up of treasures, and the other was piled high with letters and art. These piles also contained what they saved from the last few piles of mail as well.

“What are we going to do with this stuff?” Cynder asked

“We can take the treasures to the royal vault, and Michael gave us this magic book that can store all of the letters and art.” Spyro answered, and retrieved the book.

Storing the art was easy and took about half an hour, Spyro was stunned at the magic, it had taken a massive stack of papers, taller than they were, and put it all into one book. Now all he had to do was think about a certain piece of art or a certain letter and the book will automatically flip to that page. He put the book back into its place, and looked back to Cynder.

“Were definitely famous” he stated

She rolled her eyes at him, and gave him a ‘no duh’ look. They laughed for a moment, then went to bed.

?

“My studies of the Elementia dimension and its connected subdimensions have brought me much information. As the prime dimension can send ripples throughout all other dimensions (Save the unique ones), main dimensions can also send mediums to all it’s sub dimensions. Of course, as with the multiverse, there is some dimensions that to not follow these mediums. Some subdimensions are exactly the same, while others are similar, but still very different. A few common mediums I found was the purple and void dragon appearance, the patterns of elemental magic, and the strange appearances of ethereal blooms in the exact same spot in almost every dimension.”

Excerpt From:

Studies Of The Elementia Subdimensions

Juniper Silverscale

Can Be Found In The Council Of Science

?

Chapter Fourteen

Cynder woke up to a flash of light through the window. She looked out of it to see Michael take off, his armor flashing in the morning sun, Trica and Aura following. She laid her head back down with a sigh. She was happy to have some personal time with Spyro, he spent his healing time surrounded with friends and family who wanted to make sure he was okay, and keep him occupied from the pain. She was anticipating the quiet time with her mate. She looked out the window and watched a large group of dragons fly out of the square. Cynder knew that they were mostly alone now. She felt Spyro’s breathing, and enjoyed his calm heartbeat. Cynder fell back into a light nap, enjoying Spyro’s warmth. She woke when he tried to get up.

“Oops, I didn’t mean to wake you.” He told her

“It’s fine, I wasn’t really sleeping.” Cynder replied, she got up and stretched.

Spyro kissed her check. “They already left?”

“Yeah, I saw them leave” Cynder answered

He smiled “Good, personal time with my beautiful mate”

Cynder blushed. “I’m not that pretty.”

Spyro looked genuinely shocked “Cynder, to me you’re the prettiest dragon I’ve ever seen”

Cynder looked at him, she could tell that through his eyes, that this was true. She watched him walk out the room and start cooking. Cynder looked back out the window, and looked at the quiet square, not a soul was in sight. It was a bit strange, calm, but strange. Cynder had this strange feeling, she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She could feel her dark element warning her, as if this was a calm before a storm. Cynder chose to ignore it, they were safe, nothing could hurt them. She joined Spyro in the dining room, he had cooked up a delicious meal, and Cynder was really hungry. They ate their meal and relaxed on the couch. They talked and relaxed for a while, then decided to go for a walk. They explored the alleyways, and admired the ruins spread around the city. Another dragon couple walked past them, they smiled at each other as they passed. They returned home and lounged some more. Cynder was napping in her bed while Spyro was cleaning. When a massive boom echoed through the whole city, sending a shockwave through the house. The city’s shields became visible. Spyro rushed outside just as another boom echoed through the city again. The shockwave knocked Spyro off of his feet. Lumi stuck his head out the window, Cynder followed, she heard Spyro call to him.

“Stay with Amber”

He ran back in the house, they hurriedly put on their armor then rushed out and flew towards the city’s defense center. When they got there, they saw soldiers rushing everywhere. A general approached them.

“Were under attack from an unknown force, these shots are so strong that if this was any other city, the shields would have broken on the first shot.” She told them

Another shot struck the shields, causing another shockwave to rumble the whole city.

“Damn these shields are strong, they aren’t even cracking. We need to find who’s attacking us” She turned to them.

“Are there any fortresses nearby?” Spyro asked

“There were only three at the dock, and we lost contact with one.” The general answered

“Are our element cannons operational?” Spyro flinched as another blast, and another shockwave rang out.

“They are, but we have no target.” She told him

Another dragon approached them “General, we are detecting an extremely high amount of dark magic, the only possible explanation is that there are two dark masters out there.”

“TWO!” The general yelled

“Affirmative” the soldier nodded, and returned to his station

“Were exposed, Michael cannot be contacted, and we only have two fortresses. But if they approach one shot from whatever is firing at us will decimate them. We need to draw the masters out, then push them away from their soldiers.” The general told them.

“No, we need to draw them out and kill them” Spyro replied

“Army approaching, fire the cannons” a captain yelled

Spyro and Cynder flew out to the front gate, they looked out to see a massive army filled with cursed soldiers, mercenaries of almost every species, and a few golems. Three more shots struck the shield, but they showed no sign of yielding. Spyro spotted where the shot came from, and turned to Cynder.

“Can your shadow take us there?” He asked

Cynder nodded, and they huddled up next to each other. Cynder focused and brought them to the shadow realm, Cynder concentrated their powers, and they flashed to their destination. They became visible behind two darkened dragons. One of them charged an element ball, and tossed it at the city. One of the dragons glanced back, and jumped when he saw Spyro. The other dragon flipped around and attacked. He reared up and breathed dark fire at the two, Cynder jumped forward and used her wind element to divert the flame. Spyro retaliated by using his earth element to lift a massive slab of stone, and throw it at the dark dragon. The other master fired a poison ball at Spyro, it struck his armored side, the poison sizzled as it tried to burn through the ethereal gold. Strange runes began to appear, neutralizing the poison. Spyro unsheathed his sword and used it to launch a lightning bolt, it hit both of the masters, sending them back. They shook off the attack as if it didn’t even faze them, Spyro leaped forward, slicing at one of the masters, he dodged, knocking Spyro’s sword aside. Spyro quickly flipped and threw a fireball at him. Taken by surprise, the fireball struck the dark dragon in the face. Cynder ducked a swipe from the other dark dragon, then flipped around and turned to shadow, she flashed behind him, and fired a poison ball. The dragon saw this and dodged left, he flipped around and dwiped again, Cynder was still in shadow form, so the claws passed right through her. Spyro ducked more fire, then concentrated, and used a new move Michael taught him. He lifted his wings and focused. Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck the dark master, sending him flying. Spyro took this moment to pick up his sword and drove it into the grey dragon’s heart. The dragon’s eyes went wide, then he slumped over, his body burst into flames, leaving only his bones. Spyro looked over to see Cynder in her shadow form, holding off the other master. The master noticed the other dragon’s death, and roared. He sent a shockwave of dark magic, knocking both of them back. Spyro rolled down the hill, unable to right himself. Cynder rushed forward, picked up Spyro’s sword, and used it to launch a powerful poison ball at him, when he flinched back, Cynder rushed forward and sliced the dragons side, he roared again, but Cynder used the sword to amplify her fear element, causing it to make a noise that made the dark dragon’s eyes go wide, right as Cynder plunged the sword into his chest. The dragon’s body burst into flames, leaving her alone at the top of the hill with two skeletons. Spyro flew up to her and looked her over.

“Are you okay?” He asked

“Yeah, I’m fine” Cynder told him, nuzzling her.

They looked out at the army below, it was trying to break down the gates, but the ethereal gold is not going to break anytime soon. Spyro walked over and picked up the two dragon skulls, he was disgusted, but knew that he had to give these to Michael when he returns.

“Five down, five more to go” He stated, putting the skulls in his inventory.

Cynder nodded, then focused on something behind him, he turned to follow her gaze and smiled when six fortresses floated towards the city, firing their cannons at its attackers. They flew back to the city, dodging the elemental attacks and arrows as they passed the shields. They landed back at the defense center and approached the general.

“The dark masters are gone” Spyro told her

“Like, they retreated?” The general turned to them.

“Like, dead.” Spyro replied

Everybody in the room froze, and turned to them, another general broke the silence.

“Your just like your parents.” He spoke

The main general jumped up. “They have no artillery, send out the soldiers”

“Is Michael on his way?” Spyro asked

“No, he’s deep in enemy territory, he was tracking another dark master, but the one he was tracking might be one of the ones here. The dark magic makes our communications very difficult, even fire letters can’t reach him.” The general answered

“Send word to Ember, Jasper, and Camry, tell them to stay where they are and not worry, I don’t want them coming here until we’ve cleared out these forces.” Spyro told her

She nodded to a lieutenant, and he started writing letters.

“The city’s automatic defenses have activated; elemental turrets are popping up everywhere. This army can only last a few days.” The general told them.

Spyro nodded, then turned to Cynder “We should check on Lumi and Mary”

Cynder nodded to him, and they took off. The shields were still visible, small pulses rang through them from small elemental blasts. They landed in the square, Cynder went to Lumi’s house while Spyro went to go find Mary. Cynder knocked on the door and called to them. He quickly opened the door.

“Cynder, come in.” He said, looking up at the shield.

He led her down a set of stairs into the cellar, Amber was pacing, a worried expression on her face. When she saw Cynder, Amber’s face flashed with a strange expression, then returned to worry.

“Cynder, what’s going on?”

“Two dark masters brought an army here; they were throwing massive dark magic balls at the city.” Cynder told them

“Two?” Lumi gasped “What are two masters doing together during a war?”

“I don’t know, but Spyro and I went out and killed them” Cynder replied

“You killed two dark masters, by yourselves” Amber looked at Lumi, a surprised look on her face

“Yes” Cynder answered “The remaining forces can only continue their assault for a few days, the danger is over.”

Amber sighed in relief, and laid down, her pregnant belly sagged and she laid her head down. Cynder looked around the cellar, and noticed strange runes all over the walls and ceiling.

“They’re strength and protection runes, you have them in your cellar too, it turns it into a little bunker.” Lumi told her.

Amber closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep, Lumi and Cynder went back into the living room.

“How’s she doing?” Cynder asked

“She’s fine, instincts, nerves, and hormones are messing with her right now, she’s going to start nesting soon.” Lumi answered “This attack just added real danger to the mix.”

Cynder sighed “And here I was hoping for some peace and quiet with Spyro”

“This attack will be over by tomorrow, sooner if the mercenaries realize that their payers are dead. Michael and the others will be gone for a week. You still have time.” Lumi replied

Cynder nodded, and walked out of the house to find Spyro. She walked up to Mary and Jake’s house, and knocked on the door, after a moment Spyro answered. He motioned her outside and into yet another cellar. Mary was laying down, covering her kids with her wings. She was alert, staring intently out the small window. Jake was curled around her.

“Hey” Cynder called to them.

Jake lifted his head and smiled faintly.

“Hey, I heard what you did, nice job”

“You okay?” Cynder asked

“Just some PTSD from my time in the last war” Jake replied “Mary’s in defense mode”

A small grey snout followed by two eyes poked out from under Mary’s wing, then a small boom rumbled through the shields, causing them to retreat.

“They were raised in the capital; this is the first time they have every experienced war.” Jake explained

“I can’t believe they would attack Faun, the strongest city in this dimension, what did they think would happen?” Mary broke her trance.

“Probably the opposite of what actually happened” Spyro replied

A small series of booms echoed from the element cannons. Mary perked up and looked out the window.

“Those are the long-range cannons, either they are retreating, or another army is approaching.”

“The mercenaries must have found out that their employers are dead” Spyro replied

“You should go find out, were fine” Mary told them

They left the house and Spyro turned to her.

“Did you see those runes?” He asked

“Yeah, Lumi’s house had them too, he said that they were for protection and strength, and that we had them too.” Cynder answered

Spyro nodded, then they took off, flying back to the gate. They landed on top of it, and watched as what was left of the army retreated into a series of portals that had formed.

“We watched a few dragons fly up to the top of that hill you went too. Then they told everyone else, and they started running.” A captain told them.

A few soldiers cheered as the portals closed, the rest of them looked annoyed, wondering why they would even attack them in the first place. Spyro smiled at Cynder, and they watched the shields disappear into their dormant state. Thousands of small cannons spread along the walls started to retreat back to their stationary positions. They flew back to the defense center for the last time. The general was in her office, she sat back on the cushion she sat on, exhausted. The battle had only lasted for a couple of hours but it had drained her. When she noticed Spyro, she sat up and nodded to him.

“We sent out an all clear, and notified your family as well.” She said to him

“Do you have a second in command?” Spyro asked

The general looked up “Yes, why?”

“Give him command, and take the rest of the day off.” He ordered

The general opened her mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it, she nodded and walked out of the room. Cynder laughed when she heard her shout someone else’s name. Another dragon walked into the office and sat down, double checking a report he had in his hand.

“The only reported damages are from the shockwaves causing some houses to crack, other than that, there was only some minor damage inflicted on the gate and walls. The shields took no damage, and neither did any cannons or turrets.” He told them, not looking up.

“How long until all damages are repaired?” Spyro asked

“A week, max” The dragon replied

Spyro nodded “As soon as Michael is within range of communication, send him an update.”

“Yes sir” The dragon saluted.

Spyro and Cynder left, and flew home, Spyro could see how this attempted siege had worn Cynder out, she was hiding it very well, but Spyro could tell. They landed back in the square, and saw Amber laying in the sun, her wings were extended as she slept in the warm afternoon light. Lumi was reading a book a little way away from her.

“The fighting is over, they retreated” Spyro told him

He looked up “Yeah, I saw the shields disappear.”

Cynder looked around “Why are you way over here”

“Amber doesn’t want to hear my breathing, but also doesn’t want me to leave her sight.” He looked over at her “She kinda lost control over her emotions for a moment”

They watched her sleep for a moment, then Spyro and Cynder walked into their house. They laid back on the couch and relaxed for a few minutes. Spyro looked at her.

“I wonder what Michael and the others are doing”

?

“Resurrection is not always a dark magic. Necromancy is a dark magic, but the two are very different, resurrection can only happen if the soul and the body were willing, while necromancy doesn’t even require a soul, sometimes only a body is revived. A body without a soul leaves a space open for any spirit to take control of, which is why necromancy is completely prohibited within the ML. Resurrection is far harder than necromancy, it requires more power and more skill, as well as the cooperation and assistance from aether or ethereal beings. Since death is considered evil, most assume that it requires evil to reverse it, which is completely wrong. Death is a part of life, without one, there would not be another.”

Excerpt From:

Death Is Not Always Permanent

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Soul Studies Section (Public)

?

Chapter Fifteen

Deep in a cave on a distant planet, three dragons walked on the slick stone, ducking and dodging the various rock features that dotted the cavern. They each emanated a glow, but it only pierced a few feet of darkness in front of them. Dark magic seemed to emanate from every direction. They entered a strange open area; small red cores were spread everywhere. Aura broke the eerie silence.

“I’ve never seen this many fear cores at once before.” She stated

“This master specializes in fear magic, I have even detected some eldritch magic at work here” Michael replied.

“This place looks worse than the Abyssal trench.” Trice said, then groaned “Ugh, I still have to go back there, all signs say that there is a void core in there. But it’s filled with stuff, finding one specific core is really annoying.”

“If you can’t find it within a good amount of time, I’ll have it cleaned out” Michael told her

Trice nodded “Oh and Junior still hasn’t found those ethereal shards, the last place they had formed has been depleted, but he’s looking in the Andara galaxy”

Michael rolled his eyes “He purposely choose the hardest ingredient he could just so he could explore”

He snapped his fingers, and the fear cores vanished, transferred to his vault.

Trice snickered “He’s going to be so pissed, the cursed army needs those”

They walked over to the other side of the cavern, and made their way deeper through the cave system. Strange whispers echoed through the walls, basic fear magic that had no effect on the dragons. Michael had given Aura immunity to most forms of magic right after she hatched. The deeper they got, the louder the whispers became, and the more powerful the magic became. Finally, they reached another chamber, a red dragon laid sleeping in the center. Michael tapped his claws on the stone floor, rousing the dark dragon from his slumber. The dark master sat up and looked at him with a calm expression.

“So, we meet again.” He spoke in a deep voice

“Hello Canthos” Michael replied “You knew this was coming”

Canthos sighed “Yeah, I did”

“I give you credit though, not even the other masters knew where you were” Michael told him

He chuckled “I never choose this; I was born a boosted fear dragon.”

“I never held that against you, I know what your father did. But I killed the one who you were bounded too” Michael said

Canthos looked up “I’m free?”

“Yes, its time to remove your connections with the Dark Authority, and get you out of this dimension” Michael answered

Canthos smiled “finally, what took you so long?”

“He was hard to find, and even harder to kill. Then you were hard to find.” Michael explained

The dragon got up and stretched. “I finally get to spend my immortality doing what I want”

Michael snapped his fingers, and a portal formed. “This will take you to a facility that can remove the effects that have been left on you”

The dragon nodded, and stepped through, the portal closing shut behind him.

“Four down six to go” Michael stated

“We still have the big two left, don’t we?” Trice asked

“Yeah, I suspect they haven’t left the capital, while the other four are constantly moving around.” Michael answered.

They started walking back out of the cave, it took many hours to navigate back to the entrance of the caves. Once they emerged from the hole in the ground, it took a few minutes for them to get used to the light. Michael cast a spell to clear all magic from the caverns, and turned back to his daughters.

“We’ll, that took a long time.” Michael stated.

“Three days, right” Aura asked

“Yeah, way too long” Trice replied

“Were not done yet, there is an old magicarium nearby, we need to see if there are any ingrediants inside of it.” Michael told them

They took off, Michael led them north, they had a long flight ahead of them.

Cynder woke up on the couch, Spyro was next to her, still asleep. The early morning light shining through their front windows. Cynder looked around and realized that they never went to bed, they must have fallen asleep suddenly. Cynder turned her head to Spyro and nudged him gently, he slowly opened his eyes, and looked over at her. He yawned, and kissed her cheek.

“We never went to bed” Cynder stated

“I know, I tried to move us but you were asleep and wouldn’t let me go” Spyro replied

Cynder smiled, and got up, she stretched her wings out, and walked into the kitchen. Spyro tried to get up and fell over.

“I think your death grip made my back legs fall asleep.” He yelled at her.

She popped her head out of the door, and laughed at him. She cooked up a quick meal, and they sat down to eat.

“Maybe we can get our peace today?” Cynder asked rhetorically.

“I’ll make sure of it” Spyro returned “But I can’t promise tomorrow though, Sparx warned me that they are going to come here for a visit tomorrow.”

Cynder rolled her eyes “Great, more time with the loudmouth.”

“Hey, he’s softened up to you” Spyro replied

“I know, but he still loves to poke fun” Cynder told him

They finished their meal, Spyro sat back and looked outside.

“The sun looks nice today, want to relax out in the square?” He asked her

“Sure” Cynder replied

They stepped outside, and found a nice spot in the sun to relax in. Spyro curled around Cynder and closed his eyes, not falling asleep, but enjoying their time together. Cynder opened a book and read peacefully for a few hours. At some point, Amber had walked out and started napping in the sun. The entire district was silent, Cynder hadn’t heard a noise the whole time. The only sounds were Spyro’s breathing and the turning of her pages. Cynder enjoyed the peace, now that she didn’t have the strange feeling, she knew nothing was going to happen. They sat like this most of the day, enjoying the fall sun on their faces. They chatted every once in a while, and occasionally they would see another dragon flying by. When the afternoon sun began to fall, Lumi came out and walked up to Amber. She groaned when he woke her, and got up. They walked into their house. Cynder finished her book and set it down, she looked over at Spyro and watched him, the fight with the dark masters had drained his energy, and she noticed that he had many cuts and bruises from his fall down the hill. She nudged hus muzzle with hers, and he opened his eyes.

“Let’s get you a healing crystal” She told him “Your bruises look bad”

“Nah” Spyro replied, flipping onto his back and stretching, exposing his gold belly.

“Yes, you did it to me in Warfang, I’m gonna do it to you.” Cynder told him

“You had three arrows in you, and an inch deep slash on your side” Spyro mumbled, enjoying the warmth on his stomach.

Cynder snorted, he called her bluff. She looked at his goofy upside-down look, then pounced on him. Spyro laughed and grabbed her.

“You dare call my bluff?” Cynder roared

“You dare have a bluff?” Spyro retorted

Cynder pinned him down, and nuzzled his neck. He smiled up at her, and suddenly flipped her over. With a yelp Cynder went down, and Spyro was on top of her. He laughed and booped his nose against hers. He got up and helped her, she stood up and bumped his shoulder. They laughed for a minute, then went inside. After they ate their dinner, the sun had set and they had crawled into bed. Spyro curled around Cynder as usual, and sighed in happiness.

“Good day?” She asked

“Definitely, a day without violence or fighting, or social interaction, only me and my mate, doing absolutely nothing all day. Best day ever” He sighed again

“We have quite the opposite planned for tomorrow” Cynder told him

He lifted his head “Violence? Fighting?”

“If Sparx is his usual self, expect plenty of it” Cynder replied

Spyro laughed “Nina and June should keep him in line, hopefully”

Cynder laid her head down, closing her eyes and relaxing her body.

“It’s Sparx, Michael’s whole army couldn’t keep him in line.” She spoke

Another laugh from Spyro “True”

They fell asleep together.

Cynder woke to some voices out in the square, familiar voices, she slowly extended her tail to open the window a small amount. The small voices could barely be heard.

“Let’s not wake them up, have you seen Cynder in the mornings?” Sparx asked

“Sparx, be nice. She’s just not a morning person” June told him

Cynder snorted quietly, this was true, the only person she’s nice to in the mornings was Spyro.

“Besides, they’re not expecting us, we should wait” Flash stated

“I agree” Nina replied.

Cyner yawned, it was too early for this, the sun wasn’t even up yet.

“Wait, that window up there is open.” Sparx noted

Cynder froze

“That leads to their bedroom, if you wake up Cynder at this hour, she will likely murder you.” Jane told him

Cynder snorted again in agreement

“Let’s not tempt death” Sparx said

Cynder curled up again, and fell back asleep. She felt Spyro curl tighter around her. When she woke again the sun had risen and Spyro was no longer next to her. She looked around, then heard his voice in the living room. She slowly got up, stretched, and sighed, she never liked interactions in the morning. She stumbled out of the room and went into the kitchen, she grabbed something to eat and walked into the dining area.

“Look who finally awoke from her eternal slumber” Sparx called

Spyro shot him a glance, and smiled. “Morning”

Cynder grumbled at Sparx “Back to your old self I see.”

“I was always myself; I just was too happy that you guys were still alive to be quippy.” He told her

“Spyro, how is your wound healing” Nina cut in

“It’s fine, it still feels sore if I move around too much, but it’s completely healed.” Spyro answered

“That’s good, I was worried when we were here last and you couldn’t even move without flinching” Nina replied

They sat in silence for a moment, then Sparx coughed.

“So, more scary stories about the terror of the skies have been spread around” Sparx broke the silence

“Sparx” Nina hissed “Leave your brother’s mate alone.”

“What? It’s true” Sparx replied

Cynder sighed “I guess they still don’t like me there”

“I think it’s getting worse; we should do something about it. People are starting to complain about how their hero is mated with the enemy. They aren’t happy about the whole situation.” Flash told them

Cynder looked down, a sad look on her face. Spyro was furious.

“What can we do?” He asked

“Warfang wants to have a celebration, they want to have a parade and they want you in it, if you both show up together, it will show them that you are together, even if they are mad at it. Also, maybe we can get some of the magazines that have been going around here and spread them around Warfang.” Flash told them

“I really don’t want to go somewhere I’m hated” Cynder said

Spyro looked at her, and smiled, then back to Flash “Tell whoever’s running the parade I’m not coming if Cynder isn’t welcome”

“They already know, she’s been invited of course. They keep talking about the court of public opinion, something about petitioning for her title of queen to be stripped.” Flash warned them

“That’s not happening” Spyro growled “Were going, and anybody who messes with my mate, will get their face ripped off. When’s the parade?”

“In two days” Nina told him “Flame and Ember are going to be in it as well”

They talked for a while, Spyro was happy his family was around, but Cynder looked distant. She was still sad about being hated by the people of Genrir. Spyro noticed Cynder’s discomfort, and stayed close to her. After a while, they had stopped talking, and ate lunch. Then they went outside to enjoy the weather. Mary and her kids were running around the square, playing.

Cynder looked over at Sparx “Oh, that reminds me, while we were at the market district, we came across some kids roleplaying as us. There was a dragon painted yellow, and he was playing as you, the problem was that he actually sounded kind of smart, so I fixed that. I told them all about the real you”

Sparx gave her a dirty look. “Did you tell them about you?”

Spyro shot him a glance, and Sparx knew he had gone too far. He looked down and changed the subject.

“So, did you figure out your fanmail problem yet?” He asked

“You get fanmail?” Cynder replied, raising her eyebrows

“Of course, I’m a hero too” Sparx answered

Cynder snorted “We just sort out the good stuff from the… weird stuff, and are sending the treasures to the royal vault and storing the art and letters in a special book.”

“It took me like two weeks to sort through mine.” Sparx replied “The letters are always so big”

A strange horn sounded in the distance, and the group turned toward it. Jake ran out of his house and looked in the direction of the noise. He turned back to the group.

“That’s a royal procession of the Triad court. What are they doing here?”

Suddenly six elaborately armored dragons with another dragon in the middle landed appeared in view.

“That’s the prince” Jake replied, dumbfounded “Asher”

The prince was a very dark red dragon, mixed with some lighter shades. His horns and claws were black, and his belly was dark grey. He landed with his procession and regarded the group, his gaze glancing over everyone in order of right to left.

“It’s customary to bow to the heir of a kingdom.” He spoke with a calm tone.

Mary snarled “Not for a princess, or a king for that manner”

Asher regarded her with a cool gaze, then nodded. He turned to Spyro.

“So, you’re the famous Spyro that I’ve heard about.” He stated

Spyro said nothing, giving the prince a blank expression.

“I guess your all wondering why I’m here? I heard about the celebration of Malefor’s defeat, and I convinced my father to let me attend.” Asher told them.

Lumi stepped out of his house and stared blankly at the prince. Asher smiled and approached the blue dragon.

“Uncle, I was hoping you would be here” He stated

Spyro looked shocked, then accepted the fact that every one of his and his parent’s friends are royalty. Lumi stared for a moment then huffed at the prince, and returned to his house. Asher lost his composer for a moment, looking hurt. But he quickly regained his calm façade and looked back at the rest of the group.

“I was under the assumption that I would be welcome to stay here.” He told them “And my guards as well”

“Now who would give you that idea?” Cynder asked

“My father” Asher answered

Mary laughed “Wow, I never thought I would see the day. The king of triad making assumptions about the elemental king.”

Asher blushed slightly then turned to one of his guards, who pulled out a sack of gemstones and crystals and threw it towards them. Mary saw the sack and lost all control of herself, she burst out laughing.

“You think your treasures mean anything here, we have the resources of the ML supporting us. This is nothing” she told him when she regained her breath.

Asher looked around “Where’s Michael?”

“Unreachable at the moment” Spyro told him

Another guard landed next to the prince and whispered something into his ear.

“This city was attacked recently?” He gasped “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I’m not in charge of the city, I didn’t tell them to not tell you” Spyro recoiled

They were interrupted by Amber as she walked out of her house, completely ignoring the rest of them, and took her usual spot in the sun. Asher’s eyes bugged out of his head when he saw her swollen belly. The lead guard looked stunned, then turned to Spyro.

“The lack of communication between this city and its superiors is rather insulting”

“Like I said, I don’t do anything, Lumi chose not to tell you, that’s his choice.” Spyro replied

“It is demanded that all royal matings and pregnancies are to be reported to the king of the territory.” The captain informed Spyro

“Well, it didn’t happen, what are you going to do about it” Cynder replied

The captain was taken aback, looking between Spyro and Cynder.

“How did you come to find out about our mating? Or the one between Flame and Ember?” Cynder asked

“Nobody told us for a long time, then word reached us through one of those newsletters devoted too you” The captain answered.

Asher warily approached Amber; she was watching him with focused eyes. Once he reached her, he greeted her.

“Hi” he said carefully

Amber said nothing, she only stared at him.

“I’m overjoyed to see that you are pregnant, I very much look forward to meeting my cousins.” He told her

She watched him squirm at the awkwardness of the situation. Still not saying a word. She glanced at Cynder, then back to the dragon in front of her. Cynder knew this was a call for help, and stepped forward.

“Hey, I can’t speak for the guards, but you can stay in one of the guest houses.” She told Asher

He nodded and turned to the guards “Go to the dock and stay in the barracks, I will meet you there in two days.”

They nodded and flew off.

?

“Fairy magic is strange, it exists in the most random of places, and is completely uncontrolled. Considering that it is a mix of dark and light, it is surprisingly random. Fairies draw power from multiple places; suffering, confusion, and curiosity. The innocence of children also attracts them extremely. Their genetics are flawed, so they regularly need to strengthen them with members of non-magical species. Usually, a fairy will draw unsuspecting people into special places, where they will be taken to their lands, the lands of fairies are infinite and follow no rules or codes. In these lands the fairies will take their victims and choose which feeling they want to exploit, and precede to do so until the victim dies, then they will start again.”

Excerpt From:

Fairy Magic Volume One

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Important Education Section (Public)

?

Chapter Sixteen

Spyro and Cynder led the prince to one of the guest houses. They showed it to him and he thanked them.

“I am quite surprised to see my aunt this way, may I ask why I was never informed?” He said to them

“Lumi didn’t tell you, nobody else was going to say anything” Spyro answered

“So, he directly violated a declaration of law from a king?” Asher replied

“If you want to go so far as to say that, yes” Spyro replied

“Then he has to go to the capital and face punishment” Asher stated, looking sad

“That’s not going to happen” Cynder replied, a devious smile on her face

Asher perked up “Why not?”

“Because I’m the king of elemental dragons, he told me, that’s all that will be needed” Spyro answered

Asher looked stunned for a moment, then smiled “Yes, that would work”

Spyro gave him a confused look. “You seem happy about that”

“Yes, I would never wish harm upon my uncle, unlike my brother, Fletcher. He wants to have him dragged back to the capital and imprisoned for going against a direct order from the king.” Asher looked down

“Well, you tell your brother that if he does that, I will personally imprison him.” Spyro told him

“I’d rather not, he’s supposed on his way himself, he just wanted to stop and flex his powers on a few villages before he arrives. You can tell him yourself.” Asher told him

“You both are coming?” Spyro asked

“Yeah, and my sister is supposed to as well, but she might shy out of it.” The prince answered

“What’s your brother like?” Cynder asked him

“He’s terrible, he hates me because I’m the heir, and he wants the throne to himself. He’s mean and aggressive, he will be very angry when he finds out about Amber. You might have to use your power to make him back off, he could be here at any time. Oh, and he has a massive ego, nobody says no to him, except me of course.” The prince looked embarrassed about his brother.

Another horn sounded.

“There he is now” Asher sighed

They walked back into the square as another dragon procession landed.

“Where is my brother?” A dark grey dragon shouted

“I’m here, you don’t have to bother the whole district” Asher answered

Fletcher rolled his eyes. Then saw Spyro and Cynder.

“Greeted by the king and queen of elemental dragons themselves? Do you not have servants?” He snickered

They said nothing to him, he was about to say something when he noticed Amber staring angerly at him for waking her up.

“Is that Lumi’s mate?” He exclaimed “And she’s pregnant, why weren’t we informed?” He turned to Asher

“They told Spyro, that was enough” Asher replied

“The king will decide what is enough, where is he? Where is that traitor?” Fletcher started approaching the door.

“Stop” Asher told him “He is protected by a king; you will not bother him”

“Nonsense, he is the king’s brother, he is under the jurisdiction of him and him alone” Fletcher snapped

Spyro growled “You will leave, you are not welcome here”

“You will not order a royal prince, king or not” Fletcher turned to him

“Then you will be ordered by me” Asher replied “Leave”

“You aren’t king yet, and once father hears about your disobedience, you never will be” Fletcher retorted

Asher stood up, and roared, causing Fletcher to flinch. “You heard the king, you are not welcome here.”

Spyro charged his fire element, allowing a puff of flame to escape for effect. Fletcher looked like he was going to do something, then shied back.

“When father hears about this, he will be very angry” He mumbled, then flew off with his guards.

Amber sighed, then turned her head towards Asher. “Thank you”

Asher flicked around and smiled “Your welcome, unlike my idiot brother, I’m very happy to find out about all of this.”

Amber softened “I’m glad to hear that, maybe I was wrong about you”

Asher beamed “I’m nothing like my father, I grew up reading about my uncle and found that I relate most to him. Sadly, we never spoke much.”

Amber lifted her head and called “Lumi”

He rushed out the house instantly, then realized it wasn’t an emergency, and calmed down.

“Yes honey?”

“Talk to your nephew, he wants to get to know you” Amber told them “And everybody quiet down, I want to get some napping in”

Lumi motioned for Asher to enter his house, he eagerly walked through the front door. Spyro sighed and looked over at Cynder.

“Royal affairs are a pain.” He said, she agreed.

They joined his adoptive family in the house, and relaxed for a while. After the sun had set a dragon knocked on the door. Spyro answered and gave him a confused look.

“A message from the king of the Triad territory.” The dragon stated

Spyro took the letter from him, and thanked him, handing him a coin. The dragon nodded and flew away. He walked back into the living room, reading the letter.

“What is it?” Cynder asked him

“The king is demanding that I turn Lumi over to him. He also is demanding that when Amber lays, her eggs are to be handed over as well. He says that he will raise the children as punishment, and Lumi is to be beaten in the main square.” Spyro looked up from the paper, furious

“What else does it say” Sparx asked

“Something about if I ever insult his son again a similar punishment will be brought to me. He also demands that we wear the Triad emblem during the Warfang parade.” Spyro answered.

Cynder had a murderous look in her eyes. “Let’s go pay him a little… visit”

Spyro lit the letter on fire. “I don’t even know how to react to this”

“What would Michael do?” Flash asked

“He would set an example” Spyro answered “But we should just blatantly refuse, the king doesn’t seem to understand the order of power here”

Asher burst through the door “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I just received a very distressing message”

“We know what the king has demanded” Spyro told him “And we won’t be complying”

Asher relaxed “Okay, so he is going to send an official commissioner to ensure the orders are followed. There will be soldiers with them”

“They will be refused at the gates, I’m calling a general” Spyro told him, writing a fire rune on a letter.

“All this over a pregnancy?” Cynder asked

“The king isn’t happy about the disrespect coming from this city, he wants to make an example, the fact that it’s Lumi is just a plus. What you don’t know is that he just gave Fletcher the power to drag enforce his orders, he’ll be coming.” Asher replied

“How mad would everyone be if I killed him?” Cynder said, flicking her tail

Everybody froze and looked at her.

“What?” Cynder looked confused

Asher considered it for a moment “it would be bad in the long run, I would recommend capturing him and sending back to the capital in a box”

Cynder smiled “I would gladly do the honor of whooping him, and putting him in said box”

They put on their armor, preparing for a battle. A general rushed through the door. Gasping for breath

“What’s this about defying the king of Triad?” She asked

“He ordered Lumi to be brought to the capital to be beaten, and his and Amber’s eggs to be taken and raised by himself” Spyro told her

The general immediately understood. “Our plan of action?”

“Call two fortresses, the commissioner will be turned away at the city gates. If he returns with forces, capture them and hold them. Let’s try to hold off on the killing. Fletcher is already here, and he has been given power by the king to enforced his orders, so he needs to be stopped.” Spyro told her

“Lumi is a general, I have full confidence in his ability to beat Fletcher, and his guards. So, we shouldn’t worry about them.” The general replied.

Spyro sighed and shook his head. “Why now? Why is all this stuff happening now, we were supposed to have some piece and quiet but nooooo, violence”

“It’s because Michael’s not here, they think you can’t handle these situations, but I know you can.” The general told him

Spyro was about to say something, but they heard a voice boom from outside.

“LLLLLLLLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIII, come meet your maker.” Fletcher’s voice rang through the square.

The group rushed outside to see Fletcher and Lumi facing off.

“The king demands these punishments enacted, and you will not stop him.” Fletcher growled

“No, but I will” Spyro snapped

Fletcher turned. “You will not get involved” He ordered

“Oh, but I will, you will not enter my home, and demand things of my friends.” Spyro snapped back

Cynder stepped forward and smiled.

“I’ll handle this” She smirked

Fletcher laughed, then nodded to his guards.

“Go, show these pitiful dragons what happens if you defy the king of Triad.”

They lunged towards Cynder, who vanished. The guards looked around confused, and Cynder teleported behind one and brought her tailblade down on his head. She hit him with the blunt edge, and he crumpled. She laughed and flashed into the middle of the group, breathing red smoke. The guards began screaming and slashing frantically. By the time the red smoke faded, the guards were incapacitated. Fletcher stepped back, surprised, Cynder turned towards him and smiled. He was about to say something when Cynder lunged. She knocked him off of his feet, using her wind powers to send him flying against a wall. He struck it, and slumped to the ground, Lumi walked up to him and chuckled.

“Don’t think I’m hiding behind my friends, your lucky they got to you first or I would have sent you back to you father missing an eye” He lifted his paw and smacked Fletcher’s head against the stone, knocking him out.

The general called out for support and a group of soldiers joined her. They quickly bound the unconscious dragons and dragged them out of the square. A scout approached the general.

“The royal commissioner has arrived and was turned away, he seemed angry. He informed us that he would be returning with an appropriate force.” He informed her

She nodded and the scout left.

“Were within our rights to defend ourselves right” Spyro asked, doubting his actions

“Yes, Lumi has his rights to not inform the king. Not only does his position as a high prince grant him immunity from such declarations, but he told you, which means that the pregnancy is known by a king. Lastly, and probably the most important part, Lumi is a general in the ML, he reports to you, not him. If Michael was here, he would already be in the capital yelling at the king, but that isn’t a good idea for you. This will be resolved within a few hours.” The general told him

“Ugh, we have to deal with this, then we have to go to Warfang and participate in a parade where I will have to sit there and get booed at.” Spyro sighed.

Lumi sighed as well “This is all my fault, I should have told him, I just didn’t want to deal with what he might have done”

“No” Spyro turned to him “What you did makes sense, the king just wants to make an example while Michael’s gone”

“Why does your brother hate you so much?” Cynder asked

“I guess it all started when our mother took favor over me. We just had more in common, he also hated how he had a ton of responsibilities as an heir, while I just spent my time with my mother and we did a bunch of stuff together. I had been friends with your parents since I was small, I knew our family didn’t like them, but they let me have my friends. When my mother died, my father knew it was time for him to step down, so that he can follow her. So, he passed the crown, making my brother king. When he ascended, he was afraid, and I let him lean on me, I helped him. Amber joined the group; she was a duchess whose family had died off. I immediately fell in love, but the king had started leaning on me harder and harder. He found out about Amber and resented her at first, but accepted her eventually. But before we even got mated, the king ordered me to do something I didn’t want to do; he wanted me to ditch Fury and the others, take Amber, and become a high general. He wanted to put so much pressure on me, and I couldn’t handle it. So I took Amber and left, we settled back in Faun and I cut all contact with my brother. Michael took me in and I joined his army. Since then, I renounced my status and haven’t talked to him since. He doesn’t like Faun because a long time ago he had imposed some taxes on the planet to pay off some city restructuring debts. Most of the taxes were accepted in Faun, but if anybody else in any other city complained, they had their necks stepped on. The only thing that wasn’t accepted was the taxes on the ML lord markets. The ML didn’t accept these taxes because they were the sellers, the profits from these transactions pay for the city so they don’t allow it to be taxed. Ever since then nobody in Faun even cares about the Triad territory, and they ignore it because they are a ML city, not anybody else’s. Since Michael left, the king tried to impose his law over ML law. But the defensive forces that stayed in Faun stopped him. Now he’s using a more legal approach to impose his power.” Lumi gasped, out of breath from his speech.

Two fortresses thumped above them.

“That should be a good show of force” Spyro stated.

A letter appeared over the general’s head, she grabbed it and read it.

“Your presence has been requested at the main gate.” She informed them

Spyro nodded and smiled maliciously “Send a bunch of soldiers, make the odds ten to one.”

The general nodded, and they took off, flying to the main entrance of the city. Spyro noticed a group of dragons standing just outside the gate, their armor was shining in the moonlight. Spyro landed on the inside of the gate and watched a massive group of soldiers form behind him.

?

“The Ultimate Guardian has been adopting eggs and babies most of his life, his urge to take care of everybody takes over as he takes these children in and claims them as his own. His sons and daughters never fail to become everything they wanted to be. They almost always become heroes and legends; the tails of his kids are stories that are told to children in the ML, and these stories are collected here.”

Excerpt From:

Children Of The Guardian

The Guardian Of Legends

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

History Section (Public)

?

Chapter Seventeen

Spyro looked over at Cynder, and nodded at her, she nodded back and he turned towards the gate. The massive ethereal doors opened to reveal a small army of soldiers standing in an orderly group. A yellow dragon stood in front of the group; he wore armor that showed off the Triad emblem. Spyro and Cynder stepped forward and walked up to the commissioner.

“The king has been greatly angered from your refusal of his orders.” The yellow dragon announced “He has graciously given you one last chance to follow his orders without any extra punishment.”

Spyro sighed “I didn’t want it to go like this. I only want to protect my friends and family. I will not let Lumi and Amber be punished for something so small as withholding imformation. Especially a punishment like removing their eggs from them.”

The commissioner looked down sadly at Spyro. “This is not something you want to fight”

Spyro looked up at the stars “It’s not something I want, but it is something I will do.”

The commissioner followed his gaze, and sighed “Yet another scuffle between your families”

“This is unavoidable, isn’t it?” Spyro asked

“Well, maybe not, but who knows. The king is stuck in his fury at Lumi, he won’t let the grudge go.” The yellow dragon watched a shooting star pass by.

“Your forces won’t even make it through the gate” Spyro finally said.

“I know, but the captain is going to order the attack anyway.” He replied.

“Did you hear that Faun was attacked a few days ago?” Spyro asked

“I saw the report the ML sent out.” The commissioner answered

“You heard about the cities defenses?” Spyro replied

“I’ve known for a while now, it’s my job to keep up on certain things.” The yellow dragon told him

“And I expect you to also know that Faun is considered a ML city, and will be defended by the full force of their armies, because a lot of families live here.” Spyro turned back to look at the city.

The commissioner looked at the fortresses. “It won’t even get that far, just the defenses of this city alone could hold off the Triad army indefinitely, we won’t even scratch the shields.”

“Maybe the king will accept an agreement to stay away from each other?” Spyro said hopefully.

“He’ll calm down and leave this place alone when Michael puts it too him.” The yellow dragon looked back at him “It’s the bloodshed that happens before then that worries me”

Spyro caught his eye “Michael will likely be gone for a few more days.”

The commissioner’s eyes widened “Wait, I thought he would be back In a few hours, he’s out of contact range!”

“Yeah, he went to find another dark master, and his daughters are with him. Pretty much everybody else is gone, and the rest of us were going to go to Warfang tomorrow to participate in that celebration, and defend Cynder from the people.” Spyro told him.

“They still mad about the corruption?”

“Yeah, the dragons are understanding but everybody else is still mad”

“I suggest having some scholars from each species go and explain it to them”

The yellow dragon shook his head “I don’t want to do this, but I could get removed from my position and I have a family to support. Let it be known that I understand your fight, and would do the same thing if I was in your position”

The commissioner turned and walked back to the army, Spyro watched the yellow dragon address the captain. The dragon turned to Spyro and growled, then stopped when the commissioner said something else to him. He eyed the fortresses for a moment, then nodded. Spyro knew that there wasn’t going to be a fight today. Michael would crush them if he found out that Faun was attacked by the Triad forces while he was away. The forces took flight, leaving Faun behind. Spyro sighed in relief, allowing his worry to leave him. He knew that the king will keep trying to impose his will on Faun, and try to drag Spyro off his throne. But he knew that Michael will stop him, this is something we should worry about when he gets back. Spyro looked back to Cynder, who looked just as relieved as he was. He went to stand beside her.

“What happened?” She asked

“We talked, he seemed to know that there is no chance that the king would win. Then he walked to the captain and I think he told him that it was a bad idea to attack us. Then they left.” Spyro explained

“I told you it would be resolved.” The general said to them “Now go home and rest, you have a big day tomorrow”

They flew home and landed in the square. Lumi was pacing back and forth until he spotted Spyro.

“What happened?” He asked

“It’s fine, the captain thought better than to attack the city.” Spyro told him.

Lumi sighed in relief “Good, no death tonight”

“I think Michael will handle it when he gets back, for now we have to worry about the celebration”

Lumi gave him a confused look. “What’s going to happen at the celebration?”

“I’m worried they might do something to Cynder, but we need to show them that I trust her completely. They need to accept what happened and move on.” Spyro answered

He nodded, then went into his house. Spyro and Cynder went to bed, and eventually fell asleep.

Spyro woke and looked out the window, he noticed the late morning sun, and nudged Cynder’s snout. She groaned and opened her eyes.

“No, too early, back sleep” She mumbled

“It’s almost noon” Spyro told her

“Back sleep” she mumbled, and nuzzled his neck, cuddling him.

Spyro sighed, and enjoyed the slow breathing of his mate. The events of last night fell far away. Eventually Cynder opened her eyes again and looked up at him.

“Can we like… Not go to that party.” She grumbled

“It’s literally for us” He replied

“It’s for you” She retorted

“Totally, just how I alone defeated Malefor and saved the world. Totally without any help or assistance from anybody else.” Spyro rolled his eyes

Cynder looked up at him again “But do they know that?”

“I told them, like, a billion times that you were key to the survival of the planet” Spyro answered

“But they still don’t care, they still hate me.” Cynder replied, tears in her eyes.

“I’m going to make sure they won’t anymore, they will understand.” Spyro told her

Cynder stretched and hugged Spyro.

“I love you.” She spoke

“I love you too” Spyro told her, and kissed her

They got up and put their armor back on. Then they walked out in the living room to see Flash and Nina had already packed.

“Look who finally decided to crawl into the land of the living” Sparx called to them

Nina gave him a dirty look, then motioned for the two dragons too hurry. They stepped out to meet Jake, Mary, and the kids in the city square. Mary nodded to them and opened a portal in the square. Cynder took a deep breath, then stepped through, the rest of them following. They looked around to see a crowd cheering their arrival. Cynder spotted a few angry faces pointed towards her, but she saw a few happy ones as well. She sighed, and smiled at the crowd, Spyro joined her side and looked out at the crowd. Ember and Flame greeted them. Flame said something, but Spyro couldn’t hear them over the noise. He motioned them to follow, and they took off. They landed at the palace and spotted Samantha lounging in the sun, Jasper looked up and gave them a look of relief when he saw them.

“I heard Faun was attacked.” He told them

“It was, the shields held” Spyro replied

Jasper laid back down. “Camry will be here tomorrow with Layla and her father”

Spyro nodded “Did they have fun?”

“Apparently Fen has some of the coolest terrain around” Jasper told him “And some pretty interesting music”

Ember cut in “My mother wants to see you”

Cynder rolled her eyes. They walked into the throne room, then past it into the royal lounge. The queen was laying on a special curtain, reading from a scroll. She looked up and smiled at them.

“You two look good together” She told them “Especially you, Cynder, you look especially happy, glowing even.”

Cynder smiled at her “Thanks”

She chuckled “So you decided to attend the parade? Oh, and you’re wearing your armor! That would look great on your float, I’ll have to inform the planner that you don’t need costumes either.”

Spyro nodded “I didn’t know they had planned costumes for us”

“It’s nothing, fake armor, fake necklaces, there is no need now, this will look much better.” The queen replied

“Float?” Cynder spoke

“It’s a giant platform, suspended by magic, that’s covered in flowers, you’re going to ride one, so is Flame and Ember. Even Sparx gets one.” The queen told them.

“I bet he’s glad to hear that.” Cynder smirked

“He flew around the room for like… twenty minutes. Sometimes I don’t understand your brother, Spyro” she said to him. “There is a room reserved for you in the palace, you can use the day to relax, catch up with friends, and get ready. Come tomorrow, everything is preparations.”

Michael walked back into the cave, he was covered in blood and bleeding from multiple wounds from his body. A sword stuck out of his chest, swaying as he walked. Trice looked up when she heard the familiar clicking of his claws. Then gasped.

“You said there were only like ten guards!” She yelled at him

“More like ten thousand” He mumbled, and slid to the ground.

“Was the master there?” She asked

“No, for once he knew better than to stick around.” Michael answered

Trice grunted, then pulled the sword out of Michael’s chest. Her eyes went wide when she found that it was a longsword.

“You might as well be made of sand” She mumbled

“You just need to master the ability to hold your form together with raw magic.” he told her

Aura walked into the cave, and sighed when she saw Michael.

“How many this time?”

“Around eleven thousand” Michael laid his head down

“You’re losing your touch.” She replied, chuckling

Michael gave her a look, then closed his eyes.

“Out of magic again?” Trice asked

Michael opened one eye in answer, then closed it. They sat for a moment.

“We going back to Faun?” Aura broke the silence.

“In a bit” Michael replied “Once my wounds heal and I don’t scare the small children with my blood-soaked appearance.”

Aura smiled “But I love scaring them, it reminds me of how we used to participate in the fall celebrations.”

Michael chuckled “The mothers did not approve of that”

“They yelled at us every year.” Aura replied

“They yelled at me, Michael, every year. Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned.” He said, smiling

“You saps, it’s not like he’s dying, or maybe he is, but this isn’t the first time you watched him die.” Trice cut in

“My form’s fine, I didn’t drain my magic completely” He told her “You’re the damn sap”

Trice rolled her eyes, then laid down at the other side of the cave. Aura laughed and rolled her eyes.

“Did you get any letters?” Michael asked her.

“I got a ton” She pulled out a stack and set it down “You have no idea how far I had to go before these got to me”

Michael eyed the stack, then picked them up and started reading. He read the entire stack, then set them down and sighed.

“What is it?” Aura asked

“Right after we left Faun was attacked by two dark masters. Spyro and Cynder killed them both. Not long after, the king found out that Amber’s pregnant, and got mad because Lumi didn’t tell him. So, a small army showed up to the gates and ordered Lumi captured and his eggs to be handed over when they were lain. Spyro defended him, and the army thought better than to attack, and left.” Michael looked annoyed

“What does that mean for us?” Trice called from across the cave.

“It means that we need to go to the capital, and yell at the king for a bit. Then join Spyro and the others at Warfang.” Michael called back

Aura smiled maliciously “Oh, yelling at a king, fun”

“It’s been a while since we last beat up a king” Trice called back

“Just an everyday occurrence” Aura mumbled

“What else did you expect? You wanted to come to this dimension.” Michael looked at her

“I expected more fighting armies and less… DRAMA” She groaned

“You think that’s drama?” Michael laughed “The dramas a bit lighter than normal actually”

“What?” Aura perked up

“Yeah, normally the only thing you get is drama, drama, drama. It was the reason I left the dimension in the first place.” Trice replied

Aura rolled her eyes “I bet you just got tired of a bunch of princes hitting on you.”

“That too, but the drama within that is annoying.” Trice told her “Aren’t you supposed to be hoping that princes would hit on you.

“Yes” Michael said just as Aura recoiled and said “No”

Michael shot her a look. “Most girls dream of having a prince hit on them.”

Aura burst out laughing. “AND WHAT, I say I say. Makes you think that I am one of THOSE GIRLS”

Michael laughed back “I don’t but you should be spending your time looking for a mate, not hanging around with two immortals that have all the time in existence. Let Trice work her magic”

Aura looked over at Trice, then did a double take when she noticed Trice was looking at her with a hopeful expression.

“Fine” She groaned.

Trice smiled and curled up to go to sleep. “Give me two weeks”

Aura curled up next to Michael, and fell asleep. Her sleep always came better when she heard her father’s breathing nearby. Michael watched his daughters sleep, and looked out of the cave to the stars overhead. He tried to send out a magical projection, but the lingering dark magic prevented Michael from establishing a connection with the aether dragon. He sighed, and fell asleep himself.

Aura awoke to Trice’s pacing.

“It’s king smacking time” She exclaimed “My favorite thing to do in the mornings”

Michael gave her a strange look, then shook his head at the strange excitedness from his daughter. Aura got up and yawned, then put on her armor and nodded to Michael. They took off and flew towards the nearest portal possible location. They landed in a field filled blue flowers. These were Aura’s favorite, because it signified Michael’s magic. When she was young, he used to take her to a field like this one and let her play. Michael opened a portal, and the sprawling capital of Triad glimmered into view. They stepped through the portal and were brought back to the Homeworld. Trice smiled when the guards noticed them and flew off in a hurry. She took off and quickly sped her way to the palace. Michael sighed and Aura laughed as Trice quickly overtook the guards and landed at the palace gates. Michael motioned to Aura, then they took off. By the time they made it to the throne room, Trice had already disabled the guards, they were lying trapped in ice on the floor. She was standing over the king, one paw on his neck. Trice snarled at him.

“This is what you get for trying to steal eggs from an ML general.” She said t him

Aura knew that this was the real reason Trice wanted to beat up the king. The separating of mates and the stealing of eggs is against her and Michael’s codes.

Michael flicked his head, and Trice pushed off the king’s throat. The king got up and snarled, Michael ignored him.

“You are aware that Faun had been an ML city since long before your ancestors created the Triad territory?” Michael snapped

The king snorted, not averting his gaze.

“Then you should be aware that unwelcome forces at our front gate can be seen as an act of aggression?”

The king still said nothing.

“If you attempt to order any member of my city again, I will dissolve the Triad territory.” Michael told him “And if you attempt to separate willing and able parents from their eggs again, she, will rip you into pieces.”

The king nodded, Trice feigned attacking, and he flinched. Trice scowled at him, and left the room. Michael motioned for Aura to follow her, and she did. As soon as they were gone Michael lunged forward, knocking the king back to the floor.

“If you ever mess with my friends, my generals, or my family again, you will be wishing for death long before I’m done with you.” Michael whispered into his ear.

Michael walked out to the gates, and smiled to his daughters.

“Now let’s hurry, we have a party awaiting us, and a float apparently.”

He opened another portal, this one to Warfang, they stepped through without another word, and it closed behind them.

?

“Dracios Elementia love to party, they love to celebrate holidays and they love to throw parties. There is no specific reason as to why they do this, but some consider it to be their urge to group together that causes this. Since most dragons are usually lazy creatures, having no limit on how much they can sleep per day, some of them get tired of the work, eat, sleep, repeat of their lives, and wish to do something else. In older times, these dragons celebrated sixty-five holidays. These celebrations were simple most of the time; they would get together with friends and family and they would dance, chat, and eat together. Celebrations of personal holidays such as mating anniversaries and hatchdays are usually bigger, and once a decade these holidays are celebrated with a massive party.”

Excerpt From:

Dossier Of Dracios Elementia

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Species Dossier Section (Public)

?

Chapter Eighteen

Spyro woke to a familiar voice in the hall. He carefully got up without waking Cynder, and stepped out the room. Michael was talking to Camry and Layla about their trip.

“Your back!” Spyro said to him

“Yeah, I heard about the events, you two killed two dark masters! Together! I didn’t think you had it in you.” Michael replied

“So that means that there are only five left” Spyro stated

“Four, I found one while we were gone” Michael told him

“So, about the king…” Spyro started

“I already… dealt the situation, if the king bothers you or anybody else you know, he will not like the consequences.” Michael told him “I was thinking about sending Fletcher to him in a tiny box”

Spyro looked up at him “Did you?”

“No, I set him and his guards free, he’s probably crying to daddy as we speak.” Michael replied

“Especially after the beating Cynder gave them” Mary cut in, walking out of her room.

“I can’t believe he had the gall to demand their eggs” Jake said, walking out after her.

Michael snorted “He seems to have forgotten the order of power here, but I reminded him”

Spyro looked out the window, the celebration had already started, people were dancing and throwing flowers, the music could be heard all the way up to their windows.

“I can’t believe it’s already been a year” He stated

Michael looked over to him “To me, they go by faster than seconds go by to you, so I can believe it”

A pink dragon walked into the hall.

“Good, most of you are up, wake the rest. We need to get ready” She ordered

Michael raised his eyebrows “You wake up Trice, and see if you can leave without losing all of your limbs.”

The dragon sighed, and walked into a room. There was a small explosion, and the pink dragon rushed out. She was blackened, and a few whisps of smoke rose from her decorative armor.

“There” She huffed “Now wake the rest”

Spyro laughed, then went back into his room. Cynder had amazingly slept through the explosion. He walked up to her and nuzzled her snout. She slowly opened her eyes and groaned.

“Time to get yelled at?” She asked

“They better not, or I will toast them” He smiled at her

Cynder got up and stretched, she yawned and smiled at him. They put on their newly polished armor, and stepped outside. They narrowly avoided a collision with Camry and Layla as they stepped back out into the hall. They said their hellos but were quickly brought out to their places. They put all the people that were going to be on floats in the same room. There were a few cheetahs, and a lot of moles. But Michael, Trice, Flame, Ember, and the guardians were also there. Spyro greeted the guardians and they chatted for a while. Cynder was nervous, she was trying to mentally prepare herself to be hated. After a while they were led out into a secure area filled with floats. Spyro and Cydner were led to a purple and black float, and were instructed to ‘Stand and look pretty.’ Once everybody was in their positions, the floats started gliding out of the square they were kept in. They passed under a bridge and through a curtain of streamers. A deafening roar exploded from the crowd as they came into view. Spyro and Cynder’s float led the rest, and the crowd cheered as they passed. Confetti of all colors rained down from the sky. Cynder spotted a few scowls pointed at her from various species, but she ignored them and focused on the happier parts of the crowd. She blushed when she spotted a group of dragons that had painted themselves black and had the same chokers and bracelets. One of them caught her eye, and shouted her name. Spyro nudged Cynder, and she looked at where he motioned to see a few moles had collaborated to hoist a massive banner on the sides of their homes. One half was purple and had a drawing of Spyro and his name, while the other half was the same but for Cynder. Cynder glanced back to the float behind them and laughed at the stoic look on Michael’s face. He was standing straight up, looking out at the crowd. The float that Trice and Michael was on had been covered in pink and blue petals. Cynder noticed that the float was shaped like a fortress. She laughed in amusement when the mini cannons fired, launching confetti out into the crowd. Cynder heard her name, and turned to find its source, she was surprised to find a group of black dragons, she watched them as the float approached. All of these dragons were like her, and they came to see her. Cynder watched proudly as the black dragons cheered her on. Spyro looked over at them and she noticed his eyes flash a little bit. Cynder froze when she saw a group clustered together. They were all staring at her, furious expressions on her faces. Spyro felt Cynder freeze and looked over at the group, then nuzzled her. This public display made her blush heavily, but she reciprocated his actions, rubbing him back. She glanced back to the group as they passed, and smirked at the look of bafflement that crossed their faces. Spyro gave them a look as they passed, but they ignored it and started cheering as Ember and Flame’s float approached. The floats had been brought all the way around the city. They passed by tens of thousands of cheering dragons, moles, wolves, and cheetahs. Eventually they came to a stop in the main square, and everyone was guided out of the floats and onto a special area that they could watch the rest of the celebrations from. Cynder smiled at Jasper and Samantha as she sat next to them, then to Spyro as he joined her.

“I know that many of those people are from other planets, but it feels good to not be hated.” She spoke.

Spyro agreed, and they laid in their seats, settling for the events to come. Once everybody was in their seats, and the floats were guided out of the square, a stage was set up and a reenactment was played. Spyro watched with an amused expression the events that took place in the play. Apparently Sparx had given them the whole story they were reenacting. He had made himself look better of course, but he also made Cynder look really good as well.

“How did he know about that?” Spyro asked.

She snapped back out of thought. “Maybe I told him, I don’t know”

“He made himself look so good by making it to where he couldn’t follow instead of didn’t follow” Spyro replied with an annoyed tone.

“Of course he did, it’s Sparx” Cynder told him

Sparx flew over and landed on one of Spyro’s horns.

“You know I can tell when you say my name, it gives me this cold shiver” He told her

“Sparx Sparx Sparx Sparx Sparx” She chanted.

Spyro laughed “You better go back, before that event planner notices you left your seat and smacks you with her scroll.”

Sparx sighed, and went back to his seat with his parents. They watched the rest of the play. When all of the actors came back on the stage and bowed, everybody cheered. Spyro gave Cynder a surprised look, apparently the crowd enjoyed the performance more then they did. Next the queen stepped on stage and said a speech about the heroics of the city’s heroes. When she was done, she did something unexpected. She pulled out a bunch of medals and started calling people from their seating area. First Flame and Ember, with confused faces, walked onto the stage and accepted the medals. Then the queen called a few others up. Cynder gave Spyro a worried look, just before the queen called their name. They slowly got up and looked over to Michael, who gave them a slightly amused glance. They walked onto the stage, and accepted the medals. The crowd exploded when Spyro was given his medal, but went silent when Cynder approached the queen. Suddenly the crowd started booing her. Cynder accepted her medal and stood by Spyro. But the crowd kept booing. The tourists were looking around, confused. Cynder heard someone call her a traitor, and another mole called her evil. Spyro reflexively stepped in front of her, and covered her with his wing. Cynder stepped forward to face the crowd then roared. The crowd instantly silenced. She looked out at the stunned crowd, and took a deep breath.

“I know that the things I did while I was corrupted were unforgivable, and I know you don’t believe me when I tell you that I was under the control of Malefor and had no choice but to do those things. Trust me, I feel the guilt a lot more than I let on, I feel horrible about everything. But I know that there is nothing I can do to fix it, so I just want to move on with my life. I’ve fought my own demons, and I helped Spyro save the planet. I feel like that is enough retribution to prove to you that I am no longer evil. I am mated with Spyro, and I love him with all my heart, he trusts me, Michael trusts me, even the queen trusts me. All I ask of you is to respect me, I know that you may hate me forever, but just let me be in peace.” Cynder shouted at the crowd.

Spyro nuzzled Cynder’s neck, showing his support. Most of the angry faces in the crowd didn’t change their expression, but Cynder saw some softening faces. The crowd stayed silent, and Cynder nodded to them and left the stage. Michael had already stepped on the stage by the time they sat down, and gave them all an angry glance.

“Dragonic corruption has been a problem throughout this world and others for millions of years. Cynder’s was just the tip of the iceberg compared to some of the ones in the past. But you need to get over yourselves. Corruption changes one’s mind, body, and soul. Making them like what they do and enjoy it. But in reality, they are under the complete control of the one who corrupted them. The dragon that just came up here today was not the same dragon that you encountered or heard stories from. She has been freed, and has ascended to become a queen. If you disrespect Cynder you disrespect her mate, and if you disrespect the king of elemental dragons, you disrespect me. This should be the last time I ever see or hear about this ever again. I will not remind you again, Cynder is a queen, and she saved all of your lives, she deserves respect at the very least. I don’t expect you to like her, but she will get her peace.” He gave a shaming look throughout the crowd as he spoke.

He sent out another look through the crowd, then stepped off the stage. The queen walked back to center stage and continued her speech. After a while the crowd parted to go to separate parties, the stage and the sitting area were removed from the main square, and were replaced by a dance floor and a bunch of musicians started playing. Spyro grabbed Cynder and rushed her to the floor. The party lasted through the night and ended right before the sun rose from the horizon. When the music stopped, Spyro picked Cynder up and looked over to see Flame and Michael have similar situations with Ember and Aura. Spyro flashed a smile at Michael and he rolled his eyes, and they went to their rooms. Spyro set Cynder down and took off her armor, then he set her into the bed and curled around her. Cynder mumbled a little in her sleep but didn’t stir.

Spyro opened his tired eyes to see the midday sun shining through the window, he sighed and curled tighter around Cynder, who cuddled against him in turn. Spyro closed his eyes again and fell back asleep. He didn’t sleep for long before he felt Cynder nudge his nose lightly. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was smiling at him.

“Your so cute when you sleep.” She told him

Spyro groaned and stretched, yawning.

“Your so cute when I carry you home” He countered

She gave him a confused look, then gasped in mock horror.

“Oh, how embarrassing”

“Flame and Michael carried Ember and Aura as well.” Spyro chuckled

Cynder laughed. “That music was too good to stop dancing”

Spyro agreed, he got up and they nuzzled each other for a couple minutes. Then they packed their things and joined the rest of the group at the front gate. Michael was still carrying Aura, she mumbled occasionally in her sleep. Cynder snickered and he shot her an amused look, and rolled his eyes. A portal formed and Ember said goodbye to her mother. Once everybody was through, Michael closed the portal and carried Aura into his house. Spyro and Cynder went to their bed and slept the rest of the day away.

A strange crash woke Cynder from a deep sleep, she looked over to Spyro to see him still asleep. She craned her neck to look out the window and watched Flame picking up his sword. He looked around, embarrassed, and walked into his house. Cynder looked up at the sky and noticed the dawn light shining in the distance. Spyro curled tighter against her, the days were getting colder, announcing the coming winter. Cynder slowly sat there and watched the sun rise for a few hours, enjoying Spyro’s warmth, and his steady breathing. She thought back to the crowd that booed her, and hoped that they would follow Michael’s wishes. Lumi and Jasper landed in the square, they had blankets strapped to their backs, Cynder knew that both of their mates had entered their nesting phase. She wondered how that felt, and her mind strayed to thinking about making a family. She couldn’t wait to start one with Spyro, the thoughts gave her a fuzzy feeling. She closed her eyes, imagining herself curled up around a clutch of eggs, with Spyro curled around her. She imagined Spyro playing with his kids, and smiled to herself. After a few more hours Spyro opened his eyes and looked around. They stared at each other in silence for a while, before Cynder cracked and smiled.

“What?” She asked

He leaned forward and kissed her. “Just you”

“You sap” Cynder said, still kissing him

Spyro broke the kiss and moved his head back “You love it”

Cynder rolled her eyes “Duh, what female wouldn’t love that?”

They cuddled for a while, enjoying the peace. Then Spyro got up, Cynder shivered and pulled him back. He fell with an oof, and laughed. She pulled him into a kiss and he gave her some of his fire element. She breathed against him, enjoying the new warmth. He broke the kiss again, and left the room.

“I’m making breakfast” He called as he left

Cynder sighed and laid her head back down.

?

“Interplanetary travel between low-tech planets is always difficult to arrange, monitor, and sustain. Permanent magical portals require maintenance, and need to be monitored. These portals are essential for some economies as they are reliant on imported goods. Intergalactic portals are very hard to sustain and need constant upkeep, they need to be recast every few months, and extra protections are needed to prevent dangers from entering through the void. There are five kinds of portals that align with the five types of magic, fairy portals can only form in magically significant areas, and can only lead to Fairiea, the home plane of all fairy magic. Ethereal portals can go practically anywhere, but are easier to open on certain ley lines. A connection with an ethereal ley line is usually marked with some sort of ethereal bloom, a grouping of blue flowers in an otherwise empty clearing. Eldritch portals cause extreme fear when opened, and stay open for long periods of time, these portals have an area of effect that also serves as a warning to all creatures that an eldritch being is near. Demonic portals are extremely limited, only the most powerful of demons can open them into living dimensions, and for fallen angels, their power is extremely limited in them. Aether portals are the most commonly used, they have few limits and rules while also easy to travel through and easy to create.”

Excerpt From:

Portals And Magical Forms Of Travel

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Travel Section (Public)

?

Chapter Nineteen

Spyro watched as Michael landed in the square, over the last few weeks he had been coming and going frequently. Spyro knew that the war was coming to a close, he had killed two more masters. There were only two left. The Dark Authority was running out of territory, and were getting more and more desperate. He watched Camry and Layla leave the guest house and walk up to them. Their mating ceremony was approaching, and they had asked Michael to officiate. Spyro looked over to Cynder, who was leaning against him, asleep. Spyro watched in confusion as Lumi rushed out of his house and called to Michael. He realized that Amber must be laying. Michael rushed into the house, leaving Camry and Layla. Spyro looked down at his sleeping mate, and thought about starting a family with her. He knew that she wanted it as well, but they had no idea when. Cynder stirred in her sleep, and he charged his element power, turning himself into a warm pillow for his mate. She settled back into her dreams. Spyro watched a portal open in the square, and Asher walked through. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then saw Ember leave her house. He struck up a conversation with her. Spyro wondered what it was like for Amber to lay with Michael as her matron. He chuckled, remembering how his father, his mother, Malefor, and even the queen of Warfang were all laid under the protection of Michael. It must be very awkward, but also comforting, because Michael has been doing that for billions of years. Cynder opened her eyes and sighed, enjoying the heat radiating from her mate.

“Hey, I think Amber’s laying.” He told her

“Oh? That’s so exciting!” She exclaimed

They walked out into the square, Cynder hugged close to Spyro to stave off the cold winds. They talked with everybody for a while, and just after the sun had set, Michael walked out into the square.

“Amber has successfully lain seven eggs, they are happy and healthy. Now normally a female needs rest after laying, but Amber has requested three people to see her before she passes out. Spyro, Cynder, and Asher, come with me” He called out.

Spyro and Cynder shared a confused look, and walked into the house. They entered the nest room calmly, saying their hellos. Amber was laying exhausted on her nest; she was curled around seven differently colored eggs, Lumi was curled around her. Amber smiled at them as they entered.

“I wanted you to see them before I regain my strength and my instincts force me to growl at anybody who isn’t Lumi.” She told them “I wanted to show my thanks for saving them from the king”

Spyro nodded, but Cynder just gazed at the eggs, a huge smile on her face.

Amber smiled brighter. “Don’t mind her, her instincts are telling her to get pregnant and lay her own eggs.”

Asher entered the room and smiled at his aunt.

“Come meet your cousins” She called to him “Because you aren’t going to see them until a while after they hatch.”

Asher stepped forward and very gently nudged each egg in turn.

“Hello little ones” He whispered, then stepped back.

Cynder kept staring at Amber and her eggs, every once in a while, she gave him a longing look at Spyro. After a few minutes Michael stepped forward and inspected the clutch. He paused at each egg, closing his eyes and focusing, after he finished, he stepped back and nodded. Then he led the others out.

“She needs to rest, and Lumi needs to stay with her.” Michael told them

Spyro smiled at him “Another successful clutch?”

Michael knew what he was inferring. “Yep, add it to the millions”

Cynder turned her glassy gaze towards Michael “Wasn’t she embarrassed?”

“A little, but she was a bit distracted” Michael explained

Cynder kept her distant, glassy gaze as they walked back into the house. Spyro watched her, starting to get a little worried. They settled back onto the couch, and she turned to him.

“I want that” She stated

“So do I” Spyro told her

“Like, now.” She ordered

Spyro laughed “You’re not in heat honey”

“Fine!” She replied “On my next one”

She nuzzled him, he kissed her. “I can’t wait”

They stayed like this until Cynder calmed down, then they went to bed.

Spyro woke up, the morning light shining in its usual place. He looked down at his mate, who was smiling in her sleep. A letter was hovering above his head, he grabbed it and read it. Samantha had lain during the night, and five healthy eggs have joined the world. He nudged Cynder, who groaned and looked up at him. He handed her the letter, and she smiled.

“Let’s go see her.”

They walked out of the house and into the guest house, and were greeted by a very tired Camry, Layla was asleep on the couch, snoring lightly. Michael poked his head out of the nest room.

“Two clutched within twelve hours, this is pretty rare. Come see” He called

They entered once again to see a dragoness curled around another clutch of eggs. She opened her eyes and smiled at them.

“Cynder, Spyro, Hi.” She greeted them with tired eyes

Cynder approached, and nuzzled Samantha’s snout, saying a hello to her aunt, then she looked at the eggs. She gasped as she spotted a black one.

“I know, what are the chances?” She said to her “You have a large chance of having at least one. But it isn’t common in either of our families”

Spyro watched the interaction, Cynder nuzzled against the black egg. Then moved to the others.

“Their beautiful.” She said to Samantha

“Thank you, I’m very happy”

She laid her head down, and Jasper watched her.

“Lots of new souls in this district today” He stated

“Twelve eggs in one night, this family is getting bigger” Michael agreed

They left the room, and Spyro checked on Camry.

“Did you get any sleep?” He asked

“Not really” Camry answered

“You can wake Layla and take her too one of our spare rooms for a while.” Spyro offered

Camry nodded and gently nudged Layla, she woke up and looked around.

“Spyro has offered for us to stay in one of their spare rooms, lets go take a nap.” He told her

They left, leaving Spyro and Cynder with Michael. Jasper stuck his head out the window.

“Did Camry leave?” He asked

“Yeah, he went to go take a nap” Spyro explained.

Jasper nodded and went back into the room. They hung around for a while, then walked back into the square. Cynder was happy about her new family, and Spyro shared the same look.

“Ah, the beginning of new life, always brings a smile to my face.” Michael spoke

A general landed in the square, out of breath, and approached Michael.

“The armies will be at the capital soon; we expect to encounter some enemy forces.” He gasped

Michael smiled and turned to Spyro. “And to top it all off, the end of this war is approaching.”

“And there’s something else, the hunters have found another lead in finding the void dragon.” The general replied

“When the war is over, we will be joining the hunt, we need to find him.” Michael told them.

The general nodded, and flew off.

“Soon, white pedals will be raining from the sky.” Michael told him.

“What is the point of the pedals?” Cynder asked

“Blue for war, white for peace, red for the death of a king, and yellow for the laying of a new one.” Michael explained “It’s a Faun tradition.”

Cynder nodded “When Spyro was born, was their yellow pedals?”

“Yes” Michael answered

He turned and walked into his house. Spyro looked at Cynder and smiled.

“War no more” He smiled at her

They ate a meal, and relaxed, reading a few books. They enjoyed each other’s company for a while. After a few hours, Michael joined them in the living room.

“Sadly, we have to leave here tomorrow. Were going to join the final assault on the capital, once the last masters are dead, the Dark Authority’s spells will dissolve, and their territories will belong to the ML.” He told them

They nodded, sad to leave their family, but excited to finally win the war. They ate their dinner, and took a small flight around the city. They sailed through the windstreams, coasting along. After circling the city, they landed back in the square. Walking back in their house, the settled down for the night, making sure they were prepared for the voyage tomorrow. Then fell asleep.

Michael woke the too mates early in the morning. They put on their armor, and flew off towards the dock. They landed to find a portal already waiting for them. On the other side a massive army had formed and was marching towards a city. Spyro marveled at the massive spider-like broodmothers as they marched. Michael led them too the top of one, and they landed on top of it’s back. They found a spot to land and Cynder huddled against Spyro, the cold winds were harsh on top of the broodmother. After a few hours of marching, the army finally reached the city. Michael summoned a massive ethereal ball, and launched it at the city. The impact destroyed it’s shields instantly. The city didn’t even get a chance to return fire before its cannons were destroyed by the ones on the broodmothers. The army let out a battle cry as they rushed the city. Massive titans burst out of the city, but were met by the broodmothers. The sheer force of the advancing army tore down the city’s walls. This army was the biggest one Spyro had ever seen. They flew off of the broodmother and into the main entrance, its massive gate was shattered. They walked through the main entrance, and Michael charged forward. A wave of dark dragons rushed out of every opening. Michael rushed forward and sent them flying back, he swung his sword and sliced the cursed soldiers. They fell back and retreated, causing Michael to leap forward again and sent a fire pulse through the soldiers. Finishing them off. Michael rushed to the center of the city, Spyro and Cynder barely keeping up. Michael looked out and watched two dragons step out of the main palace. He growled, readying for a fight.

“Look who finally arrived to finish us off” They called in unison

“That’s… creepy” Cynder shuddered

“Do you know what will happen if the Dark Authority were to be defeated?” They asked

“Yes, and I’m willing to finish this fighting.” Michael answered

“Very well then” They entered a battle stance.

Michael calmy slashed forward, launching a massive ethereal bolt at the dragons. The magic seared the dragons, sending them flying.

“You came prepared for a fight; your magic seems potent.” They spoke in unison

“I draw power from life and joy, your defeat has caused a ton of that.” Michael replied

They leaped forward, but were stopped by a shield. Their bodies collided with the runed wall of pure magic. Michael changed to his shadow form. The two dragons had no time react before they were grabbed by the shadow tendrils. Michael lifted his sword and held it to one of their necks.

“Any last words?”

“Lacetos heminus cominar. He will come, foolish god, he will come” They chanted

Michael lifted his sword and brought it down, then he repeated his motion. The last two dark masters fell dead, their bodies bursting into flames. Suddenly all of the fighting stopped, the dark soldiers fell away and the cursed armies turned to dust. The darkness that surrounded the city had faded, allowing the sun to peek through. Michael looked up at the sky and let the sun warm his scales. He roared, sending a pulse through the city. Spyro called to him, and he turned and smiled.

“The Dark Authority is gone, destroyed. We won, but this is only the beginning. More fighting will come, this dimension needs to be totally purified of dark magic. This includes dredging up ancient beings, and to find the ingredients needed to bring back your parents, we need to find even more evil things.” Michael told them

Spyro nodded, understanding that he practically was a magnet for such things. A massive broodmother marched into the city, establishing dominance over its structure. Michael walked over to them.

“That was a lot faster than expected, I think its time we return to Faun, and give us some time to think about what we do next.” Michael sighed

Spyro nodded, and Michael opened a portal. They hastily walked through it, and looked around the square. Cynder looked around and noticed that white petals were falling. Mary was running around the square with her kids, laughing.

?

“The ML has three main councils that have their own functions. The Ministry of Magic is a branch of the ML military, everything that has anything to do with magic falls under their jurisdiction. They have levels of command: Warrior, Rook, Knight, Warlock, Witch/Wizard, Sorcerer, then royal. These serve as a chain of command and soldiers are placed based on their skill and power. There are other positions, such as warrior captain, cardinal, and warden. The cardinals serve as the guards for the ministry’s headquarters. While the wardens serve as a form of military police. The ministry serves to study all kinds of magic and control it if needed. Most low-tech dimensions have ministry soldiers due to their training with more primitive weapons.”

Excerpt From:

Structure Of The ML

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Important Education Section (Public)

?

Chapter Twenty

Spyro grabbed Cynder, and kissed her. The white pedals fell around them. Lumi stepped out of the house for a second, and smiled at the sight before him, before Amber called him back into the house. Michael smiled as Flame and Ember ran out of their house, laughing and smiling. Michael called a few musicians and started a party. Cynder grabbed Spyro and started dancing, Spyro moved with his mate but kept glancing over to Michael. He was huddled with Trice, they were speaking with hushed, worried expressions. Cynder fallowed his glances, and looked back to him.

“Ignore them, they’re preparing for what’s to come. We don’t have to worry about that yet, just enjoy the moment, honey.” She told him

Spyro looked down at her, he was surprised by the pet name, but smiled nonetheless. The white pedals continued to fall through the night. After a while, Cynder couldn’t dance anymore, so they walked to the edge of the square. Spyro noticed that Michael and Trice had disappeared, but he knew that Michael would explain everything later. They joined Ember and Flame next to their house, they were watching the party, laughing.

“So, we won?” Flame asked Spyro when he approached

“Yeah, the final assault was this morning” Spyro answered

“Thank god this is finally over.” Ember sighed in relief

“Over?” Aura appeared behind them “Out of the pan, and into the fire”

She chuckled ominously and joined the party.

“What did she mean by that?” Ember asked

“Michael mentioned something about hunting down a void dragon” Cynder spoke

Flame and Ember looked confused, but shrugged it off.

“Another adventure it is” Flame said

“If he’s as hard to find as Michael says he is, we might be gone for a long time.” Spyro replied

Ember grabbed Flame’s tail with hers “Then we should enjoy the party.”

The two watched them go, then laughed a little. They walked back to their house to grab a quick meal, but were interrupted by a sky-blue snout poking out the door.

“Hey Samantha” Cynder called

She opened the door and greeted them.

“No more war, finally” she mumbled “I didn’t want them hatching in all of it.”

Spyro nodded, understanding, then looked into the house.

“What are you doing watching? Why don’t you join in?”

“I can’t bring myself to leave right now, Jasper’s on the eggs but my instincts won’t let me do anything right now, at least until the younglings are more developed.” She answered

Spyro was about to say something, but Samantha looked back into the house, then said a quick goodbye and shut the door. Spyro gave an amused look to Cynder, who gave it back. They went into their house and Spyro sent Cynder to sit at the table, after a couple minutes he came out of the kitchen with their meals. They were halfway through their meal when Camry popped his head through the door and looked over at them.

“Hey! Why aren’t you at the party?” He yelled

“We were, but we needed to take a break” Spyro called back

“Oh” Camry yelled with a smile

Spyro took the bait “Is there something you want?”

He smiled more “Maybe you should show up to our mating ceremony”

Cynder fell over, coughing. Spyro helped her up and laughed at him.

“You know, I think I’ll pass” He called back

“Oh, well, that’s a shame.” Camry laughed “But if you change your mind, it’s literally right outside your door in about twenty minutes”

“Twenty?” Cynder yelled, then rushed to the bedroom.

Camry gave Spyro a confused glance.

“What? How long has Layla been taking to get ready?”

Camry thought for a moment “Good point. Oh! We were wondering if you two would be our witnesses?”

“What about your parents?” Spyro asked

Camry looked confused again “Parents aren’t usually witnesses.”

“Oh, sure! Cynder and I would be happy to.” Spyro told him

Camry thanked him, and left. Spyro walked into the bedroom and told Cynder the news. She dropped her sword with a clang, and squealed.

“OMYGOSH YESSSS”

Spyro stepped back, her tailblade narrowly avoiding his face. She noticed this and calmed down, blushing slightly.

“Whoops” She spoke

“At least let me put my armor on before you try to stab me.” He told her

They finished putting on their armor, and stepped out into the square. The entire mood had shifted, Samantha was sitting in the back, wrapped around her eggs on a mini nest they had built. Jasper was standing next to her, the suddenness of this ceremony showed in the form of surprise on their face.

“Why now?” Cynder asked

“They couldn’t figure out a date, so I guess they wanted to be spontaneous” Spyro explained.

A nervous stylist rushed to them, checked their armor, straightened and shined them a bit. Then nodded and walked them to the center. Michael was standing in the middle, two stylists were wiping the blood off of his armor, and he had a puzzled expression on his face as he read from a paper in his hand.

“They requested a special ceremony.” He told them

Spyro laughed “Yours was a little… Brisk.”

Michael huffed “I’ve done this a billion times, to his parents, to their parents. Whatever, I’ve also had these requests many times as well.”

Spyro looked out to see Camry rush up and stand in front of him, he glanced at him and Cynder, and nodded his thanks. Michael laughed at him.

“I’m not saying all of this” He motioned to the paper

Camry nodded “That’s fine”

“I don’t want to talk for two hours Camry” He chuckled

His eyes went wide “Wait, really, Layla wrote it and wouldn’t let me see it completely”

“It’s long dude, and props, but it’s a bit much.” Michael noted

He snapped the paper away and looked out to the crowd. Spyro spotted the king, who sat at the back of the crowd, fuming.

“I don’t think he’s too happy about this” Spyro motioned to the king.

Cynder laughed “Good”

Camry looked confused, then remembered just how his future mate came into their lives.

“She still feels bad about that, by the way” He told them

“She’s fine, but her father isn’t” Cynder replied

Michael snorted, then snapped. A gong sounded, and the crowd settled into their places. Almost immediately, Layla walked out and over to Samantha, they talked for a bit before Samantha nodded. Layla then turned and walked through the crowd. Michael summoned a book and Layla’s smile flashed a bit of confusion for a second.

“Relax, it’s for show.” Michael mumbled to her as she joined Camry.

He puffed his chest out and sighed, then called out to the crowd.

“Love, we are here because of love. Layla and Camry have chosen this day of celebration to not only be remembered as the day the war was won, but also the day they became one. These two have accepted each other into their hearts, and want to get the formalities out of the way.” He shot a glare at Layla, who was giggling “These two have had a fast-paced love, their fates were set by a goddess who could see into the future.” Michael looked over to Trice, then they both shot Layla another glare. “And were nourished by close friends and family. Two of which are here as witnesses today. Their love can not be doubted but must be seen by others” A confused glance to Layla, who shrugged. “Spyro, have you seen the love of these two?”

Spyro looked up “Yes!”

“Cynder, have you seen the love of these two?”

Cynder grinned “Yes, congrats cousin”

Michael turned to the couple and huffed “Layla, do you take Camry, whole, as is, for better or for worse.”

Camry paled “As is?” He whispered to Spyro.

“I do” Layla

“Camry, do you take Layla, whole, as is, for better or for worse?’

“I do” Camry answered

“Then, I declare with my blessing, and the power of the ethereal plane, you to be mates, from now onto forever.” Michael eyes flashed, and the binding spell was cast.

They kissed and the crowd cheered.

“As is? Whole? Seen the love? From now onto forever?” Michael huffed “It’s more ridiculous when I say it out loud.”

The crowd parted, allowing the happy couple to pass, and they walked up to Samantha. All the eyes were on her and she seemed embarrassed.

“What? I already said yes, now go!” She shouted

The crowd cheered again, and the musicians started up a new tune. Michael helped transfer Samantha and her eggs back into the house. Jasper snuck up on Spyro and Cynder.

“Michael told us that you guys might be leaving in a few days. Were planning on moving back before the eggs hatch, and Camry and Layla are going to stay with us until they ascend to take the Fen throne.” He told them “In case we are gone by the time your back, it was nice spending time with you, when the hatchlings are old enough, we’ll come back for a while.”

Cynder nodded and said goodbye, then they sat back with the rest of the crowd. Flame and Ember joined them, Spyro could tell something is bothering them.

“What’s wrong?”

“My mother keeps asking me if when I want to be king, and now that the war is over, she has doubled her efforts, I think she wants to retire.” Ember explained

“Whatever adventure that awaits us might be the last, we’ll be staying in Faun, but we will have more responsibilities.” Flame told them.

Spyro nodded, “I guess many people will be ascending soon”

“You already have” Ember added

Spyro chuckled, and scratched his head “Yeah, that still feels weird”

They watched the crowd for a while, then spotted the king standing alone in a corner. Spyro and Cynder walked up to him.

“Hey, nice to finally meet you, Spyro has told me so much about you” Cynder spoke.

“Uh, yeah, you too” The king replied

“Can I ask why you tried to take my mate from me?” Cynder asked, faking an innocent tone.

“I, uh, didn’t know it was official yet.” He mumbled

“But you still knew he was called for, did you not?” Cynder’s tone changed to a mean one

“Not really, everybody still thought you had him under some spell.” The king stated

Cynder huffed, then shook her head. “Do you understand now?”

“Yes”

“Good, if you try to do something like that again I will rip your throat out, in front of all your people.” She growled

Cynder walked away and Spyro followed.

“That.. was…” He started

“I know, I shouldn’t have…”

“Hot, if only you could have done that to the king of Triad.” He interrupted her

She blushed and looked back at him, the burst out laughing.

“Oh, the benefits of being a queen. I get to threaten anyone I want.” She joked

Michael walked over to them. “He looks like you just threatened to kill him.”

“That’s because I did” Cynder told him

Michael smirked “Good”

“So, where we going?” Spyro asked

“Very, very far from here, way out of communication range, support range, or even supply range. We have narrowed it down to two systems, but one has four possible planets, and the other has five. So, we have to search nine planets, completely, for someone that will try their hardest not to be found.” Michael told them

“What is a void dragon?” Cynder asked

“A dragon, that is even more rare than you. You have been told that a purple dragon is born once every ten generations, but in reality, it’s once a generation, usually really far apart. A void dragon is a special kind of black dragon that has extreme powers over space and necromancy. They are rarer than purples by far, but aren’t as powerful. If you were to fight him you would win, because you have natural immunity to his powers, and he is weak to aether magic. To bring your parents back we need four void cores, and only void dragons can make them. Void dragons can only be born in this dimension, and we have only recorded one in the last hundred thousand years. He might hide from us, or he might see you, Cynder, and show himself. He might not know this but he is your ancestor, you share a direct relation with him. But when he sees a black dragoness with a purple dragon, then sees me he might just accept defeat. We used to be friends, but he left to look for a specific type of magic, and when he found it, he did not like what he found, so he hid away. His mate has petrified herself and awaits his return. If I find him, I will be dragging him back, whether or not he submits.” Michael watched the crowd

“When do we leave?” Spyro asked

“A few weeks, months? I don’t know, it requires massive planning and packing, we could be gone for a year.” Michael answered

“No contact for a year, good, I was getting a little tired of all this attention” Cynder replied

“Same” Michael agreed

The party lasted late, but the two dragons didn’t stay, they went to bed before midnight, curling up in their usual places on the soft bed.

“A year without beds, gourmet food, housing, or even a steady food source. I think we may have gone a bit soft.” Spyro spoke

“Probably, but I also think we deserved this time, we saved the world, then we helped save a bunch more.” Cynder replied

They laid there, listening to the music and the sounds of the party.

“They are going to be doing that all night” Spyro laughed

“Camry and Layla left before we did, those parties are just for the guests.” Cynder stated

Spyro laughed “Yeah, we didn’t stay at ours either”

“But I enjoyed the dancing, I never knew I liked it so much. I think it’s just a girl thing.” Cynder told him.

“I like it too, it’s definitely better with another dragon, all the parties I went to as a kid I was the only dragon, so I never had a partner.” Spyro replied

“Yeah, it’s easier when you have a mate that steps up and covers your mistakes” She giggled

“You’re not that bad, you only had two today” Spyro told her.

“I know, I also know that you have to say that, it’s like a guy thing.” Cynder replied

Spyro gave her a confused look.

“Nevermind, is Sparx any good?” She changed the subject

Spyro laughed “No, he’s terrible. I feel like I shouldn’t be telling you this, but a way to really mess with him is to tell him to dance whenever music starts playing. June knows he’s terrible, but he still tries to impress her.”

“Too much ego to say no?” Cynder asked

“Exactly” Spyro replied

Cynder nuzzled his neck “Goodnight, sweetie”

“Sweetie? Honey? You’re warming up to the names?” He asked

“A little” Cynder admitted “It’s cute”

“I have more” He stated “sugar, babe, hubby…”

“Maybe, no, definitely not” Cynder interrupted him.

He chuckled, then laid his head down, and closed his eyes.

“We have to hunt down your ancestor, that feels weird” He stated

“Yeah, Michael said that dragons could live naturally for almost two million years, but don’t usually.” Cynder replied

“I could look forward to spending two million years with you” He mumbled sleepily

Cynder froze, Spyro did not realize the weight of his words, but it made love bloom in her heart to hear them. Such a statement in its sincerity could only mean complete and unconditional devotion to her. She heard his breathing slow as he fell asleep. Cynder felt his heartbeat and followed, feeling only content as her eyes closed. Well, almost content, they were missing one, or a couple, of a certain thing.

END OF BOOK 2

?

“The ML holds a tradition for when a war ends; a single flame is brought through the city, and each person who has lost a family or friend would place a piece of paper with their loved one’s name on it in the flame. This celebration only happens within the ML, not in it’s defended allies, it is a key function in the war filled society of the ML. Evil always tries to take down the ML, but it always fails, and this tradition keeps general morality high, and helps people to move on.”

Excerpt From:

Traditions of the ML society

Jennifer Golding

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Traditions Section (Public)

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Book Three

Balance Of Power

“Everything in existence has a balance to it. Since eldritch and ethereal were two sides of the same coin, they were able to balance without a thought, allowing for peace and independence from each other. But demonic and aether are constantly fighting, and two equal forces will never be able to defeat each other. Fairy magic in of itself is balanced, but it is only balanced because it is an equal blend between demonic and aether magic. This balance can not be changed, there will always be an evil that has the same power over good, but good can prevail over and equal evil, and as long as something of equal or greater power has existed, its impression will forever exist on the scale of power.”

Excerpt From:

Balance

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Important Education Section (Public)

?

Chapter One

Michael stood out on the dock, watching a fortress float by. A general sitting next to him, reading a report.

“She’s getting better” Michael remarked

“Hmn?” the general looked up “Oh, yeah, this is her certification test. After this she will be able to be a full pilot.”

“You proud of her?” Michael asked

“She’s my daughter, I would be proud of her if she was a maildragon” The general answered

Michael laughed. “Yeah, same”

“So, when are you leaving?” He asked

“Right after they all arrive. Trice and Aura are already here, Spyro and Cynder are on their way. But Flame and Ember are still packing.” Michael answered

“So, you aren’t taking any soldiers with you? Or ethereal knights?” The general looked at him

“No need, we would crush the void dragon if he attacked us. Also, go out and find one ethereal knight in this dimension.” Michael raised his eyebrows.

“Fair point, points.” The general admitted

Trice landed with a thump next to them, watching the fortress float by.

“Is that Sammy?” She asked

“Yeah, this is her final test” Michael told her

She smiled “Nice”

Michael turned to the general “When she passes, promote her, twice”

The general looked up in surprise “To a squadron leader?”

“Yep, she has the skill. I remember when she followed you around and watched you work.” He smiled

Aura joined them.

“What’s taking them so long?” She asked

“I don’t know, Ember probably is freaking out.” Michael answered

They watched as the fortress completed many maneuvers, diving and swerving. Then it fired once, signifying that the pilot had passed. The general took off to congratulate his daughter. After a few minutes he returned with her by his side.

“Sir!” She stood at attention

“At ease Sammy, I’m not in action.” Michael responded

The younger dragoness relaxed. “I wanted to say thank you.”

“You’re welcome, I had been monitoring your progress in the academy, and knew you would be a good fit to be a squadron leader. You will be stationed here, directly under your father.” Michael smiled at her

Her eyes widened “But what about…”

“Stephan” He cut her off “He has been wanting to retire through the whole war, but had nobody to replace him.”

“Aren’t people going to complain” Sammy asked

“No, the placement has been signed by me, nobody will say anything” Michael told her

They spotted Spyro and Cynder flying towards them.

“Finally, we have been planning for three weeks, they should have been ready hours ago.” Trice groaned.

The two landed with the rest. Sammy blushed and tried to back away from the conversation.

“Hello, my name is Spyro, this is Cynder, nice to meet you” Spyro greeted Sammy.

She froze “Hi, Sammy”

“Meet the new squadron leader for Faun” Michael stated

“Congrats” Cynder replied.

Spyro smiled “I’m glad to know who will be leading the fortresses in defense of Faun”

Sammy blushed again, thanked the two dragons, then flew off. The general watched her go.

“She’s a fan” He explained, then flew off after her.

They stood around for a while, eventually, Flame and Ember joined them. Flame sent them an apologetic look.

“Is everybody ready?” Michael asked them

They nodded, and Michael opened a portal, this one was different than normal, it crackled with blue magic and seemed very unstable.

“This uses a massive amount of magic, because the systems we are going to are contained due to their wild magic.” Michael explained.

Trice and Aura rushed through the portal, and the rest followed. Once they were through, the portal collapsed with a loud snap. Spyro looked around, they were in a clearing, filled with blue flowers, surrounded by woods.

“I choose the most likely first, but it also has the worst weather.” Michael told them

“Yeah, you ever heard of ice tornados?” Trice laughed

“Of course they haven’t. The temperature drops well below zero at night, so those without a fire element should stay near their mates”

Michael, Trice, and Aura stared pointedly at Cynder and Ember.

“I’m serious, you could die in ten minutes” He added “And I need to boost Flame’s element as well.”

Flame looked up “It’s that bad?”

“Yeah, the environment here completely shuts down at night.” Michael answered

“Then how would the void dragon survive here?” Cynder asked

“He inherited an ice element from his mother” Michael answered

“Makes him immune to the cold, because it was supposed to be his primary. Just like Spyro has a primary fire, and you have poison.” Trice added

“I do?” Cynder looked confused

“Not like it matters, so was Malefor. Since you are his daughter, you gained some extra power” Michael told her. “Then he… added more”

Cynder nodded. “But he skipped out the good ones.”

“When Malefor corrupted you, he couldn’t transfer any of the main elements, only fear and wind. Michael replied

“So, if I wasn’t corrupted, I would still have poison and dark?” Cynder asked

“Yes, and maybe even an electric one, it kind of runs in your family” Michael explained

Cynder looked around the forest “Where could he be?”

“Most likely in one of the ruins” Michael answered “This is the only portal location”

The sun had already start to set, Michael watched it touch the horizon.

“We should settle down for the night, we will start our flight tomorrow.”

He led them into the woods, and found a nice space in between a handful of trees. He pulled out a fire core and charged it, it set of a radiating heat, but they knew it would only do so much. Michael pulled out a strange looking gem, and crushed it in his claws, he then sent the gem’s energy into Flame.

“Your fire element is now boosted, your welcome.” He told Flame

“Congrats” Spyro called

Spyro and Flame watched as Trice circled the area she was going to bed down in, then she fired plasma at the ground, turning the dirt to a warm stone like material. They followed, and soon there was a small cluster of beds ready for them. Aura curled up on a slab, and Michael curled around her, protecting his daughter from the extreme cold that had already started to set in. The wind picked up, and Cynder started to shiver, so Spyro charged his element power, and curled around her. He covered her with his wing. Ice started blowing with the wind, Spyro looked out to see that it immediately started covering Michael, who had ducked his head under his wing. Trice caught his eye and smirked, then winced as the wind picked up, and ducked under her wing. Spyro looked over at Flame, who was amazed at the sudden change in weather. The ice shards started building on their bodies, Spyro ducked his head under his wing and looked at Cynder.

“It’s pretty cold” He said to her

She rolled her eyes “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

Spyro let his element keep him warm, and fell asleep.

Spyro woke to Cynder shivering, all he could feel was cold. He heard the wind blowing outside. He charged his element powers as much as he could, and warmed himself. Spyro lifted his wing slightly, and tried to lift his head, but found that he was covered in snow. He forced his head out and popped out of the snow. He looked around to see three other mounds where the others were supposed to be. His head barely stuck over the snow. Spyro shook his head, shaking the snow out of his eyes and nostrils. After a while, Spyro felt a tug on his wing, and pulled his head back under his wing.

“Hey” Spyro spoke “The weather is wonderful”

Cynder rolled her eyes “I noticed”

Spyro heard a noise from above. Then lifted his head again. He watched as Michael’s head popped out from the snow. Trice’s body popped comically out of the snow, and shook, vigorously knocking the snow from her body. Cynder poked her head out from under Spyro’s wing, and popped up through the snow next to his. Then laughed at the sight around her. Aura poked her white head out from the snow and shivered.

“Doesn’t she have a fire, a magma, and a sun element?” Cynder asked

“That doesn’t mean that she has to like the cold, also Michael is probably very warm despite the extreme cold.” Spyro responded

“That’s a benefit of having an immortal dad” Cynder laughed.

Aura stood up; her white body nearly invisible in the white snow. She looked around, then focused on something in the distance.

“Look, there’s a tornado” She pointed

They looked out to see a massive whirlwind of ice and snow.

“The sun heats up the air quickly, causing a mix of heat and cold to form, which starts to spin quickly.” Michael explained.

Michael reached into the center of the clearing, and pulled out the fire core, he put it away. Then he breathed fire, melting all of the snow in the immediate area. The snow melted away from Flame’s curled body. He pulled his head out and turned to them.

“Get ready” Michael warned “When the sun fully rises, the winds will start blowing heavily.”

Michael, Trice and Aura positioned themselves in a way that protects themselves from the wind. Cynder ducked back under Spyro’s wing. After a few minutes, the wind picked up again. The force of the wind was almost strong enough to move Spyro and Cynder as they were laying. After an hour the wind died down, and Spyro looked around to see the woods had changed back to the same look that it had before. Michael got up, flexed his wings, and stretched. Flame looked around stunned at what had just happened.

“That happens every night?” Flame asked

“Yep, so let’s not stay here long, there are only four ruins that the void dragon would stay at. They are the only hospitable locations on this planet.” Michael answered

Ember woke up and yawned “Wow, it looks like nothing happened”

They stared at her for a moment. Then everyone got up and took flight. They flew for hours, passing over mile after mile of forest, the terrain never changed. Eventually a strange structure came into view, and they flew too it. Spyro landed outside some sort of gate to a city. The group entered, Spyro marveled at the massive buildings, they appeared to be made of ethereal gold. Michael led them towards some sort of city hall, they entered to find a massive open space. Michael told them to stay there, then left with Trice. Spyro pulled out some cooking supplies and started a fire. Flame wandered around and inspected the area.

“It seems that this planet has been like this for a long time. This room looks like it was designed to be a community center, like all of the people would gather here if they didn’t have another place to go.” He stated.

“Your right” Aura told him “There is also a massive system of underground tunnels as well”

Spyro finished the meal for everybody, and handed out the plates.

“Why did people settle here at all?” Ember asked

“Michael chose this location because it is a focal point for magic in the region, he was able to put defenses around that protected the city from all dark magic. When Michael brought the dragon species here, this is where he brought them. At first, the population was small, so it needed extra protection, later on, as more and more dragons came to this dimension, more dragons broke off and started their own cities. After a while, Michael abandoned the city and built Faun.” Aura told them

“How do you know this?” Spyro replied

“Michael, being the old bag he is, is a really good history teacher.” Aura answered

Cynder chuckled “This city must be really old”

“Not as old as Providence, that’s our species origin dimension.” Aura replied

“Providence?” Spyro cocked his head

“A dimension that has been abandoned for billions upon billions of years. It contains knowledge beyond which has ever been observed in this dimension. If you ever wish to learn anything about your species, that’s the best place to look. I went there once, when I was little, but I didn’t stay long. Michael never told me what happened in Providence, I’m pretty sure it’s not something he wants to talk about. It’s safe know, but if you want to know what happened, you would have to search for the knowledge yourself.” Aura explained

“We may have to do that at some point” Spyro replied “A long time ago the chronicler had mentioned something about my family and the origin realm? That they were connected?”

“I don’t know, but you may be forced to find out.” Aura told him

Ember walked back into the main room. “I found some records”

They each grabbed a book from the pile she was carrying. They sat back and read, they watched the light fade, and the wind pick up again. But instead of the temperature dropping, a strange humming filled the room, and somehow the room remained the same temperature. The group remained eerily silent, they heard the wind blowing by, but also occasionally heard strange noises. A letter burst above Aura’s head and she grabbed it.

“Michael says that this might take a few days. Stay here, you can leave during the day but stay near the center. The tunnels are filled with aberrant magical creatures, so don’t go into any dark places.” She told them

“Aberrant creatures?” Spyro asked

“Creatures that were created from aberrant magic, they act on pure instinct and kill anything that moves.” Aura explained “These ones shy away from light, so don’t go into any dark places. This building is exempt because it has extra protections around it, and they haven’t failed yet.”

Cynder looked at Spyro, a worried expression on her face.

“I hope they will be okay” She voiced her concern.

“They’ll be fine, ethereal magic is especially potent against aberrations” Aura told her

They fell asleep, when they woke, the fire they had built had died down, the sun hadn’t cleared the snow away yet, Ember looked out the window, amazed at the sudden change of landscape. Spyro looked over to see Cynder struggling to light a fire, the wood was wet with the humidity. Spyro charged his boosted element and the logs burst into flames, Cynder gave him an annoyed but thankful look. Then started to cook breakfast.

“How did you get so good at that.” Ember asked Cynder, as the smell filled the area.

“I don’t know, Spyro and I have been learning to cook since he rescued me. We had to force Sparx to stay away from the spices.” Cynder chuckled

She finished cooking the meal, and they sat together.

“This is really good, seriously, how do you do it.” Flame asked

“Spyro is good with the cooking, while I dominate with the spices. So, with a simple steak like this, with less ingrediants, spices are key.” Cynder answered “You should try one of his baked goods some time, they are devine.”

They ate in silence; a massive blast of wind announced the rapid melting of the ice and snow outside. After they finished, they went outside to stretch their wings. Spyro spotted a flash on top of one of the buildings, he focused on it and thought he saw a figure standing there. He noticed a blue flash, and it was gone. Spyro knew it was Michael, and wondered what he was doing. They flew around, exploring some of the city. They never went inside any of the buildings, but paid attention to the infrastructure. The ethereal gold allowed the buildings to be built incredibly high, they towered higher than the group dared to fly. They found some sort of park, and landed in it, after a bit of exploring they discovered that the overgrown area was purely for leisure purposes. They hung out for a few hours, then returned to the city center.

?

“Dracios Elementia are the purest draconic species I have ever studied, which is the reason why I gave them the crown of all elemental dragons. They mate for life, are incredibly strong willed, and can defend themselves if need be. I first discovered the species on a dimension that would later be named Providence, they were in danger of extinction due to their species competition with the other intelligent species around them; humans. The humans were slaying the dragons with a brutal and merciless efficiency, so the ML stepped in and I wiped them from the planet. After the species was no longer under threat, they began to prosper and grow. Their ability to be empathetic, caring, and protective provided another reason among many for me to give them the responsibility of the defense of all species of elemental dragons.”

Excerpt From:

Dossier Of Dracios Elementia

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Species Dossier Section (Public)

?

Chapter Two

For the next four weeks, the group explored the city, studying its ancient designs, and messing around. Michael returned with Trice, they had their armor on, and they were covered with dust and grime.

“He’s not here” Michael spoke.

“Where did you go?” Aura asked

“Everywhere” Michael answered

Trice walked over to the pool, and stepped into it. She groaned and floated to the center. Michael rolled his eyes and snapped his claws, and all of the dirt and dust vanished.

“In her defense, we did crawl through hundreds of miles of tunnels, like crawl, not walk.” Michael stated

“Why?” Spyro turned to him

“There are a lot of hiding places and enclosed rooms down there.” Michael explained

“What about the other ruins?” Cynder walked up to them.

“They’re gone, completely destroyed and crawling with aberrations” Michael told her

“So we get to leave this planet” Flame smiled

“Yep, but we have to return to that original clearing first, we’ll leave tomorrow.” He replied

Spyro went to cook dinner, Cynder went back to reading from the vast pile of records that they found.

“Oh, wait! I wanted to ask you, did my family come from here?”

Michael looked confused “Oh, you’re looking for your family. The records you have there are not the right ones, you want the grey ones, not the brown ones.”

He picked up the stack of grey books, then picked a single one out, and handed it to her.

“I have a copy of all of these books in my dimensional archive. All you had to do was ask.” Michael told her

“Can I keep this?” She asked

“Why not?” Michael answered

Cynder settled down with the book, and started reading it.

“Aura’s family also came from here” Michael told her.

“Really?” Spyro cut in

“A long line of aether dragons, they helped defend the city before they split off with a large group to another dimension.” Michael replied

Spyro handed out plates, Cynder thanked him but kept reading. After everybody had finished their meal, the sun had set and they laid down for the night. Michael set his fire core in the center for light, and laid down. The next morning, the group packed their things, and left the city. Spyro watched the massive structures fall in the horizon, he wondered why the void dragon might have stayed there. He looked around the strange forests, they teemed with life despite the temperature drop and the high-speed winds.

“How old are these trees?” He asked Michael

“It takes three thousand four hundred and thirty-five days for this planet to fully circle the sun. In normal years these trees will live for thousands of years.” Michael told him

They landed in the original clearing, the blue flowers look unaffected by the weather. Spyro sniffed one, smelling the sweet aroma. He flinched in surprise when he felt a strong feeling of joy from the flower.

“Ethereal flowers” Michael noticed his reaction

Michael turned back to the center of the clearing, and focused his magic. With a powerful crackle, the portal opened. The group stepped through it, Spyro looked around, they were in a similar looking clearing, with the same flowers, but the forest was entirely different. Massive oaks replaced the thin but tall pines of before. Spyro looked around and spotted some smoke rising in the distance.

“What is that?” He asked

Trice looked where he was pointing and smiled “Nomads, they roam planets like this and live their lives without the constructs of society. They have the same basic traditions, mating ceremonies, and the such, but live only in nature.”

“You seem extra happy.” Cynder replied

“There are a few immortals in this group, and they’re old friends.” Trice told her

Trice took off with speed and boosted over to the smoke. Michael laughed and followed; the others took off with amused expressions. Eventually they flew out of the forest and over a massive grassland, rolling hills covered with grass spread as far as the eye can see. They spotted a group of dragons in the distance; Trice was already with them. When they approached, they noticed dragons of all colors and sizes. Cynder spotted two black dragons laying together, asleep. Trice was with a small group of dragons, varying in age. They were talking and laughing together. Michael landed and was greeted by an elder.

“Hello, good to see you again.” The green elder spoke

“It’s been what three thousand years?” Michael replied

“Too long” The elder responded.

Laughter burst from Trice and the other dragons.

Michael chuckled “Some things never change”

“Especially when your immortal” The elder replied

The elder noticed Spyro and Cynder.

“Spyro and Cynder! You look just like your parents.” He stated

“Um, hi?” Cynder replied

“Forgive me, I am Az, chief of this nomadic tribe. We have heard much about you from the stars.”

“Uhm, what?” Spyro looked up at him

“Amongst our tribe lives a star dragon, she can look upon the stars and receive tales of the present.” Az told them.

A beautiful dragoness approached them, she was a very dark blue, almost black, and had white stars dotted all over her body. Purple hues splotched her body.

“Hello” She greeted them

“You’re a… Star dragon?” Cynder stammered

“Yes, I can read events in the stars, it’s a rare gift among only a select few moon dragons.” The dragon answered

“Usually given by a powerful god” Az added

“Yeah, I was given my powers as a gift. My parents went through much pain and suffering because they were moon dragons. They were once loyal to Michael, and when he returned to find them, they remained so. He took up my egg and gave me my powers, and I was able to protect them from the suffering.” The starry dragon told them.

“Does stuff like that happen often?” Cynder asked

“More often than not with powers like mine.” The dragon replied “Forgive me, I never told you my name. I’m Nebula.”

“Nice to meet you, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you living as a nomad?” Cynder asked

“I’m immortal, so after my parents died, I explored everything, and after I had finished with that, I decided I wanted to settle down. But I still can not find a mate, and am unable to have children until I do, but I searched for many years, and Michael helped me the best he could. After having no luck, I decided to find a nomad tribe and wander with them for a while.” Nebula answered

“Speaking of mates, I ran into Ethan at Sundance.” He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Oh” She blushed “How was he?”

“Exploded, but after I carried his sister to safety, he asked about you. I think he still likes you.” He told her.

Spyro glanced at Cynder, remembering the gruesome image of the city decimated.

“Where are they now?” She asked

“Faun, and incredibly bored” Michael answered.

“Maybe I could go see them?” She asked shyly

“Were searching for the void dragon” Michael told her “You can come with us and return to Faun when were done”

“You’re looking for Onyx? He passed by here a couple thousand years ago.” Nebula told them

“I figured as much; do you know where he went?” Michael asked

“Not sure, but he didn’t go far from here, this system or the next one over.” Nebula told him

“Yeah, I figured that as well. We already checked Origin.” Michael replied

“YOU WENT TO ORIGIN? AND THEY SURVIVED? That place is filled with aberration.” Nebula gasped

“We went to the capital, and I left them in the center, they were safe. The aberration spread far larger than expected.” Michael told her.

“Yeah, I went there a while back for some records, but was jumped by a massive amount of those… Creatures.” Nebula shuddered

“Yeah, Trice and I slayed hundreds of thousands of them.” Michael explained.

“Spyro, Flame, Ember, Cynder!” Trice called “Come on!”

They followed her to a cave entrance. She smiled at them, and entered. Cautiously, they followed. After a few minutes of walking. The group found themselves in front of a collection of lava pools. Cynder gasped as Aura leaped into one of the pools.

“What, we can do that?” Spyro asked

Ember looked at her confused, then realization struck her.

“Yeah, I can’t believe nobody told you.” She spoke

Spyro stepped into the pool, he groaned in pleasure. Cynder stepped back, unsure, Trice laughed and tossed her into the pool. Squealing, she fell in with a splash. When she surfaced, she gasped at how good it felt, Flame swam beside her, laughing. They swam for what felt like hours, laughing, playing, goofing around. Michael walked into the tunnel, and smiled at the younger dragons.

“Found the pools, did they? Only took them a couple thousand years.” He said as he walked into the boiling lava.

“How are we able to do this?” Spyro asked

“Magic, Dracios Elementia are made of pure magic, mostly biology, but a lot of magic.” Michael sighed as he floated on his back.

Cynder laughed and giggled, Ember splashed her with the water, she squealed and splashed her back.

“How have we never done this before?” Spyro asked, watching the girls

“The only lava pool you have ever been through is the one at the Munitions Forge, and I think you were a bit… distracted.” Michael replied, opening an eye during the pause, then closing it.

Aura surfaced suddenly, making Cynder jump, laugh, and start splashing her too. Flame had the misfortune of floating by as a wave of lava struck him hard in the face. He sputtered and flipped over. Ember laughed, then froze as he disappeared under the surface. Flame leaped up and grabbed his mate, dragging her with a yelp under the surface. Cynder laughed at the shenanigans, then gasped, and vanished, then Aura followed. Suddenly, the four dragons burst from the pool with a massive splash, laughing. Spyro leapt forward, and tackled his mate, she yelped and splashed as he growled and threw her across the pool. Michael ducked as a splash of hot magma struck him. He grunted in annoyance, and sank to the bottom of the pool. They messed around for a few more hours, then grudgingly got out of the pool. Michael walked out of the pool as if it wasn’t there, and guided them to an underground mineral pool.

“You’re going to want to bathe now, because when the lava solidifies, it will leave you covered in dirt and stone.” He told them

They splashed into the water, and quickly bathe, then they left the cave system. The sun had fallen, and the nomads had settled into their temporary beds. Spyro and Cynder spotted Nebula, and walked up to her.

“What are you doing?” Cynder asked.

“Just reading the stars.” She explained, staring at countless lights above them.

“What do you see?” Cynder replied

“I see your uncle and aunt, sitting on their eggs, one of them is black, how interesting.” She stated

“You can see that!” Cynder gasped

“I see the present, but not the past or future, I see things as they happen.” Nebula told her.

“What else can you see?” Spyro asked

“I can see the used to be dark planets being reformed into new civilizations. The ML are bringing happiness and prosperity to all of the Dark Authority’s old territory. But I also see something else, something ancient building far from here. Don’t worry, this evil will not rise now, it may take hundreds of years, or a few decades. For now, you will have peace, but you must find the source of this old evil. Michael has more things to worry about than something that hasn’t risen. Like the evils that already have. I don’t know what’s coming, but I know you must find a way to stop it.” She stared trance-like at the sky.

Suddenly she shook her head. “Sorry, I appear to have lost my train of thought.”

“You said that an evil is coming, and that we have to search for it. Where would we do that?” Spyro asked

“An evil?” She looked up at the stars “Oh, yes, an ancient one in fact”

“What is it?” Cynder asked

“Not sure, this was before even my time.” Nebula answered

“Really?” Spyro replied

“It’s old, really old, it might have to do with the time before this dimension. Long ago, in Providence, an unsure evil rose from eldritch origins, I don’t know what happened, and Michael won’t speak of it. Whatever happened caused the complete evacuation of the dimension. It has been cleared out by now, so this is something you will have to do yourself. After you defeat the next evil, you should travel to Providence with your friends, and find out what happened there. Michael vanquished the evil that forced the dragons out of the dimension, but other things came from that evil. To defeat the new evil, you must find it’s origins to find it’s weaknesses.” Nebula was lost in trance again

“So there is more in store for us?” Spyro sighed

Nebula shook her head again “I’m sorry, what were you saying.”

“I said that there was more in store for us.” Spyro told her

“Oh, yeah, you have a lot in your destiny, but you can choose not to do any of this. At any point you can stop, and Michael will do everything.” Nebula told them

“We could just… stop?” Cynder asked

“Your expected too. Michael knows that you will want to have your own children, and they can’t be raised with you under constant threat.” Nebula replied

Cynder looked over at Spyro, then back to Nebula “But that would mean leaving Michael to deal with a massive amount of evil”

“He’s done it before; he can do it again” Nebula replied

Spyro looked around “Where did he go?”

“I think he left to go search the planet for Onyx.” Nebula told them

“That trance thing, does it happen often?” Cynder asked

“Michael gave me special powers, most star dragons can only see things that the sun touches, but I can see almost anything. I have no control over what though. Whenever somebody asks me to focus on something, I get lost while answering them.” Nebula answered.

Cynder was about to say something, but was interrupted by a strange rumbling in the distance. They looked over to see a massive herd of large brown animals running across the plains. A few young adult dragons, only a few years younger than Spyro and Cynder, woke up and took off towards the herd.

“Buffalo” Nebula explained “They are our food source.”

They watched as the young dragons picked out a couple of buffalo, then attacked. The young dragons quickly finished off the buffalo, and carried them over to the tribe.

“We are their only predators, and whenever the herd thins too much, we just move to another one.” Nebula told them

Spyro nodded, and watched as the young dragons brought the buffalo to a group of young dragonesses, they talked and giggled.

“Courtship rituals, we follow the same basic rules as the rest of you, but we have some interesting rituals. Such as offering the buffalo, instead of a ceremony, a drake can offer a dragoness a buffalo, and if they accept, they are officially mated.” Nebula explained “It’s quite cute actually.”

They watched as one of the dragonesses grabbed the buffalo that was offered her by a shy drake. Blushing, the dragoness bit into the buffalo, and smiled at her new mate. The drake roared, and kissed her, they flew off together, laughing. The other dragonesses laughed and watched them go, they hadn’t accepted the buffalo offered to them, but they were still chatting with their suitors. Some of the older dragonesses grabbed the remaining buffalo and started slicing them into chunks. They started fires, and Cynder went over to talk to him.

“She has a very dark past.” Nebula spoke

“I know” Spyro replied

“You love her anyway” She stated, without any doubt in her mind.

“Of course, nothing can change that.”

“It still haunts her, and whenever you get hurt by it, it hurts her worse.” Nebula replied

“I know, but I can’t help it.”

“You really can’t, it’s instinctual.”

“Of course it is” Spyro frowned “So is a lot of things.”

Cynder pulled some spices out of her storage, then put them on the meat. One of the cooks took a bite, then smiled and nodded.

“That is the way of our species” Nebula shrugged

Spyro nodded “So, with your powers, what elements do you have?”

“Sun, moon, and fire.” Nebula answered “I would have been a fire if I didn’t get these powers.”

“Really? Weren’t your parents both sun dragons?”

“Yeah, but element genetics are strange. Your mate’s aunt just laid a black egg, but neither of those families have black dragons in them. It is quite strange, but it is just a mutation, like your color.”

“My color is a mutation?” Spyro asked

“Yes, all purple dragons are, but it can’t be passed. The more dominant colors your children will have are black and red. But you have a likely chance to get yellow, blue, and more likely pink.”

“My parents? And Cynder’s?”

“Exactly, with Cynder’s heritage she will likely have at least one black egg, and a red one from you. This is just probability though, I can’t predict the future or anything, but from my experience, you will get at least one of each, and probably at least one mutation, depending on how many clutches you two have.”

Spyro blushed “We haven’t figured that out yet”

“Of course not, that’s something you figure as you go.” Nebula replied

“What about you? You want children?”

“More than anything, but I haven’t been able to find a mate.” Nebula sighed

“What about that immortal Michael was talking about? Ethan?”

Nebula blushed “We courted for a while, but were separated when he had to go help his sister. She was struggling with her immortality; she couldn’t find a mate. Eventually she did, but they also got separated, now Michael has hunters searching for him. We think he got lost within the Dark Authority. I can’t wait to see him, I hope he still has feelings for me, because I can’t wait to be mated.” She sighed again

“You okay?” He asked, noticing her anxiety

“Well, I want to have kids as soon as possible, and if I don’t do it soon, I’ll have to wait another year” She replied

They watched Cynder talk with the other cooks for a while, then Spyro noticed her yawn. He walked over to her.

“Hey, want to go to bed?” He asked

“Yeah, I didn’t know that these nomads were so active during the night” She replied

“That’s why they laze around all day, they hunt, cook, and play during the night.” Spyro told her

They found a patch of soft grass, and curled up for the night.

?

“Runes are a key form of magical use, they are very important for most spells, but can also be transferred into words of thoughts. The base language of runes evolves into many languages that humans would adopt, such as old Norse, ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and even some Russian. The letters from such languages have runes in them. These runes are used heavily in all types of magic, but they mostly remain invisible. These runes are also very important in magical detection, because their invisible trace can be detected by other spells or abilities.”

Excerpt From:

Into To Runic Magic

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Important Education Section (Public)

?

Chapter Three

Spyro woke and looked around, the sun had risen and was casting its light over the peaceful tribe. Most of the tribe was sleeping, the two dragons that had left earlier had returned, and were cuddled up together, satisfied. Flame and Ember were curled up nearby, Aura was as well. There were some buffalo steaks sitting on a flat stone next to each of them. Spyro nudged Cynder awake, and handed her one of the steaks. She yawned, and bit into the tasty meat.

“Mhm” She voiced “I’ve never had buffalo before, this is very good.”

Spyro agreed, biting into his steak. Aura mumbled and opened her eyes, she spotted the steak and pounced on it.

“Oh, I love buffalo, it’s been way to long.” She groaned, devouring the steak, then grabbing another.

They finished their breakfast, enjoying the delicious food, and got up. Suddenly, Flame sneezed, shaking both him and his mate.

“Sorry” He sniffed at Ember

“It’s okay” She replied

“What was that?” Spyro asked

“Sometimes that happens, I don’t know why, I think grass bothers my nose when I sleep.” He answered

They took notice of the steaks next to them, and dug in. After they had finished, Trice landed next to them, regarding their lazing bodies and full stomachs.

“I see you are satisfied.” She spoke

“And where have you been?” Ember asked her

“Flying completely around the planet, eight times.” She told Ember

“Wow, that’s a lot of flying.” Spyro replied

“Where’s Michael?” Cynder asked

“He’s talking with Az trying to figure out where the void dragon went.” Trice replied

“Where are we going next?” Flame yawned

“You aren’t going anywhere, planet number three is too dangerous for you, only Michael and I will be going.” Trice told them

“It’s that bad?” Spyro replied

“It’s crawling with eldritch creatures; void dragons can hide among them.” Trice said “This planet is completely cut off from the sun, so there is no light on the surface of the planet. You would hate it; the temperature is constant at negative four hundred degrees.”

“So how long are we staying?” Aura asked, hopeful

“A few weeks, same as the last planet.” Trice answered

The group was interrupted when the buffalo ran past again, and a different group took off to hunt them. Spyro took off and followed, he glanced back to see Cynder’s confused face stare back at him. They flew out to a group, and started picking out their kills. Spyro spotted a large male one and pointed to it. The others confirmed his claim and separated, Spyro dived and snapped at the large beast. It grunted and changed direction, running away from the rest of the herd. Spyro charged and clawed at the beast, making it trip and fall. Spyro quickly finished it off with a slash of its throat. He looked around triumphantly and noticed that another drake had killed a buffalo right next to him.

“Nice job” He spoke

“Thanks” Spyro replied

“It’s a custom for us to go together when we do are offering, even though you are mated you decided to hunt with us. You did nothing wrong, usually the mated dragons hunt in different groups.” The drake replied

“Alright, are you going to offer?” Spyro asked him

“You know what? today I think I will!” The drake smiled proudly

Spyro picked up the massive buffalo and took to the air. Only a few other drakes were successful today. He realized that these drakes may only get a few chances to make offerings during the spring, before they would have to wait for next year. Only the best hunters got buffalo, but usually they only need one. The drakes all landed in front of a group of dragonesses. Spyro hung back as the drakes with buffalo walked forward and showed them off to their would-be mates. Spyro watched as the drake that he talked to shyly approached a pretty yellow dragoness. He set the beast down in front of her and bowed. All of the other dragonesses were shaking their heads, meaning that they hadn’t decided yet or weren’t ready this year. Some of them were just saying no to make their drakes show more devotion by offering again. The yellow dragoness slowly lowered her head and sniffed, Spyro spotted her smirking a little. She thoroughly inspected the fallen animal before her, clearly for suspense. The drake was barely holding a straight face, he knew she was messing with him, but didn’t think it was funny. After a few slow moments, the yellow dragoness smiled and bit into the buffalo, taking one bit and chewing it thoroughly.

“It’s a bit old, I change my mind.” She teased

The drake laughed, falling over. Then quickly got up and roared, announcing the union. Spyro laughed as they took off together and flew away. He looked around and watched as the drakes without buffalos approached some of the dragonesses and talked with them for a bit, announcing their intentions. After they were finished, Spyro picked his buffalo up and landed next to Cynder. He approached her and set the beast down in front of her and bowed. Cynder blushed heavily.

“Spyro, were already mated” She whispered

“And?” He returned

Cynder blushed even more when she noticed that all of the nomads were watching them. She gave him a dirty look and took a bite out of the buffalo, everybody cheered as Spyro roared and took off, Cynder followed him.

“I am so going to kill you.” She yelled after him

Spyro and the rest flew over the massive sprawling plains, occasionally passing over herds of buffalo. The last few weeks had been very fun and relaxing. They had left the tribe and were enjoying some uninterrupted peace to themselves. The sun had started to set and the group decided to bed down for the night. After finding a nice patch of soft grass, they laid down around a small fire. The sky had turned cloudy recently and the night sky was devoid of stars. The only source of light was the small fire quietly crackling as the dragons fell asleep. Spyro woke and looked around, something was wrong, terribly wrong. He looked around, hearing nothing and seeing nothing. He nudged Cynder and she opened her eyes. Seeing the worried expression on her face told Spyro that she felt it too. Flame jumped, and started scanning their surroundings. Even with their draconic eyes, they couldn’t see anything past outside of the fire’s light. Ember opened her eyes and froze, looking at her mate. Spyro looked around, feeling nothing but pure fear. The four of them could only stand frozen, scanning the darkness around them. They heard nothing and saw only darkness. Spyro looked over at Aura, who was still asleep, undisturbed by whatever was happening.

“Aura” He called “Wake up”

Aura groaned and lifted her head. She opened her eyes and looked around at the group, worry spreading across her face.

“What’s happened? What’s wrong?” She asked

“Don’t you feel that?” Ember replied

“Feel what?” Aura looked confused

“That… Fear? That feeling that something is VERY VERY wrong.” Cynder explained

“Fear? All I sense is…. ELDRITCH MAGIC?” Aura jumped and looked around

“It’s not here, but its on this planet, and it is powerful, Michael must have returned.” Aura told them

“Michael could be the cause of this?” Spyro asked

“He must be radiating massive amounts of eldritch magic, which means he is not very happy. The tribe is not likely affected because he probably thinks were with them.” Aura explained “Follow me.”

“She charged her sun element, and started glowing brightly. They followed her as she swiftly flew back in the direction of the tribe. After a few hours of flying with constant fear, the feeling vanished and they arrived at the tribe. Spyro landed and looked around for Michael, he spotted the dragon and ran to him. As he approached, he noticed that Michael’s eyes were black, and small whisps of pure black smoke floated off of his body.

“Hey, we were outside of the village and we could feel your power” Spyro told him

“You were? Sorry.” Was all he replied

“What happened?” He asked

“I had to fight an eldritch god; he was not supposed to be here but he was. He kept summoning eldritch titans.” Michael answered

He closed his eyes, and suddenly the black whisps vanished, he opened his blue eyes and looked down at him. Cynder walked up next to Spyro and watched.

“There is no void dragon there, that god hated dragons” He told him

“Hated? Like in the past?” Spyro asked

“Yeah, he’s dead.” Michael stated calmly.

“Okay, so what now?” Spyro replied

“Were going somewhere special, Cynder’s ancestral planet.” Michael answered

“WHAT? WERE GOING THERE?” Cynder yelled

“Yes, there is a chance that he might be living in the secluded village. I have been their many times but they did not give me permission to enter. I had no chance of finding him if I entered without their permission.” Michael told them

“Didn’t you say that my grandmother might be there?”

“It is possible, and it is also possible that you grandfather is still alive. She told me that he died when the house was attacked, but she never saw him die. I have heard reports of him searching for her, I sent a few hunters to find him and bring him to Palatos, your family’s ancestral home. If the reports are true he is likely already there.” Michael answered

“I don’t understand how my grandmother could have stayed there for so many years and not come looking for her daughter.” Cynder replied

“She told me she would be back, but if she went to the village it was likely she bound her and wouldn’t let her leave. They were no doubt furious when they found out that she had mated with a regular dragon. I don’t know if she is still alive, she may have ended her own life, or like her mate, she could have let hope keep her alive.” Michael told her.

“So wait, you couldn’t enter the village before, what’s different?” Spyro asked

“We have Cynder, they will immediately recognize her, and even if they didn’t, she’s a black dragon. Also, she can open the gates, she is a descendant of the owners of the planet.” Michael answered

Cynder looked like she was going to explode with joy. She was jittering about and smiling brightly. She ran off to talk to the others.

“She’s been really curious of her family on her mother’s side, since both of my families are well documented.” Spyro told him

“Of course, it’s her mother, she looks just like her. She probably has an urge to get to know the origins of her color and powers.” Michael replied

Spyro smiled when he saw Cynder chatting excitedly with Flame and Ember.

“If they bound her grandmother purely because she mated with the one she loved, what could happen to her when they found out I’m her mate?” Spyro asked

“If they try to bind her to the village, you can have the honor of beating them into the ground. They will likely try, but since your purple, they might think better of it.” Michael answered

“Why do they care so much?” Spyro sighed

“They are very strict; they only want black dragons to mate with other black dragons. I also might have to have Aura wait in one of the cities, they hate aether dragons.” Michael added

“I’m an aether dragon” Spyro said

“I know, but you have to come with us, Cynder is going to need you.” Michael told him “Also, if you aren’t there, they might try to get her mated off as soon as possible.”

Spyro nodded, Az rejoined them.

“So, you’re leaving soon?” He asked

“Yes, the search must continue” Michael answered

“I hope you will return sooner than last time.”

“And Nebula will be joining us”

Az looked sad “I figured, she wants children, and will renew her search for a mate.”

Michael looked over at her. She was with Trice and they both were saying their goodbyes. Aura walked up and joined them.

“I haven’t been here since I was a small hatchling, when Trice took me and introduced me to everyone. To my annoyance everybody keeps stating how big I’ve grown, like, no duh, it’s been a long time.” She groaned

Michael chuckled “There is quite a few immortals here.”

The tribe threw a small celebration for the group, a handful of buffalo were harvested, and to Spyro’s surprise, another dragoness accepted one right next to them. The whole tribe was happy and some of the drakes wanted to take advantage of the feeling. Spyro and Cynder watched as a blue drake dragged his buffalo up to Aura and bowed. Aura froze, and blushed, she was clearly stunned. After a few moments she regained her posture and shook her head.

“Sorry, but we haven’t really gotten to know each other.”

The drake nodded and dragged his buffalo to the place where it will be butchered. Michael chuckled and shook his head at the strangeness of the situation.

“He must really like you.” He said to her

She blushed and lowered her head, then suddenly perked back up.

“Hey, since I can’t go to the village, instead of staying in the city I can stay here, maybe get to know Sam a little better.” She asked

Michael squinted and nodded “Yes, and if you feel like you’re ready, you can accept a buffalo from him.”

She blushed even harder “daaad”

Michael rolled his eyes “Oh I see, I’m dad now”

“Thank you” She replied

“He’s a good hunter, he will be doing it a lot.” Michael told her

Aura nodded

“So, you shouldn’t wait long, there is only a few more weeks left of spring.” Michael reminded

Aura nodded again “I understand”

They relaxed and chatted until morning, then the group slept the day away. Once everyone had woken up, Michael opened a portal and Cynder practically burst through it. The rest of the group followed, except for Aura. Nebula looked around and sighed.

“I remember when this place was a sanctuary for dragons like me.” She spoke

“Those were good times; I remember sending rare dragons here.” Michael replied

They walked through the city, Cynder marveled at the black dragon paintings spread around. After walking through the main road, they arrived at the main gate, Cynder studied at the two black dragon statues guarding the gate. After exciting the city, Spyro caught up with Michael.

“You want Aura to accept a buffalo, don’t you?” Spyro asked

“Sam is perfect for her, and once again, Trice flexed her skill.” Michael answered

“Trice did this?” Spyro looked stunned

“Back when Aura was a hatchling, Trice brought her to the tribe, and she played with all the other hatchlings. Trice noticed that one specific blue dragon had taken a liking to her. When we arrived back at the tribe a few weeks ago, Trice noticed the look on that drake’s face when he saw her, and worked her magic.”

“You said that he’s perfect for her?”

“He is strong, but caring, sweet and compassionate. He is always careful and very sharp. Trice also told me that he wants to leave, so eventually when I come by to pick Aura up, he will easily come with her.”

“Are you happy about it?”

“Of course, I want her to be happy, and he will make her happy.”

Spyro glanced behind him, watching Nebula as she stared off into space.

“Nebula seems… distracted”

Michael glanced back “Yeah, her powers do that sometimes.”

“No, I mean, in another way”

“Yeah, she has wanted her own eggs for a long while now, but the Dark Authority has caused a lot of immortals to separate. Ethan and her were separated because they captured his sister, and she and her mate were separated during a siege. I have hunters looking for him, but we have no idea where he is. Now she is closer than she has been in a while. I bet you that they will have their ceremony within days of being reunited. They have known each other for thousands of years. I also have no doubt that she will be pregnant immediately.”

“Immortality has a price”

Michael raised an eye “Very few mortals realize this, I’m glad you understand.”

“You watch everybody you love die, family, friends. You have to mate with an immortal or you mate will die, and you can’t join them.”

“Nope, when two dragons become mates, a bond is formed, if one is immortal the other will become immortal. Magic can be cruel, but it isn’t that cruel.”

?

“Magic exists in fives, there is no rhyme or reason behind it, but pure coincidence. There are five main forms of magic, and there are also five different types of dragons; Element, Soul, Sun/Moon, Life, and Other. Each one of these types has their own royal family, though over the years they have been separated from the ML. Only one family still remains with the ML, Element, while the ML is searching for the other four, it is quite difficult to track down hundreds of generations of dragons to find the true heir. As of the publishing of the book, the Sun and Moon line, and the Other line, are close to being found.”

Excerpt From:

Dragon Royal Families

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Royal Line Section (Public)

?

Chapter Four

Cynder laughed behind them

Spyro chuckled “She’s excited”

“Her mother has always interested her. In the same way and for the same reasons as you are interested in your father.” Michael replied

Spyro nodded “I understand why they are so hateful towards regular dragons, but why restrict their children from mating with them.”

“They consider themselves pure beings, and want to remain pure”

“That’s odd”

“It really is, but there is nothing I can do to change their minds. They were horrified to learn I had raised Silver and claimed her as my daughter. They were a lot worse when they had found out she had mated to a purple dragon.” Michael chuckled “Like mother like daughter”

Spyro blushed “What about me?”

“They will be angry, very angry. But you are under my protection, as was silver. Now I don’t say this because it’s a bit weird, but you are my grandchildren. Since you share no genes, it just makes it weird, but both of your mothers bared the mark of my name, and the gifts that came with it.”

“They were sisters”

“They were raised together, so yeah, they called each other sisters.”

“You once said they kind of hoped that we would be together.”

“They did, because that’s what they hoped. They knew they couldn’t force something like that.”

“Oh, so that was something between four best friends?”

“Yeah, it’s just a hope that most parents have occasionally.”

The road had led them into a forest, Michael walked up to a tree, then tapped on it with his claw. It opened with a loud crack, exposing a hidden portal.

“You have no idea how long it took me to find this.” Michael chuckled

They walked through the portal into a different wood, with a different path. They kept walking.

“So why did they move all the way out here? Why not just isolate themselves in a special part of the city?”

“Because they want peace, uninterrupted peace for a massive collection of powerful dragons is impossible. They, you, attract danger at least once in your life.”

Eventually they reached a large gate, it was closed and locked tightly. Michael knocked on the door, and Cynder gasped as a dragon statue started moving and changed into a scaled black dragoness.

“You have returned, you shouldn’t have.” The dragoness spoke

“Hello Guardian, you knew I would be returning. You knew I would not stop this time.” Michael told her

“You will not enter here” The Guardian replied

“Are you sure? I am the rarest of you all.”

“This has never mattered”

“Either you will let us in, or I will knock the gates down.”

“Us” She looked at the rest of them, then gasped as her eyes fell on Cynder. “Sarah? But no, that’s not possible. Could it be, are you Silver?”

Cynder looked stunned “No, I’m her daughter”

“Has it been so long?” The Guardian sighed.

“Yes” Michael answered “You will let us in”

“I will let one of you in.”

Nebula stepped into view. The Guardian gasped again

“You, you are a star dragon.”

“Yep, and you will let all of us in.” Nebula replied

The Guardian looked between the powerful god, the purple dragon, and the black dragoness. Then they could hear a bell ring once from inside the village. The door opened and an elder dragon stepped through.

“What is it” He said, and froze when he saw the group. He noticed Cynder, and his jaw dropped. “You”

“Not Silver, her daughter.” The Guardian told him.

“And she is with, not only Michael, but a purple dragon as well, and a star dragon, and two normal dragons?” The elder looked around the group

“Yep, and he is demanding entrance.” The Guardian sighed “They will enter, with or without your permission.

The elder sighed “Then do come in”

The group walked into the village, and Cynder gasped as over a hundred black dragons looked back at her. There were also a few star dragons, and a few moon dragons as well. They all stared at her, and whispered with one another. Cynder hung next to Spyro, and the group walked to the center of the village. There was a large building with a photo of a black dragon on it. Two old black dragons excited, and gasped at Cynder.

“Are you our granddaughter?” The male one asked

“Great granddaughter. Hi, I’m Cynder” She answered

The female gasped “Hi there, I’m Nara, and this is Vox, we are Sarah’s parents.”

“And you look a lot like her.” Vox told her

“Is she here?” Michael asked

“She is, but she has petrified herself” He answered

“Where is she?” Michael replied

“Behind you”

Cynder gasped and stared at the statue behind them, she walked up to it and stared at it intently.

“Just tap it, and she will wake, being her descendant.” Nara told her

Cynder reached out and delicately touched the statue. It exploded, sending small bits of rocks flying. Sarah shook herself off and stepped down from the pedestal. She growled at her parents, baring all of her fangs.

“How did you” She froze, looking over at Cynder

“Silver?” She asked

“Nope, sorry, I’m her daughter, Cynder.”

Sarah looked stunned, then shook her head, she leapt forward and started nuzzling Cynder. She kept going, despite Cynder’s fierce blushing. After a couple of minutes, Sarah stepped back, and turned to Michael.

“You did it.” She said “Where is Silver?”

Michael sighed “Her mate got corrupted, and he used a spell that removed their souls from their bodies and trapped them, we are trying to bring them back.”

Sarah looked down “I guess that couldn’t have been stopped.”

“I tried, but the king of elemental dragons sent me away.” Michael replied

She perked back up “But you’re here now!”

“Yeah, it only took me bringing your granddaughter, a star dragon, and a purple dragon.” Michael chuckled

“Oh right, Vox, Nara, Sarah, meet Spyro, my mate.” Cynder introduced them

“YOUR MATE?” Vox yelled “HOW DARE YOU COME HERE BONDED WITH HIM?”

Nara shook her head “You bring more shame to your family.”

Sarah growled “You will leave her alone.”

“Speaking of mates, Sarah, we found Carl, you can leave here.” Michael told her

Shock rippled through Sarah, she looked stunned at Michael, and saw the truth in his eyes. She burst into tears.

“Where is he?” She cried

Michael snapped his claws, and a portal opened behind them. Sarah watched with tears in her eyes as a blue dragon stepped through it. She darted towards him and grabbed him he gasped and kissed her. Vox and Nara were scowling.

“How dare you bring not one, but two violations here.” Vox growled.

“I’m looking for Onyx, you will tell me where he is, and if he isn’t here, we will leave, ALL of us.” Michael ordered

“No, Sarah will stay, and Cynder will too.” Nara growled as well.

Sarah and Carl ignored the growling dragons, and turned their attention to Cynder.

“Carl, meet Cynder, our granddaughter.” Sarah said to him

Carl gasped, and together they started nuzzling Cynder. She mumbled and shied but they kept their affection. Spyro was standing nearby when Sarah turned to him.

“And her mate, Spyro.” She grabbed him and pulled him into the huddle.

The four nuzzled each other for a while, then seperated.

“I’m very glad to meet you Cynder.” Carl told her. “Welcome to the family Spyro.”

Michael walked up to them. “Sarah, it’s time to unbind you. Trice, I need you to go look for the void dragon. It seems like Vox and Nara aren’t going to be helpful. Flame, Ember, go with her.”

Sarah walked up to Michael and lifted her head to expose a strange necklace.

“You can not break the binding” Vox growled

“Yes, I can, I am an ethereal god.” Michael replied

Michael brought his tailblade to her necklace, and sliced through it, the parts fell to the ground with a clatter. The two elders gasped, and shrank back.

“But, that’s not possible.” Nara exclaimed.

Sarah grabbed Cynder and pulled her to the edge of the center. All of the dragons had formed just outside the entrance.

“Hi everyone” Sarah spoke to them.

They all cheered, clearly happy to see her.

“Everyone, meet my granddaughter, Cynder, and her mate, Spyro”

More cheers

Cynder shied away “Hi… Hello”

“So many introductions” Spyro whispered in her ear

She nodded, looking at the crowd. Michael walked up to them, and looked out at the crowd.

“Society is no longer what it once was. Black dragons, star dragons, and moon dragons live freely and without discrimination throughout all ML territories. You no longer have to stay isolated here.” He shouted

“So, Cynder isn’t hated?” A dragon called back

“Cynder was corrupted, she is hated on one planet because of the acts she did while under the control of another.” Michael admitted

Sarah gasped “With Silver trapped, and Michael petrified, who did this to you.”

“Malefor, my father, who was also corrupted.” Cynder whispered

“Your father?” Sarah recoiled “Corruption can cause very evil things.”

“He was a purple dragon” Cynder added

Sarah glanced at Spyro, who was talking with a group of young dragons.

“He saved me” Cynder told her “He cured me of my corruption and defeated Malefor”

Sarah smiled “I cannot judge, I mated with someone that I wasn’t supposed too. So did your mother apparently, and they do not approve of you and him.” She motioned to Vox and Nara

“Well, they can’t do anything about it.” Cynder replied

“They can try.” Sarah sighed

“He’s the king of elemental dragons, I’m the queen” Cynder smirked

Sarah’s eyes went wide “That changes things.”

Vox and Nara walked up to Michael.

“We are not done talking.” Vox stated

“Really? I thought we got the point across.” Michael replied

Michael motioned for the rest of the group to follow, and they walked back to the front of the big building.

“First, it is in our laws that the descendants of the great family must remain here. Second, our laws also decree that any dragon not of the village must leave.” Nara told them

“So, everybody except for Cynder and Nebula are required to leave immediately. Cynder must stay, but Nebula holds the right to leave if she wishes.” Vox added

Spyro laughed “You think I would leave here without my mate. HA, that’s not happening.”

Michael looked at the two elders. “You stand before the king of the ML and the king of elemental dragons. You are trying to bind the queen of elemental dragons without her permission. I choose to let Sarah remain here until I could find her descendant, or her mate. Now after we have searched the village, we all will leave.”

Michael sighed “I should have just smashed and grabbed, a quick break in, have Cynder wake Sarah, unbind her, search the village, and poof, gone without anybody realizing. My respect of your family inclined me to let you meet your descendant, but I regret it now.”

“Your code dictates that you will follow our laws. Sarah, Silver, and Cynder have violated our laws by mating without the approval of the head of the family, and are required to remain here as punishment. We will let her mate return once a decade in hopes of a clutch.” Vox replied

“I will not leave here without Cynder!” Spyro shouted

“Hush, you have no say here, you waste of purple scales” Vox hissed

“Hey!” Cynder yelled “You will not speak to him in this way.”

Spyro stepped in front of Cynder, his head was low and he was baring his teeth.

“Be warned, purple, if you attack us, we will not hesitate to kill you.” Vox growled

Spyro smiled maliciously “How do you know it is not I that will kill you”

Spyro’s eyes flashed as he charged his fire element.

Nara nudged Vox “We shall not fight him; it is unbecoming to fight such trash.”

Vox lifted his head and sighed “You’re right.”

“Purple, you will not speak to us, you will not talk, nor involve yourself in matters that do not apply to you.” Nara turned to him

“You address a king; I will talk when and where I want.” Spyro replied, exciting his battle stance.

“Your kingship does not apply to us.” Vox snorted “We do not acknowledge you.”

Cynder stepped back, and Sarah walked up next to her.

“You will not hold us here any longer, we possess our right to leave.” She stated

“You have no rights until you become head of the family.” Nara sighed “Three generations ruined.”

“Michael, you are hereby ordered to leave, take your daughter, and this trash, with you.” Vox demanded

Michael laughed “Now it’s my turn”

He walked up to the elders; his eyes turned from blue to black as he charged his eldritch magic.

“You have no ability to stop me, I am more powerful than the useless spells you cast on the village, I am giving all of it’s people one chance to leave with me. EVERYBODY WILL BE GIVEN A CHOICE. People may leave as they wish and any attempt to stop me will be considered an attack, and will be treated accordingly.” Michael roared

The two dragons looked unfazed “Your eldritch magic has no affect on us.” Nara spoke

Michael’s eyes flashed red for a second, then he laughed “You think I was trying.”

He stopped laughing abruptly, and stared at the dragons. Suddenly, they had fear in their eyes. Michael kept boring down on them, and their legs started shaking, their wings shuddered. Michael’s eyes continued to stare hard at the two black elders. After a few minutes, the two dragons collapsed, unconscious. Michael returned to his ethereal state, and looked around. Cynder, Spyro and Sarah stared frozen at Michael, stunned.

“Your magic can affect black dragons?” Sarah asked

“It can affect eldritch dragons; nothing can stop raw power.” Michael replied

Michael turned and walked towards the crowd.

“Your elders have kept your own people trapped here because of who they chose to mate, we will no longer allow such separations to continue. The willful separation of mates is a violation of the Moral Code, and if it continues, I will be forced to take control of the territory, and remove all people from this village. I am giving you one chance, right now, to leave. You will receive travel to the capital of this planet, and you can choose your path from there. You may also choose to take a portal to Faun, as I will open one. You have two weeks before I depart. Also, if any of you have any information about the whereabouts of the void dragon, we would appreciate your assistance. Once again, in two weeks I will leave, and anyone wishing to come with me will be protected. Pack your things and be ready for departure, I will not wait for you.”

The crowd gasped and murmured to each other. Another dragon called out.

“What if we want to stay?”

“That’s fine, it is your choice.” Michael replied

The crowd murmured more.

“Oh, and if you want to talk to Cynder or Spyro during this time, they will be staying here as well.” Michael added

The crowd nodded and dispersed; they went back to what they had been doing. A couple of dragons the same age as Spyro and Cynder approached them.

“Your Sarah’s granddaughter?” One of them asked “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Star, this is Mark, Daria, and Liam.”

Cynder nodded “Hi”

“What’s it like at that city, what was it? Faun!” Liam asked

“It’s great, it’s a massive city with thousands of dragons living in it. It’s broken into sections called districts, and there are all kinds of dragons.” Cynder answered

“Is what Michael said true? Are black dragons free?” Star replied

“As free and equal as every other dragon.” Cynder told them

“And you’re not attacked by countless crowds and asked to do tons of stuff with your powers?” Mark asked shyly

“Well, were crowned, so we are usually mobbed with fans and reporters, but that won’t happen to you, unless your royalty.” Cynder responded

“Well, I am royalty, so I should stay right?” Star lowered her head

“I’m not saying that, it just means you would stay in the royal district.” Cynder told her

Star looked up at her. “My parents died a few years ago, I only have these three here.”

“I’m sorry” Cynder replied

“Don’t be, you never got to meet your parents. I’m sorry for bringing it up.” She perked up. “Maybe we can all leave and forget about this place.”

“Nope” Mark replied shyly “My parents would never let me.”

“You get your choice.” Cynder told him

“I know, but my parents will try to stop me if I leave.” Mark looked down “Just go without me, I’ll stay.”

“We can help you” Spyro offered

“No, I don’t want to cause any trouble.” Mark stepped back.

“How will we live in Faun; we won’t have anywhere to sleep.” Daria asked

“Michael can get you housing, and jobs.” Spyro answered

The six dragons talked for a while, then the sun fell, and they went to their homes, Spyro and Cynder followed Michael to an old abandoned house and settled in for the night.

?

“The Ultimate Guardian is currently observing over four million Elementia subdimensions. His studies have shown many different possibilities and realities. The two dragons, Spyro and Cynder, are almost always together, and have been exposed to many scarring events. These two dragons are fated to be together almost everywhere, such a strong fixed point in time is extremely rare, and unique. The Guardian has never seen such a bond.”

Excerpt From:

Juniper’s Personal Journal (Entry #3045)

Juniper Silverscale

Can Be Found In The Council Of Science

?

Chapter Five

Spyro woke to the normal hustle and bustle of the village, Cynder was already gone, she had spent most of the last thirteen days in the archive, reading through thousands of years of lineage. Spyro got up and stretched, then excited the empty room they had been staying in. Nebula was asleep on the old couch, snoring lightly, and Trice was cooking in the kitchen.

“Hey” She called to him “Breakfast is on the table; your little bookworm took off after grabbing a small meal.”

Spyro chuckled “She is trying to copy as many books as she can before we leave”

“Does she realize Michael can do them all at once?” Trice replied

“I’m guessing not, because she hasn’t asked him.” Spyro rolled his eyes

Trice laughed. “Well, what can we do?”

Spyro shook his head and chuckled more “Absolutely nothing”

“Well, I’m going to go take a flight, see you later.” Trice said and left.

Spyro finished his meal and stepped out into the small village. Most of the people were nice, smiling and nodding to Spyro as he passed. But some grumbled and shot him dirty looks. Spyro was not used to the looks of hate he received from some of these dragons, but chose not to focus on them. He occasionally stopped and talked to a few villagers, many of them were preparing for the departure tomorrow. He walked into the center of the village, and entered the archive building. He went down a few sets of stairs and found his mate laying surrounded by books, she was reading from a black book that looked newer than the rest. She looked up and smiled when she saw Spyro.

“Hi, I’m almost done, this is the last stack.” She stated

“Nice” Spyro replied

He walked up and nuzzled her, then walked along the rows of shelves. He found where he had left off yesterday and kept up his search. But he stopped after a few minutes, there was a purple book mixed in with a group of white ones. Spyro pulled out the book and returned to the reading area.

“Hey, look at this.” He spoke

“A purple one? They must have had one here. That could only have one dragon in it. You pulled that out of the section that sorted dragons by color, that’s why I never found one in the lineage section.” Cynder replied

Spyro opened the book and read, he saw not one but two dragons within.

“There was two, both of them were female.” Spyro told her

Spyro finished the book, and grabbed an empty grey book. He stacked one on top of the other, then wrote a rune on the top. The grey book slowly turned purple, and became an exact copy of the original. Spyro grabbed the original and tossed it into the air. Magic took hold of it before it fell and returned it to its place. He grabbed the copy and put it in his inventory. For the next few hours Spyro curled around Cynder and napped while she read and copied the rest of the books. Eventually, Michael entered the room and smiled at the two dragons, Spyro was snoring peacefully.

“You going to be ready to go tomorrow?” Michael asked her

“Yeah, I’m done with the copying, but not with the reading.” Cynder smiled

“Good, I’ll leave you be then” He walked out and up the stairs.

Cynder finished her last book and sighed, her mother’s family line was far more prominent than her father’s. She wanted to learn as much as she can, but there is nothing here from before they came to this dimension. She remembered that Michael once mentioned that the massive archive in Providence magically updated once a year, and that it probably had both of them in it. Cynder looked down at her mate, wondering how he could not be dying to learn all that he can about his family. Maybe it is because he was raised by caring parents, and for a long while he believed he was one of them. Cynder nuzzled Spyro, and he opened his eyes and smiled at her.

“Done?”

“Yep”

They both got up, and threw the rest of the books in the air, then walked back up the stairs. When they excited the building, they squinted their eyes at the sunlight, then walked back to the house. They arrived to find Michael talking with a large group of dragons.

“You will be staying in a specific section of my district; you can then choose a job or be educated for one. Or, you can join the ML army and be trained, you will then be reassigned as guards of my district, and get paid to protect you own loved ones.”

The group nodded in understanding.

“Each family will be assigned a house. So far, one hundred and twelve dragons have told me they are coming to Faun, I have prepared fifty-eight houses for everybody. If anybody surprises me tomorrow, they will have to stay in temporary housing until permanent ones are prepared for them.”

More nodding.

“An escort will arrive at five in the morning tomorrow, and will stay until nine. You can arrive at any point and stay with them until we depart, once you are with them, you are safe. Any attempts to stop the departure of the escort will be met with violence, in the event of such violence, remain with the group, do not leave the group. Tell everybody who will listen what you have heard.”

They nodded more and left, chatting excitedly. Spyro looked at Michael in surprise.

“One hundred and twelve?”

“Yeah, of the five hundred that live here, a huge chunk will be leaving tomorrow. I will be waking you up when the escort arrives, and you will armor up and stay under their protection.” Michael told them

Flame and Ember landed next to them, laughing. They turned to Cynder.

“Speak of the devil, we were wondering if we would ever see you in the daylight.” Ember chuckled

Cynder shouldered her “Maybe when I would see you in general, where have you been going?”

“There is a waterfall surrounded by thousands of different kinds of stones, we were just messing around.” Flame replied “We told you, but you were too busy.”

Nebula stepped out of the house and yawned. “Why is everyone so loud.”

“We sleep during the night in most places, so the work is done during the day.” Michael answered

“Ugh, why?” She rubbed her head.

“Because its during the daylight, not everybody gets bright starlight and constant moonlight.” Michael told her

Spyro and Cynder entered the house, cooked and ate a meal, and took off for a flight. They flew out over the village, and explored the woods. They found the waterfall the others told them about, and it was more beautiful than they had imagined. They jumped into the pool and bathed themselves. Then explored the waterfall and the colorful stones surrounding it. Cynder relaxed in the water, and dug around in a little beach. She heard some giggling and looked up to see a small group of dragonesses huddling together and watching Spyro. They hadn’t noticed her and were watching Spyro as he was standing under the falls, letting the water pound on his back like a massage. He had his back turned to them, and was looking at the strange veins of crystals on the walls. Cynder smiled and looked back to the dragonesses, they were giggling and whispering to each other.

“Yeah, he’s pretty hot.” She said to them

They jumped and looked down at her. Surprised and embarrassed, they apologized to her.

“Don’t be sorry, he’s hot, but he’s mine, just remember that.” Cynder smiled

They nodded.

“You can hop in; I know this is a regular spot for you guys.” Cynder told them

They nodded again and went to the far side of the pool. Spyro heard a splash and looked over at them, then at Cynder, a confused look on his face. He came down and jumped into the water, swimming towards her. He surfaced with a splash and laid in the water on the smooth stones.

“You have some admirers” Cynder told him

Spyro raised an eyebrow, and settled his head next to her. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the relaxing feeling of the water. Cynder watched him fall asleep and rolled her eyes, of course he would sleep more. Dragons are inherently lazy, and loved to sleep. She watched as a group of drakes walked up to the pool and talked with the dragonesses. Suddenly, they jumped into the pool and splashed them, making them squeal and laugh as everybody started splashing each other. Cynder and Spyro stayed in the pool until the sun set. Some of the gemstones were magical, and were glowing different colors. Spyro and Cynder floated around and enjoyed the beauty of the falls and the glowing pool. The younger dragons had left, some of them needed to prepare for their departure. Eventually Cynder pulled Spyro out of the pool. He laughed and got up.

“I could have done that myself” He chuckled

“Really? Or would you have stayed in there all night?” Cynder replied

Spyro smirked and casually used his tail to knock Cynder back into the water. She fell with a yelp and a splash. By the time she climbed back out, Spyro had already vanished into the trees. She chased after him, but he easily beat her to the house. Cynder gave Spyro a dirty look when she entered the house, and sat down at the table. They ate and talked for a little while, then everyone settled into their rooms. As Spyro was walking into their room, Cynder wrapped her tail around one of Spyro’s back leg and pulled. Spyro fell with an oof.

“You can stay there.” She said, smiling and stretching, then she laid down and watched him for a moment.

Spyro stared at her, then huffed and backed out of the room. Cynder could tell he was calling her bluff, and was waiting just outside of the room. Eventually Cynder squirmed and folded.

“Hey, can you just get back in here already?” She called

Spyro walked back into the room with a confident expression on his face. She rolled her eyes as he curled up around her.

“Your bad at acting spiteful.” He mumbled into her neck “But I will have to get used to it when you get pregnant.”

Cynder blushed at the thought. “I better not force you out, I can’t stand sleeping without you now, I’m just too used to it.”

“Same” Spyro mumbled

They fell asleep. Listening to the sounds of the forest.

Michael woke up the two young adult dragons by knocking on the door, and calling out their names. They both opened their eyes and stretched, the cold morning air had seeped into the unheated house, but Cynder was unaffected by it. They put on their armor and walked out of the house. Michael was waiting for them by the road.

“You go to the main gate with Nebula, I’m waiting for Flame and Ember.” He told them

They nodded and followed Nebula as she led them through the village. More dragons joined them as the progressed, some were weighed down with packs, while others were carrying children. As they reached the main gate, Trice checked everybody’s names off of a paper in her paws. They joined a group of dragons, surrounded by a large group of soldiers. They were vigilantly watching the village and waiting. After a couple more minutes, Flame and Ember joined them, talking with a few others. Spyro and Cynder chatted with a bunch of dragons for a while, they all wanted to hear about their new home. They found out that none of the dragons were staying in the planet’s capital, they all were going to Faun. Michael joined them when it was time to leave, Trice nodded to them and they got ready to leave.

“Stop” A dragon ran up to them “Mark, come here now!”

Michael looked around the crowd and sighed when Mark stepped out from the others.

“Mom, I’m going.” He said “I can make my own decisions”

“No, you aren’t, come with me, NOW!” She ordered

“Mom, I want to go with my friends.” Mark replied “I can go if I want to.”

Mark’s mom made a move as if to grab him, but stopped when Michael shot her a look. She looked back at her son.

“Please, stay with us.”

“No mom, it’s time for me to find my own life, not live after yours.”

He turned around and walked back to Star. Then, to everyone’s surprise, he nuzzled her cheek. Cynder gasped, and Star blushed heavily. She returned the public display by nuzzling him back. Mark looked back at his mom, who nodded in understanding, and walked away. A few members of the crowd congratulated the two blushing dragons. Then Michael got their attention and led them out of the city. Michael stopped with a sigh just outside of the gate.

“Oh what now?”

The Guardian, Nara, and Vox were standing in their way. The Guardian looked like she wanted to turn back to stone, while the other two had fierce looks on their faces. A few other dragons appeared, surrounding the crowd and its escort.

“You think we would let you just leave?” Vox shouted “You are a fool to…”

Michael didn’t let him finish, he blasted the opposing dragons with a gust of wind, knocking them back and out of the way. They kept marching past, the Guardian smiled and nodded as they passed. After a short walk, they returned to the gate, to find it destroyed. Michael stepped forward and summoned a new one. Michael then stepped back and made sure everyone went through, then shot Vox a withering look and stepped through, the portal closed with a snap. The crowd gasped and awed at the city they were brought through.

“They will be really amazed at Faun” Cynder whispered

Michael turned to the crowd and took a deep breath.

“You are now free; you no longer need to follow me. The only difference between coming to Faun and going anywhere else is that you know exactly where you are going. Temporary housing is available in almost any city, your powers or other skill sets can be used throughout the ML and it’s defended territories. Or you can become a nomad and join one of the many tribes spread about in this galaxy.”

Nobody in the crowd moved.

“Alright, lets go to Faun” He replied, rolling his eyes

The crowd cheered, and Michael opened another portal. Nebula led them through the portal, and the square quickly emptied of the black dragons. Michael closed the portal behind the last dragon and turned around.

“Thank god that is over. I assigned Star and Mark to a house near the main square, I saw you guys connecting with them.” He told them

“Where to now?” Spyro asked

“We have to pick up Aura, and her mate.” Michael answered “Hopefully”

Trice leapt forward and summoned the portal before Michael could even raise a paw. Then jumped through, Michael rolled his eyes and followed.

“Excited much?”

It was late afternoon, a change from the early morning where they came from. Spyro and Cynder followed Michael back to the tribe. He spotted the white dragon and walked up to her. She was laying asleep on the soft grass; Sam was curled around her. When Michael stopped in front of her, she opened one eye and blushed. Michael raised an eyebrow as she jumped about two feet in the air and hugged him.

“Did you accept him?” Michael asked

She nodded, blushing even more. He nuzzled her cheek and smiled.

“Congrats” He spoke

Spyro jumped when a large group of drakes suddenly leapt up and took off. Michael looked up and watched them.

“This is the last offering hunt.” He told them “The last chance to offer to the dragonesses, some won’t be stopping until they get one and bring it back, no matter how long it takes.”

Spyro watched them as they flew all the way to the buffalo herd, Sam laughed.

“They waited too long.” He spoke.

Michael looked down at him and he blushed and lowered his head.

“Don’t shy at me, your part of the family now, you are a prince, act like it.” Michael chuckled

“Don’t mess with him.” Aura replied, then turned to Sam “He’s right though. You don’t have to be shy to him, he has already accepted you.”

“Unlike my great grandparents and Spyro.” Cynder sighed

“Forget them” Michael groaned “You won’t have to see them again”

?

“Purple dragons, why are there purple dragons in that one specific dimension and its subs? Why there, how, there aren’t any purple dragons anywhere else in the multiverse, but what causes them and Void dragons? Studies have shown that extreme amounts of magical radiation have not only prevented humans from evolving into existence, but it also causes such powerful dragons. It causes the two types of special dragons, and it also causes boosted elements, even though those aren’t as rare.”

Excerpt From:

Lectures From The Ultimate Guardian

The Council Of Education

Can Be Found On The Multiversal Internet

?

Chapter Six

Spyro watched as some of the drakes already fly back to the tribe, a group of dragonesses were waiting excitedly for their drakes. Spyro noticed the ones that had decided to wait for next year were still laying with the rest, the drakes that were courting them were probably still there as well. The first drake landed, panting, and dragged the buffalo to a dragoness. The dragoness didn’t even give him a chance to bow before taking a bite. The tribe laughed at the rushed shenanigans as they flew off. More drakes came by, and almost all of the dragonesses accepted.

“They always wait until the last chance, youngsters.” Az said, walking up to them

Michael laughed “But that wasn’t always the case. I remember when you were courting your mate. You guys messed around for three years, until she downright told you to make an offering, and accepted on the first try. Now it’s more of a game to the dragonesses, most of these ones had already decided before the spring began.”

A slightly younger drake flew back with a large buffalo, it was almost as large as he was. He didn’t make it to the other group, collapsing with a thud a bit away from them. A red dragoness of the same age rushed to him, a worried look on her face. She nuzzled him and licked him until he opened his eyes. He tried to get up, but slipped and fell back to the ground. The dragoness licked him some more, before moving back to the buffalo. She bit into the buffalo and took a bite, the drake looked surprised, then smiled and looked up at her.

“A bit younger than normal, but they have been inseparable since they hatched. He tried last year, but he couldn’t take down a buffalo by himself.” Az told them

A dragon that looked like the drake’s mother landed beside them and smiled. She nuzzled the yellow dragoness for a bit, welcoming her to the family. Then went to her son and said something, he nodded and she picked up the buffalo and flew away. The yellow dragoness kept licking her new mate until he was able to stand up. Then they flew off, Spyro looked back to the rest of the hunters, watching them chase the herd.

“Is that your son?” Trice asked

“No, Avan told me he was planning to wait another year…” He trailed off, his eyes locking on a specific red dragoness. “Wait, if she’s there then….”

“It looks like he changed his mind” Trice laughed

They watched as a green drake landed with his kill. He approached the red dragoness and set the buffalo down, he bowed, but spread his wings wide. The dragoness lifted her wings and roared; the drake roared back. The dragoness smiled and bit into the buffalo. Az roared when she did this, and the whole tribe cheered. Michael laughed and roared as well.

“I love this time of year.” He told them.

“How long have you known this tribe?” Cynder asked

“Since long before I brought them here.” Michael answered “I have stayed with them for hundreds of thousands of years.”

“How did they get this ritual?” Spyro asked

“It’s actually your specie’s original ceremony; the unique part of this one is both the time constraint and the fact that they only do buffalo. The original ceremony was for a drake to bring an animal of any kind to his chosen one. If the dragoness accepts, they eat it together. That ceremony has evolved into this one and many others. I’ve watched this one change slowly, one would do it a bit differently, and others would follow.” Michael explained. “I have many connections with this village, and thousands of tales.”

Spyro nodded and noticed that the remaining dragonesses were starting to get a little anxious, they were pacing back and forth, worried looks crossing their faces.

“You regretting things now, aren’t you?” He called out, laughing.

They shot him dirty looks.

“What? You should have accepted when they first came by.” He balled back.

They ignored this, and went back to watching the drakes disappear on the horizon. Spyro and Cynder talked with Sam for a few hours, getting to know him better, then Michael told them that it was time to leave. Sam said some tearful goodbyes with his parents, then stood next to his mate.

Michael sighed “Spyro, you need to hone in on your portal abilities, making ethereal portals is a lot harder than making aether ones.”

Spyro looked at him “I’m trying, but it’s hard for me to create a portal somewhere I have never been.”

“Just use the magical ley lines, when you think of a name of a planet, the magic leads you to where you want to go. We are going to a planet called duntheros. Spyro focused, and kept his eyes closed for a while. Cynder looked out to see the last two dragons flying back as fast as they can, triumphant smiles on their faces as they carry their trophies back. Spyro gasped, and a massive purple portal opened in front of them. Michael stuck his head through, and pulled it back.

“Nice, a bit far from the ley line clearing, but still nice.” Michael nodded

They stepped through the portal into a nondescript forest.

“The void dragon was in the village, but he left when the hunters renewed their search, some dragons say that he went here, so I need everybody to search for him. He probably already knows were here, and will likely be stalking us. Look for an unusually dark shadow, or a slight movement of a dark figure in the distance, he is probably hiding in the shadow realm. If you do see him, only Spyro, Cynder, Trice, and Aura can knock him out of it, except me of course.” Michael told them

They nodded, and started walking in random directions, they walked for hours, through hills and forests. Spyro and Cynder spotted a few strange caves, but decided not to go into them. Every once in a while, Cynder would catch a whisp of black smoke flash in her peripheral vision. It was far away at first, but it was getting closer. They approached a pile of large boulders, they were veined by a strange black gem, Cynder realized that they were onyx veins, and looked around the boulders. She was inspecting a geode when she caught the whisp again, then she charged her shadow powers and leapt. Cynder saw the void dragon come into view when she became shadow. Spyro flipped and looked for her, a worried look on his face. Cynder charged and slammed into the void dragon, he fell with a groan and they both were brought back to the normal realm. Spyro stared at the void dragon, then looked back up to Cynder and smiled. Onyx got up and growled, and was about to run when Trice slammed down on him, smacking his head against a boulder, knocking him out.

“Finally, we’ve been looking for you for years.” She smiled

“Yeah, I think he was following us for a while now.” Cynder told her

Spyro gave her a confused look, and she motioned to the all-black drgaon.

“What? I was right.”

Trice roared, causing the noise to echo off into the distance. Michael appeared with a snap and smiled at the unconscious dragon.

“Why did he ever run away in the first place?” Spyro asked

“I sent him to find one of the sources of corruption in this dimension, he found it, and did not like what he saw. So, he left, and I found it later and destroyed it.” Michael answered

Spyro looked down at Onyx, he was beat up, malnourished, and looked like he had many fights in which his magic couldn’t heal him. Spyro watched as his wounds already started to heal in the presence of Michael’s magic. Michael summoned two clamps and a necklace, he secured the clamps at the base of his wings, and latched the necklace in place. Once he did this he stepped back and chuckled.

“Let’s see him run now.”

Trice lifted her paw and ran some sparks through it, then slapped the black dragon right in the face, giving him enough shock to wake him up immediately. He jumped up and immediately tried to fly, but landed back down with a thud.

“Why have you captured me?” He asked

“We have been trying to find you for a very long time, you keep running, but you won’t anymore.” Trice told him

“But I don’t want to go back.” Onyx yelled

“I saw what you saw, did you think I couldn’t retrace your steps, I did what you could not, I destroyed the source.” Michael replied

Onyx looked up and over to Michael.

“You did? But how?”

“Doesn’t matter, but what does matter is your petrified mate waiting for you in Faun.” Michael told him

Onyx looked down “Poor Effie.”

He got up again and flexed his wings, uncomfortable with the clamps. He looked around the environment around him.

“This place was supposed to be a nice spot to relax, but you arrived not long after I did.” He spoke

“Where were you before?” Cynder asked

“Some vague eldritch planet, but I kept getting attacked by aberrations.” Onyx answered

Michael rolled his eyes “One of thousands.”

Onyx looked over at him “There is something else.”

“We need four void cores and four shadow cores.” Michael told him

“What for, those are pretty hard to make.” Onyx raised an eyebrow.

“Malefor corrupted, and used a spell that caused Silver, Rose, and Fury to be ripped from their bodies and trapped in some random items. I need these cores to bring them back.” Michael answered

Onyx softened “He got corrupted, how?”

“A slow, but powerful corruption, that needs a lot of power to be removed.” Michael replied

Onyx sighed, accepting his fate.

“Effie is going to beat you when you wake her.” Michael chuckled, then nodded to Spyro.

Onyx rolled his eyes. “It’s kind of unavoidable.”

Spyro opened a portal to their main square back at Faun, and everybody stepped through. Trice pushed Onyx and called back to her father.

“I got him, go get the others”

He nodded and stepped back into the portal, and took off. Spyro watched as Trice clapped her wing on the back of Onyx’s head, making him duck.

“If you run, I will drag you back by the tail.” She growled

They walked into an alleyway, deeper into the district. Spyro watched in amazement as many black dragons came and went from the square, there were a few children playing around the statues, and their parents were talking in a corner. Spyro watched as Storm and Ray chased around a few young black dragons. Spyro looked around for Mary and spotted her sitting just outside of her house. She saw them and gave them a confused look. They walked over and greeted her.

“Hey, did you guys find him?” She asked

“We did, finally.” Spyro answered

“So.” Mary looked around “Where did everybody come from?”

“My family’s old village” Cynder told her.

Mary snorted “Silver wanted to go there, but found out how they treated her mother, and changed her mind.”

Another portal opened, and the rest of the group stepped through. Ember and Flame looked around excitedly at the new hustle and bustle of the square. Sam looked around and marveled at the city itself. Michael whispered something to Aura, she blushed and nodded, then turned to Sam.

“Hey, lets go see our new house.” She led him away

Michael walked up to them “If I recall correctly, I think I mentioned going to find Jade at one point.”

Spyro perked up “Did you find her?”

“We narrowed the search, but have not locked on just yet.”

Mary sighed “I miss her, I hope she decides to come see us”

Michael was about to say something, but Lumi burst from his house.

“Spyro! Cynder! Your back! Come meet the hatchlings!” He called

Spyro and Cynder exchanged looks.

“We were gone that long?” Cynder asked

Spyro shrugged, and walked into Lumi’s house. Everything was a mess, there was toys scattered everywhere, and Lumi looked beat.

“They’re taking a nap with Amber, but it’s time for them to wake up.” He told them

Lumi opened the door to the nest room, and Cynder’s eyes went wide when she spotted seven tiny hatchlings sleeping with their mother curled around them. A red one opened its eyes and squealed at Spyro, making little chirping noises. The others woke and looked around at their loud sibling, then began to get up and move around. An orange hatchling walked up to Cynder, stared at her for a minute, before squawking happily. Cynder lowered her muzzle and let the hatchling investigate it. It chirped a bit and jumped around, before getting distracted by one of its siblings. They watched the madness for a while, they were playing around their sleeping mother, running and climbing on her. Eventually, Amber opened her eyes, and smiled up at Spyro and Cynder.

“Hello” She yawned “Back from your extended trip?”

“For a minute, we are going to go find my aunt Jade soon.” Spyro said in a low voice.

A blue hatchling pounced on his tail biting the tip with its tiny jaws. Spyro swung his head under his chest and lifted his tail a bit. The hatchling hung on, dangling from the tip. After a few seconds it let go and landed on the ground just below, growling at the tail and stalking it. Lumi chuckled as it jumped and swatted at it. Cynder kept her tail elevated, making sure the hatchlings wouldn’t cut themselves. Amber laughed as the orange hatchling ran right into Cynder’s leg. It stepped back, squawking angerly, and looked up. The hatchling smiled up at Cynder, realizing that her leg was indeed connected to her.

“These goofballs” Amber spoke “If only Michael were here.”

Suddenly, Michael walked through the door.

“Come on.” He addressed their surprise “You should know better than to say that.”

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Lumi laughed

“Forgot about what?” Spyro asked

“If you say ‘If only Michael were here’ he tends to appear, it’s like saying ‘What can go wrong?’ and something then goes wrong.” Lumi replied “He does it to mess with us.”

The hatchlings had noticed the new dragon and ran up to him. He walked over to the edge of the room and laid down; the small dragons immediately started climbing on him. Cynder noticed that his wingblades and tailblade had changed into a blunt, glass-like material. Lumi and Amber watched with amazement as the hatchlings all went to him and started playing on and around him.

“Magic” He wiggled his eyebrows at them.

Amber got up, and everybody but Michael and the hatchlings left the room.

“Show off” Amber huffed

“He raised Silver and Rose, as well as that young white dragon, Aura.” Lumi told her “He has the skills.”

“He also raised Trice.” Amber replied laughing “A very long time ago.”

Spyro and Cynder chatted with them for a while, they talked about names, sleeping schedules, food, and even the weird little games they play. Then they returned to the room to find Michael asleep with the kids still playing on top of him. They were sliding down one of his wings, chirping happily. Michael lifted his head when he saw them.

“Your children are fine; in case you were wondering. Magically healthy, two have boosted fire, and one has boosted water. You also have one fire, one air, one ice, and one earth.” He told them

“A boosted water?” Lumi asked

“Yep” Michael replied “The royal academy can handle that one’s extra element teaching.”

“Royal academy?” Spyro asked

“It’s the place where all royals and dragons with special powers go to learn their abilities. It’s not far from here, about a two-minute flight. Mary’s kids go there sometimes to learn more about their powers.” Michael answered

“Did Samantha’s eggs hatch?” Cynder asked

“Yes, I sent a different form there for a minute, they had two poison one dark and two earth” Michael told her

“Another dark? But from a different side of the family?” Lumi replied

“Yeah, it’s a mutation.” Michael shrugged “It happens.”

Amber laid back down in the nest and called the hatchlings to her, they ran up to her and collapsed, tired out. Michael got up and stretched, his blades returning to their original state. He smiled at the new mother.

“In a few more weeks, they will be big enough to sleep with each other in the play room.” She told her

Amber nodded, then lowered her head and closed her eyes again. Lumi followed them out into the square.

“So, you’re leaving again?” Lumi asked

“We won’t be gone for long on this trip, but I sense two more adventures to come.” Michael answered

Lumi nodded, then said his goodbye and returned to his house.

?

“For longer than anyone would care to admit, soul dragons and element dragons have always hated each other. They keep themselves separated, and usually treat each other as cold and distant as possible. The soul dragon royal line has been missing for billions of years, and they have been searching harder than the ML. Since the element royal line was only lost for a few million years at a time, soul dragons hate on the element dragons because they are jealous, and a quick study will tell you that soul dragons tend to stray towards jealousy.”

Excerpt From:

Oldest Blood Feuds Of All Time

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

History Section (Public)

?

Chapter Seven

Cynder woke up in their bed, and sighed. She was happy to be back, if only for a short time. Spyro was curled up tighter than usual. She turned and frowned when she saw a scared expression on his face, he was having a bad dream. He twitched a little, and Cynder rubbed her tail against his. He murmured a little, and his eyelids flashed back and forth. Cynder moved her head so it was right next to his. He felt her cheek and softened; his twitching stopped. He kept himself tightly curled around her. Cynder enjoyed the quiet until the sun rose, then she watched as the square came alive once again with black dragons. Cynder felt overjoyed to be among her kind, this was her family, a bunch of them were related to her by blood in one way or another. Spyro opened his eyes and yawned, then smiled at her.

“It’s busy here now” He stated

“Yeah” Cynder replied “I like it”

He got up and walked to the kitchen, Cynder laid for a moment, before getting up and stretching. She yawned and looked out the window and saw Star and Mark looking around at some of the houses in the square. They were confused, talking with each other as they looked at each house. Cynder smiled and walked to the front door. She opened it and called to them, inviting them inside. They stepped into the house with amazement and wonder on their faces. They looked around the room and eventually settled at the table. Spyro walked out of the kitchen and saw the guests, then smiled and retreated back to the kitchen. He quickly walked back out with four plates.

“How are you guys enjoying the city?” Spyro asked.

“It’s great, they have everything we would ever need” Star replied

“Like, a great place for a ceremony.” Mark added

Star blushed and shouldered him.

“So, you two are engaged?” Cynder asked

“Much to the surprise of everybody else, only Darian and Liam knew about us. Were planning on having an exclusive ceremony today, just the four of us and Michael, we don’t want it to be public because Mark isn’t a royal and somebody might object.” Star told them.

“Well, congrats.” Cynder replied

They talked for a while, then Star and Mark left to go prepare for their ceremony. Cynder flew off to the palace to unload the books in the archive, and Spyro left to go find out what happened with Onyx. He walked down the same alley that they had gone earlier, he looked around and found that had a sign on it that was a mix of black and green. Spyro knocked on the door, and a green dragon answered.

“Hello, how are you doing?” The green dragon asked, confused.

“Is Onyx here?” Spyro asked

The green dragon gasped “Oh, your Spyro right? Hi, I’m Effie, he’s here.”

Spyro walked into the house and spotted the all-black dragon sitting on a couch, he was reading from a book and holding an empty core. When he spotted Spyro he looked up.

“Well, if it isn’t the king.” Onyx spoke

Effie shot him a withering look, which silenced him, then she turned back to Spyro.

“How can we help you?” She asked

“I was just wondering how you were doing. Trice dragged Onyx off quickly.” Spyro asked

She shot him another look, flicking her tailblade impatiently, causing Onyx to pale.

“He had to come wake me up, and he now has a job to do.” She told him.

He sighed and returned to his book. After a bit of reading, he sighed and set the two items down.

“I haven’t made a shadow core before, it’s weird.” He told them

“You better figure it out.” Effie replied

“Hey, Spyro, how about you try to make an aether core.” He tossed Spyro the empty core

“Hey, no messing around, Michael spent thousands of years and hundreds of pounds of gold trying to find you, and the only thing he asked in return is eight cores.” Effie told him

“Relax, there are more cores, and this is something that he can do by himself.” Onyx replied

Spyro held the core, and focused, he charged his aether element and let it flow through him into the sphere. Suddenly, the core flickered, and turned white, and started emanated light.

“Nice job!” Effie told him

Onyx closed his eyes and held another core. His body blurred and faded in and out of this realm. The core started to darken, then turned black, absorbing all light.

“One down, three to go.” Effie stated “Chop chop”

Spyro smiled, put the aether core in his inventory, and walked out of the house. He smiled in amusement, and turned to walk home. He was interrupted by Nebula and the immortal he met on sundance.

“Hello again, purple one.” The grey dragon spoke

“Hi, good to see you, not black with ash.” Spyro replied

“Spyro, this is Ethan, Ethan, Spyro” Nebula introduced them

Ethan nodded “Thanks for destroying the Dark Authority”

“I didn’t do that Michael did.” Spyro replied

“You helped, that is enough.” Ethan told him. “Where’s that little black mate of yours?”

“Cynder left to go put the books we collected in the palace archives; she also is trying to get a connection with it so she can summon any book whenever she wants.” Spyro answered

Ethan nodded “Nice”

“How’s your sister?” Spyro asked

Ethan laughed “She’s very angry, we got back together and had our mating ceremony so fast, but we still can’t find her mate.”

“Your already mated?” Spyro replied

“First thing we did” Nebula laughed “Michael had to call in a special form just to officiate.”

“Are the hunters looking for your sisters’ mate?” Spyro looked back to Ethan

“We diverted all the ones that were looking for Onyx to join the ones looking for him.” Nebula answered

Spyro nodded. Then another grey dragon ran up to them.

“Hey, I think they found him.” She yelled

Ethan looked back to Spyro “Nice meeting you, but we have to go”

The dragons ran off, and Spyro returned to the main square, he watched as a phoenix landed in the center and spotted Spyro.

“Hey, your back.” He yelled

“Hi Torch, long time no see.” Spyro replied “How is everybody?”

“Were good, we did a little traveling while you were gone. We went to Genrir and flew about for a while, checking out Warfang.” Torch answered

“How did you like it?” Spyro asked

“Flicker loved it; I thought the moles were interesting. Charlotte seemed weirded out by them.”

“Yeah, they can be a bit odd at times.”

“Six of them asked for some of our feathers. Why would they do that?”

“They can be lit on fire indefinitely, so they probably want them for a permanent candle or something.”

Torch nodded “I feel like it’s a bit rude though, like what if someone asked for some of your scales?”

“They have, like a billion times.”

Torch looked stunned. “Really?”

“Yeah, the guardians did, and pretty much every scientist I came across did as well.” Spyro rolled his eyes

“Well, I guess that means they don’t care if it’s rude.”

Spyro sighed and shook his head, Cynder landed beside him and greeted Torch. They talked for a minute then Torch left to cook dinner. They went inside and Spyro updated Cynder on what he did. Then she told him about how she got her connection with the archive. She demonstrated by snapping her claws and a book appeared above her paw. She flicked her wrist and the book vanished. Spyro walked into the kitchen to cook dinner, but Cynder stopped him and made him go back to the couch. She cooked dinner and they ate a meal together, then they went to bed. Spyro curled around Cynder and sighed.

“You had a nightmare last night.” Cynder told him

“I was dreaming that you had gone corrupted again, it’s a nightmare I have had before, this time was worse because I couldn’t save you.” Spyro shuddered

“Don’t worry, I won’t be corrupted again, Michael has given me protections against it.” Cynder replied

“Malefor had protections, what if they try to corrupt you in the same way?” Spyro looked at her

“I know how they would do it, and I can stop it.” Cynder replied “Don’t worry, you won’t have to fight me again.”

He lowered his head and nuzzled her, then he set his head down and covered her with his wing. She snuggled up against him and sighed.

Spyro woke up and looked around, the sun was shining through their window, Cynder sighed in her sleep and curled her tail around his. He looked up and noticed a letter above his head, he was able to read it and noticed that it had a date on it, and Cynder was written next to it. Spyro gasped a little when he realized that it was her hatchday. Her hatchday was only sixteen days after his. He was going to throw her a party. He breathed a small puff of fire and the flame vanished without a sound. Spyro smiled, wondering what he would get her, he found a shop that sold custom made chokers and bracelets. He was going to get her a set that had her mother’s family sigil, but also keep the same design as her original set, which had gotten worn over our last adventures. Cynder groaned when Spyro disentangled himself from her and got up, he nuzzled her and told her to go back to sleep. She mumbled and did just that. Spyro stepped out and enjoyed the morning air, he spotted Flame walking out of his house.

“Hey” Spyro called

“What’s up?” Flame asked

“I found out Cynder’s hatchday, it isn’t today, but I still want to throw a party. Do you think Ember can handle distracting Cynder while I get her a present and Trice handles the planning?” Spyro replied

“Sure, she loved planning yours, I can get the word out while Trice gets the house ready.” Flame told him

“Thanks” Spyro replied “We have to do them for your guy’s hatchdays as well.”

“Nope” Flame cut him off “Ember’s mother throws her a massive party every year, and now she doesn’t really want any, and I don’t tell anybody my hatchday, only Ember knows.”

Spyro gave him a confused look, then shook his head.

“Alright then, when Cynder wakes we need her out of the house for the day, so we can get it ready and the people together.”

Flame nodded, and Spyro took off, flying towards the jewelry district. He landed in the middle of a bustling square, a few dragons cheered at him, but left him alone otherwise. He walked into the shop he had found earlier. He talked with a brown earth dragoness for a minute, showing her the designs for the bracelets. Then she started working, it only took her a few hours to finish the set. Spyro marveled at how the set looked almost exactly the same as it did when he rescued her, except a sigil has been added to the center. This time the set has been made of ethereal gold, which was forged in a way to have the same color as the old set did. He put the set into his inventory, paid the shop owner, and left. He landed back in the square to find Michael using his magic to set decorations up in the square, everybody had already arrived, and were talking and relaxing all around. Spyro helped and talked to a bunch of people for a while, then the sun set and Michael turned off all the lights. Spyro watched Cynder and Ember land in the square, and start walking towards the house. Michael flicked on the lights and everybody yelled.

“SURPRISE!”

Cynder jumped about three feet in the air, then shot Spyro a cold look.

“You found out my hatchday, didn’t you?” Cynder asked

“We need to make up for all the ones you didn’t have.” Spyro told her

Cynder walked around and talked with everybody, Sarah nuzzled her in her usual affectionate way and congratulated her. Her eyes kept glancing towards the statues. After Cynder had acknowledged all of the partygoers, she danced and partied late into the night. Spyro danced with her, allowing the music to control his movements. Aura dragged Sam into the square, he had a confused look on his face, and no idea what he was doing. The music played late into the night, but eventually Spyro dragged Cynder into the house.

“I have something for you” He nuzzled her neck.

“Oh yeah, what could you possibly have gotten me?” Cynder nuzzled back.

Spyro pulled out the choker and bracelets, Cynder gasped when she saw them, and started crying. She started nuzzling him harder.

“Hey, I can’t put these on if you’re moving.” Spyro told her.

Cynder stopped, and let Spyro take off her jewelry and put the new set on. She kept crying as she admired the beauty of her new jewelry.

“Hey, you okay?” Spyro asked her

“Yeah, I’m just… These are so beautiful.” She answered “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, I love you Cynder, happy hatchday.” Spyro returned to his nuzzling

Cynder laughed, and dragged Spyro into the bedroom.

Michael laughed as he watched Aura teach her mate how to dance. Trice was helping her, but they were not doing a great job. Nebula and Onyx stood by him.

“I’m happy Cynder finally got a party.” Nebula spoke

“Yeah, she deserves it.” Onyx agreed

“Spyro is definitely the best for her” Michael chuckled “I’m glad she is able to be happy.”

“Corruption is the purest of evils.” Onyx sighed

“Nobody, not even the worst of beings, deserve such treatment.” Michael replied

“Let’s not think of such things now, if Effie overhears you talking about corruption, she will petrify you.” Nebula laughed

Onyx chuckled “I missed the old immortal crew. When was Juniper supposed to return again?”

“Who knows, she’s studying all of the subdimensions connected with this one.” Michael answered

“Did she find anything interesting?” Nebula asked

“She found that some of these subdimensions have different species with the same people. But a more interesting discovery she found was that in ninety percent of all the dimensions where Spyro and Cynder exist, they are together, so it seems like that is a key event.” Michael explained

“That’s a universal medium?” Nebula replied, stunned

“It seems so, every dimension otherwise has been found infected with dark magic, and pure evil.” Michael shrugged “One of many mediums she has found.”

Onyx looked at the party. “I guess things are a little more set than we think.”

“Maybe not, that one thing is, but dark forces are coming. We don’t know when, where, or how, but they are coming.” Michael sighed “Watching such events over and over again, it gets quite annoying.”

“How can we stop it?” Nebula asked

“We have to let it come, such is the way of fate, and I cannot be the one to inflict the final blow. A mortal must learn the way to defeat this evil, and they must travel to Providence to do so.” Michael answered

“I remember when I became an ethereal being, you told me that you could beat fate.” Nebula replied

“There are consequences for breaking the rule of fate, it could cause the destruction of the dimension.” Michael explained “Fate must only be broken in the most necessary of times.”

They both nodded.

“Your son is still in this dimension.” Nebula stated

“He’s wandering around, collecting some ingredients for the resurrection. Speaking of which, I still need to find the other three souls.” Michael thought for a moment, then froze. “I wonder if the souls weren’t sent to random places, but specific places instead. I will have to go through Silver and Fury’s old things.”

Onyx nodded “That would make more sense, I’m still struggling with the shadow cores, but once I get those done the void cores will be easy to make. Why are they needed anyway?”

“The spell requires all five forms of magic, in many different aspects, because I can create the body easily, and have the soul, I need the ingredients to unbind the soul from the item, reverse Malefor’s spell, then his corruption, and clear his memories of it. Then I will return the souls to their bodies.” Michael told them

“They will be the same age, won’t they?” Nebula chuckled

“Yes, and it’s going to be extremely awkward, they will only be a few years older than their children, and they will definitely want more of their own. Having children at the same time as your parents isn’t that special, since they usually live for thousands of years, but having them be the same age is going to be interesting.” Michael rolled his eyes “Great, more drama.”

?

“Ethereal realms, a power that only few beings can actually access. The ethereal realms are incredibly old, older than existence itself. An unknown force that continues to enforce the base rules of existence, such as Time, Space, Soul, Matter, Light, and Movement. These rules are unbreakable, and the powers that come with them, are the base platform that the entire multiverse was built on. The endless movement of TIME, the separation of SPACE, the life that creates the SOUL, the physicality of MATTER, the precipitance of LIGHT, and the ability of MOVEMENT. Without these rules, nothing can truly exhist.”

Excerpt From:

Ethereal ORIGIN

The Ultimate Guardian

Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive.

Important Education Section (Public)

?

Chapter Eight

Cynder woke up and looked out the window at the sky. She watched some birds fly by, and sighed. Some movement caught her eye and she looked down to see Michael, Trice, and Sarah talking in the main square, Sarah was holding a small sword, and was inspecting it thoroughly. They talked for a minute before Mary stepped out of the house. She walked up to them and talked for a bit, before taking off with Trice. Cynder got up, and looked over at the table they had in her room, she looked at the old set of jewelry, then craned her neck to admire the new ones. Her mother’s family sigil was the only thing Spyro had changed, and she thought it was perfect. She stepped out of the house and stretched, spreading her wings to full length, then settled back and walked up to Michael and Sarah.

“Hey” Sarah nuzzled her a little, then looked at her new jewelry “You’re wearing the sigil?”

“Spyro put it on them for me” Cynder explained “What’s with the sword.”

Sarah handed Michael the sword for him to explain.

“This is your mother’s, it is her first sword, I gave her this when she about the same age you were when Spyro rescued you. Her soul is trapped inside, I found it while looking through my old cellar.”

“She’s In there?” Cynder gasped

“Yep, and now we only have to find Fury.” Michael replied

Cynder stared intently at the sword, it showed no special sign. She looked up at Michael, and thanked him for working so hard to bring them back.

“Despite what Sarah thinks, she’s my daughter too.” Michael replied

Sarah rolled her eyes, but nodded admittingly. Michael put the sword in his inventory, then summoned a piece of paper.

“Another check off the list, but I need a lot more to reverse the spell.” He sighed

Spyro walked out of the house and Cynder told him what Michael had said. They talked about the spell itself for a while before Michael had to leave. They went back into the house to relax for a while, but only got two hours before four dragonflies burst through the door.

“Surprise, we heard you were back.” Nina exclaimed, landing on his nose

Flash set a strange bag down on the table before greeting Spyro.

“Hey son, how was your trip?”

“Good, we found the void dragon, and Cynder’s grandparents.” Spyro answered

“Ugh, so that explains all the look-alikes out there.” Sparx replied

Cynder shot him a look “Oh, you’re here too.”

“Of course.” Sparx shot back

“What’s that?” Spyro asked Flash

Nina brightened “We have big news, Spyro, meet your future brother or sister.”

She pulled the cover off of the bag to reveal a small green egg. It was glowing faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. Spyro blanched and coughed.

“My, what?” He smiled

“Since you and Sparx had left the house, it was feeling kind of empty, so we decided to have another.” Nina explained

“Uhm, congratulations” Cynder mumbled, feeling embarrassed.

She tried to back away from the intimate moment between Spyro and his adoptive parents.

“Oh no you don’t missy, get back here, you’re family too.” Nina called sternly

Cynder blushed and walked back next to Spyro. She stared at the small green egg and smiled.

“It’s so small.” She spoke

Nina smiled back at her. “Yeah, Spyro’s was MUCH bigger than this”

They sat in silence for a while, before Sparx coughed and flew to the center of the group.

“In other news, were engaged!” He exclaimed

Spyro looked stunned, “Two hits in one day. Wow, congrats Sparx”

June flew up and smacked Sparx “You were supposed to wait for dinner.”

“Ow, the silence was too awkward.” He yelped

“Well, I for one am glad that there is somebody that can keep a handle on Sparx” Cynder laughed

“I am not a door; I shall not be handled!” Sparx yelled and flew out of the house with June chasing him.

Flash sighed “The whole dang trip” He grumbled

Flame poked his head through the door.

“Hey, you guys busy?” He asked

Spyro looked over to Flash and Nina, who were tired out.

“No, they need to rest after the trip, were free.” He said decidedly

Flash nodded appreciatively, then took the bag with the egg in it and flew into a guest room. Nina landed on Spyro’s muzzle and said goodnight, then flew after Flash. Cynder got up and stretched, and walked out of the house, Spyro stayed to make sure his adoptive family was settled in. Cynder noticed that Ember, Aura, Sam, Layla, and Camry were all waiting for them.

“Camry, Layla, I thought you went back home like everyone else after the party.” She said to them.

“We decided to stick around for a little while, the hatchlings are driving us nuts, and they probably were freaking out when mom and dad got back.” Camry replied

“So, what are we doing?” Cynder asked

“The Triad world fair arrived in Faun last week, and we wanted to go check it out before either we left or they did.” Flame told her

“What’s a fair?” Cynder asked

“A combination between a festival, a market, and a party. There is a bunch of food markets, some musicians are playing, and there is a bunch of cool stuff to look at.” Ember answered “There was one at Warfang once, but I only saw it one time before it stopped.”

Cynder looked down.

“It had nothing to do with you. The fair ran out of money and closed down; people weren’t visiting it much after the portals closed. Maybe they will start it back up again since there up again.” Ember told her.

Cynder smiled faintly, and Spyro walked out of the house. They told him where they were going and took off. Flame led the group for a while, before Trice caught up to them with speed. She smiled at the group and joined them. When they landed just outside the entrance, they noticed Michael was already there, waiting for them. He laughed at their confusion, and entered the fair. Spyro paid a stunned ticket vendor, and entered the fairgrounds. The sights were amazing, fun games and food stalls lined the sides of the path. The whole grounds were a maze, dozens of people were walking around, enjoying the fair. The group watched as children ran back and forth, laughing, their faces were filled with joy. Michael’s eyes were glowing a sharper shade of blue than normal; he could feel the pure joy in the air. Spyro went over to a stall and inspected its strange food items. He bought a couple apples dipped in caramelized sugar, and handed them out. Cynder looked at hers strangely, and took a bite, her eyes flashed as she realized that it was delicious. She quickly devoured the apple and smiled at Spyro. They kept walking through the fair, Spyro played one of the games, and won a fire core. He walked back to them with a confused look on his face.

“Cores for the main four elements are so easy to find that they are commonly given away as prizes.” Michael told him.

Spyro nodded, still confused, then jumped out of the way as a group of children barreled past them. They reached the main center of the fairgrounds, a big area filled with tables and banners. The group split off into pairs while Michael said he would wait at the center. Cynder gasped as she saw a black dragon related game and dragged Spyro to it. The stall keeper’s jaw dropped when she saw Cynder, and barely was able to function as she told Cynder how the game works.

“You have to touch the ball, and if you can make it turn darker, you win a little statue… of you” She stated

Cynder smiled, and touched the sun core, it instantly darkened, and stopped emitting light. She let go of the core and it turned back. The humor of this broke the keepers shock and she laughed.

“Well shoot, I didn’t expect that.” She wheezed

Spyro raised his eyebrows, and the keeper gave them a small statue of Cynder. She laughed and picked it up, amazed at the detail. She put the statue away and thanked the keeper then kept walking with Spyro. They passed stalls of all kinds, ate foods they have never even heard of, and watched as children of all species and ages laughing and playing. Spyro and Cynder noticed hundreds of courting couples, they were holding tails, or paws, and usually talking in hushed whispers. After a few hours of enjoying the fair, the group rejoined back at the center. Michael was waiting for them with Nebula, they both were staring trance-like at the night sky. It took them a minute to wake them from their trance, they both blinked and greeted the group. Michael nodded to them and vanished, Nebula smiled and looked at the group, and took flight. They followed him home, and landed back into the square. Michael was already there, and he looked up and smiled at someone in the shadows. The group gasped when a very dark, almost black, purple dragoness walked into the square and up to Michael. They nuzzled affectionately for a while; the purple dragoness rubbed hard against Michael’s neck. They parted and turned towards the group.

“Everybody, meet my mate, Beatrice.” Michael introduced her.

“Call me Bea” The purple dragoness spoke “Hello again, Spyro”

Cynder turned to her mate “You met her?”

“I did when I was wandering around Michael’s mind.” Spyro answered

“Word to the wise, don’t enter the mind of someone who has limitless forms.” Bea laughed

“I realize that now” Spyro replied

“So, you’re the famous mate of the Ultimate Guardian.” Ember spoke

“Famous?” Bea noticed Nebula. “Nebula! Hi! It’s been to long.”

“Hi” Nebula greeted.

Aura landed next to them, then noticed Bea.

“Mom!” She ran up and nuzzled the purple dragoness.

“Hi sweetie, I heard about your mate, where is he?” Bea nuzzled her back

Sam stepped out from behind a wall, and chuckled nervously

“Hi”

“Hello Sam, nice to meet you. Welcome to the family.” Bea replied

Onyx walked into the square to see the commotion, he saw Bea and froze.

“You, where have you been?” Bea yelled

“Um… Elsewhere?” He mumbled

She growled.

“Hey, no fighting in my district” Michael told them

“Where is Trice, and Junior?” Bea asked

“Trice is asleep at home, and Junior is god knows where in a different galaxy.” Michael rolled his eyes

Bea laughed “Of course they are, and how’s the hunt to bring my other daughters back?”

“I found Silver, but can’t find Fury.” Michael answered

Bea nodded

“Your purple?” Spyro asked

“It’s just my form, Michael is a void dragon, I’m a purple, it doesn’t really matter, it’s just a color I like. My magical color is purple.” Bea explained

They talked for a while, before Trice came out and nuzzled her mother.

“Good to see you in this form.” She spoke

“Good to see you awake.” Bea replied

Trice rolled their eyes. The group talked for a while, then it got late and everyone went to bed. Spyro curled around Cynder, and sneezed, causing Cynder to laugh.

“That was so graceful.” She chuckled

Spyro rolled his eyes

“So, you met Bea for real, she’s nice.” Cynder cuddled against him

“Yeah, she’s cool.”

“She seemed to have the same energy as Michael, like they blended perfectly”

“They’ve been together for trillions of years, what did you expect?”

“I think we’re like that”

“I think we’re close”

Spyro laughed and closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Cynder felt his breathing slow, and smiled to herself, following him.

Cynder woke with a start, Spyro wasn’t curled around her, she looked around and started to panic. She gasped and felt herself start to hyperventilate.

“Hey, hey, I’m right here, it’s okay.” Spyro told her.

Cynder looked at him and softened, she sighed and laid her head down

“You okay?” Spyro looked at her worriedly

“I just had a nightmare, I couldn’t find you, no matter where I looked.” She replied

“I’m here, I will always be here.” He nuzzled her

Cynder sighed “I know”

He curled back around her and nuzzled her neck for a while. After an hour, Michael knocked on their front door, and Spyro answered it.

“Are we going to Kanos?” Spyro asked

Michael nodded, and walked away. Spyro walked back into the bedroom and kissed Cynder.

“Time to go sweetie.”

Cynder groaned and stretched in her bed, smacking him with her wing. He laughed and grabbed her tail, she squealed as he pulled her out of the bed, then got up. He smiled when she gave him a withering look, and followed her out of the house. Michael, Mary, and Bea were already outside, waiting for them.

“It’s just the five of us this trip, it would be better if we didn’t crowd Jade” Michael told him “She’s a bit shy.”

“She’ll recognize Michael and me, and probably you as well.” Mary told Spyro.

Spyro watched as Michael stepped forward, and opened a portal. He walked through it, and the rest joined them. They walked into a spread-out city; houses dotted the landscape. Dark grey clouds were looming ominously overhead, threatening rain. Michael led them down a narrow path, they walked for a few hours before they stopped outside of a normal-looking house.

“She’s going to be surprised, and she might not want to talk with anyone.” Michael warned

Michael motioned for them to stay while he walked up to the door, he knocked once and stepped back. A bright green dragoness opened the door and gasped when she saw him, then closed the door. A green drake opened the door and gave Michael a confused look, then called her back. She stepped back out of the door and blushed, her head was held low.

“Hello there, we’ve been looking for you.” Michael smiled

Jade lifted her head “We?”

Mary stepped out from behind the bush they were standing behind, and walked up to her sister.

“Hey there, Sprout.” She smiled, then gasped “Are you pregnant?”

Jade blushed more. “Yeah, I’m going to have an egg in a few weeks.”

Mary nuzzled her. “Congrats sis, I’m happy for you.”

“What about you, did you have any kids?”

“I had three a couple years ago.” Mary answered

Jade recoiled, stunned, and smiled. “I’m an aunt?”

Mary looked confused, “You’ve been an aunt. Sam, James, and Fury all had kids.”

“Fury had a kid? I thought he died.” Jade looked down

“It was right before.” Mary replied and looked back at the bush.

Spyro stepped out and smiled faintly. Jade gasped, and stepped back in surprise. Then did a double take as Cynder stepped out with him.

“Silver? She laid too?” Jade spoke

“She did, at the same time as Rose. Jade, meet Spyro, and his mate, Cynder.” Mary introduced them.

“Are you guys from Faun?” The darker green dragon asked

Michael nodded.

Jade watched as Cynder shied at her gaze, hiding behind Spyro. They walked up to her and greeted her.

“Can we move there?” The green dragon replied

Jade shot him a confused look.

“What? We need somewhere better to raise the hatchling, there isn’t much here.” He told her “Hi everyone, I’m Peri by the way.”

“You’re welcome to take your old house back.” Michael told Jade

“Old house?” Peri turned to Jade

“I used to live in a house in Michael’s district” Jade explained “Before I left.”

“Why did you leave?” Cynder asked

“My father died and my mother left, so I wanted to disappear. I wanted a clean slate and a mew life.” Jade explained “So I settled here, found Peri, who is a duke, and stayed here.”

“You ignored a massive pile of letters, and somehow eluded sixty-five hunters.” Michael added

“That might have been my doing.” Peri replied “I sent them to the other side of the planet.”

“So, Sam and James had kids?” Jade asked

“Yeah, they had a total of six, they are living together on the other planet of this system.” Mary answered.

“Wow, I can’t believe this. How am I the last one to have kids?” Jade mumbled to herself.

Bea coughed

“Oh, Beatrice, it’s been so long. How have you been?” Jade looked over at her

“Fine, fine. I’ve just been in another dimension for the last couple hundred years.” Bea replied

Jade nodded, then looked around at the whole group.

“Well, it was nice seeing you guys…”

“What? They aren’t leaving, we need to discuss our move.” Peri interrupted her

Jade blushed, and looked back at the group. “I uhm, don’t really want to move.”

Michael sighed, and kneaded his forehead with his paw. “Your mother’s back at the palace.”

Jade snapped back, looking at him.

“She is?” She gasped

“Yep, wanting to see everyone, I wasn’t going to play that card but…” Michael droned on

Jade looked between Peri, Michael, and Spyro, before sighing.

“I guess we can move back then.” She spoke

Peri walked into the house to pack his things, they talked for a while before he walked back out with their things. Jade walked quietly, occasionally glancing at Spyro. He looked like a purple version of his father, and she was weirded out by it. They walked back into the center of the city and Bea opened a portal, her portals were purple instead of blue. They stepped through and Peri looked around, studying the houses. Jake stepped out of his and the kids followed, they rushed up and hugged their mother, asking all sorts of questions.

“Where, have you been? Who is that?” Storm asked

“This is your aunt, Jade.” Mary told them

They approached her wearily, she smiled at them and lowered her head. They giggled as she nuzzled them, each in turn. Then they ran off to play with some of the other children.

“Is the red one a sun dragon?” Jade asked

“Yes, Ray has a mutation, we’ve been having difficulty teaching him, but Aura has been helping us.” Mary replied

“Aura?” Jade replied

“Yes?” Aura stepped out from her house. “Oh, you must be Jade, you are hard to find, almost as hard as Onyx.”

“Onyx? What happened to him?”

“He saw something he didn’t like, and vanished, we just found him.” Michael answered

Looked around, watching the hustle and bustle of black and moon dragons in the square.

“Things have changed.” She replied

“Yep, that happens with time.” Michael rolled his eyes. “Your house is as you left it though.”

?

“Sophia

Dracios Elementia are strange creatures, I might have said this before, but I will say it again. After saving the entire species they accidentally create a brand-new threat for themselves. The balance of power for this species is stronger than most, and is constantly shifting. Their home dimension must be abandoned, and I’m currently preparing an Interplanetary Starship to house the entire species until they decide on a new dimension. I need you to start looking for their new home, some might take to the ML with joy, while others will wish to start a new kingdom on a new planet.

Love you my daughter, Michael”

Excerpt From:

The Evacuation Of Providence (Letters From Those Who Were There)

Council Of Science Collaboration

Can Be Found in The Infinite Archive

?

Chapter Nine

Spyro watched as Nuri landed in the square and rushed to Jade, they nuzzled for a while, before Nuri stepped back and admired her daughter.

“You have an egg?” Nuri gasped

Jade blushed “Yes mom, meet Peri”

Peri bowed to her and Nuri laughed.

“I am queen no more, there is no need for that.” She chuckled

Peri nodded, and Spyro left them to talk privately. He walked into the house and sat down on the couch next to Cynder, and sighed.

“What now?” Spyro asked “Do we relax for a while? Or do we get ready to go?”

“Michael has been talking about traveling to a nearby dimension, he says that they haven’t contacted the ML in a long time, and is planning an expedition to figure out what’s happen.” Cynder replied

“Another dimension? Were going interdimensional?” He smiled

“I guess” Cynder shrugged.

Ember suddenly burst through the door.

“Hey, guys I need you to come with me to Warfang, my mother called me, she says it’s urgent.” She called out to them “Bring your armor.”

Spyro followed her out of the house and into the air. Cynder took off after them, and spotted Michael watching them with a puzzled expression. They flew out over the city and landed in the center of a massive ruin, there were a few henges still upright, with portals glowing in them.

“This used to be the major portal location, until Malefor blew it to smithereens, they have been rebuilding it since.” Ember explained.

They walked up to a portal labeled ‘Genrir’ and stepped through it. The portal brought them to a smaller henge just outside of Warfang. The henge was filled with tourists and travelers. The guards stared baffled at the four of them as they walked through the gates. A few locals shot Cynder dirty looks, and hurried away as they passed. They walked to the palace and addressed the guards. They looked at them with wide eyes, and bowed while opening the gates. Ember rushed up the stairs and into the throne room, she found her mother sitting and reading on the throne, and smiled at her daughter.

“Ember dear, you had no need to rush.” The queen told her

“You told me it was urgent.” Ember gasped

“I know you’re busy, that’s why I said as soon as possible.” She replied

“What is it?” Ember asked

“I’m retiring” The queen replied

Flame, Cynder, and Spyro walked in and froze.

“Your what?” Ember replied

“It’s time for me to pass on the crown, I want to relax, and visit other planets.” The queen sighed

She got up from the throne and walked up to them.

“I know you wish to stay in Faun, and I have conferred with Michael to open a direct portal from your house to the palace. You can stay there, but you must come here regularly.” The queen told them.

She reached up and took her crown, and set it down on the throne, a mole walked up and placed another crown next to it.

“I’m both surprised and glad that you brought Spyro, he can officiate it instead of me.”

“I… What?” Spyro replied, confused

“All you have to do is take the crowns and place them on their heads, and declare them king and queen, then we can all go and I can go to Sundance, I heard it’s beautiful this time of year.

“Uhm, Sundance was lost in the war.” Flame told her.

The queen looked down and sighed “Somewhere else then.”

Spyro grabbed Cynder and they walked over to the throne, they each picked up a crown, and turned around. Spyro placed his crown on Flame’s head while Cynder placed hers on Ember.

“As king, I hereby declare you, Flame, king of Warfang and its territories”

“As queen, I hereby declare you, Ember, queen of Warfang and its territories”

They stepped back, and the old queen clapped.

“I am no longer queen; you shall now call me Dawn. Now I am off. Love you Ember, see you in a few weeks, I need to destress.”

The two dragons were beaming, the crowns glittered on their heads.

“Do we have crowns?” Cynder asked Spyro

“Yeah, we saw them in the palace, they are only needed when we’re sitting on the throne” Spyro whispered back.

Dawn flew off, cheering.

“Do we need to tell the people?” Ember asked

“They already know, my queen, a declaration was sent out three days ago.” A guard told her

Spyro and Cynder stepped back as the newly crowned king and queen sat together on the throne.

“Alright then. Spyro, Cynder, I’m sorry to drag you all the way here for something like this.” Ember told them

“It’s fine, I enjoyed that.” Cynder replied

Michael walked into the room, he was wearing royal armor, a crown glittering on his head. Bea was with him, wearing the same thing. He snapped his fingers and two crowns appeared, he handed them to Spyro and Cynder.

“Here, they are designed to match your armor.” Michael told them

They nodded and put on the crowns.

Ember noticed a guard was waiting for them.

“What is it?” She asked him

“There are people waiting to greet you, my queen.” The guard replied

“Such is why I gave them their crowns, if we are seen without them here, they will think you are higher.” Michael told the group

Ember nodded to the guard, who pulled a lever next to him. A cheetah chief and a few delegates walked through the door, they awed at the collection of kings and queens before them and bowed their heads.

“My queen, I give many congratulations for your ascension. We have brought a tribute to show our good intentions as allies.” The chief spoke

Ember nodded, and the delegates reached out and pulled out a series of pink gems, they handed a guard the gems and bowed again, before leaving. Spyro and Cynder watched as hundreds of people came and went, they brought various tributes, from gold to rare spices. A few even brought fertility totems, much to Ember and Flame’s embarrassment. Eventually, night fell and the group returned home through the new portal in the palace. Spyro and Cynder collapsed on their couch.

“I’m glad we don’t have to do that.” Cynder smiled

“Yeah, thank the ancestors Faun has a mayor.” Spyro replied

They talked for a while, ate dinner and went to bed. Cynder cuddled up in her spot and yawned.

“I got less dirty looks then normal.” She spoke

“The crown makes people watch what they do.” Spyro replied

“Did you see those fertility totems, Ember looked like she was going to explode.” Cynder chuckled

“And those hatchling gifts, they were definitely insinuating for her to hurry up and lay eggs.” Spyro laughed with her.

“Dawn left so fast; I would have thought she was on fire.” Cynder replied

“She wanted to retire as soon as Ember and Flame were mated, but gave them some time to enjoy the peace.” Spyro told her

“Yeah, I wonder where she went.” Cynder mused “Probably a beach somewhere.”

Spyro nuzzled her “That doesn’t seem like a bad idea right now, a nice day on the beach, just the two of us. Wow I just realized that mom, dad, and Sparx were gone all day, and by the time we got back they were already asleep.”

“It was a busy day.” Cynder yawned “We’ll hang out with them tomorrow.”

She closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep. Spyro curled around her and fell asleep as well.

Cynder opened her eyes to Sparx staring back at her on her snout. She squinted at him and growled.

“What do you want?” She asked, then realized that Spyro had gotten up.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, just relax, Spyro told me to wake you up, breakfast is ready.” Sparx flew off of her and backed up.

Cynder groaned, and stretched, then she got up and yawned.

“It’s too early for interactions, especially with small, annoying, yellow, dragonflies.”

“Hey, I didn’t want to wake you up either, but your foods going to get cold.” Sparx replied

Cynder stepped out of the bedroom and walked into the kitchen, she kissed Spyro and grabbed a plate of food before sitting down at the table. She ate in silence, while watching Spyro talk with his family. When she had finished, she sat next to him on the couch and listened to the chatter for a while. Nina was telling them about their trip to the fair yesterday, they enjoyed it greatly, even though they were the smallest people there. After a few hours, Spyro and Sparx left for a flight, leaving Cynder with Flash and Nina, June went to check on the egg.

“So… Uhm… You guys like the living arrangements in Warfang?” Cynder asked

“Yeah, we got a big house and the rest of the village seems to enjoy it.” Flash answered

They sat in silence for a moment, before Nina grunted in frustration.

“Why is this awkward? Like why? You’re my son’s mate, we should be best of friends, why can’t we have a conversation without him or Sparx?” She asked

“We don’t really know each other, and we haven’t really talked.” Cynder replied

“Well, let’s change that.” Nina replied

They proceeded to talk about every single topic Nina could think of, and Cynder told her everything she could, they talked about Spyro’s childhood, being a queen, their latest adventures, and even what kind of foods they’ve been eating lately. Flash left and relieved June, who flew over and joined the conversation. After a few hours, they ran out of topics and relaxed.

“Where are they boys?” Nina asked

“Probably out looking around the city, they haven’t really been able to hang out recently.” Cynder answered

“Sparx won’t stop talking about the adventures you guys had, I think he misses it.” June replied

“I bet he does, but we can’t bring him with us anymore, the places we are going are way too dangerous.” Cynder told her

“He understands, but still misses it.” June sighed “I think he just doesn’t want to be left out.”

Cynder nodded and looked out the window. She sighed and leaned back against the couch, then fell asleep.

Cynder opened her eyes and felt Spyro next to her, she had moved herself to lean against him in her sleep. She sighed against him, and snuggled up against his neck. Spyro was reading a book while Flash and Nina were flipping through a book about dragonflies Spyro had found. Cynder laid against him for a while, before she opened her eyes and yawned.

“Hi, how was your nap?” Spyro asked her

“Good” Cynder smiled

She got up and stretched, then went into the kitchen to cook dinner. After they all ate their meal, Spyro sat back and sighed.

“You know how to cook a mean steak.” Sparx admitted “It fits your personality.”

Cynder rolled her eyes “I’m glad you didn’t choke on it”

Sparx gave her a sidelong glance, and June shouldered him. Spyro chuckled, and cleaned the dishes. When he finished, he stepped out into the cool night air, the sun still glowing on the horizon. Cynder joined him as they both watched the stars together. After the last of the sun’s light vanished, Nebula, Onyx, and Effie walked into the square and looked at them with confused faces.

“Did you come to see the shower too?” Nebula asked them.

“The what?” Cynder replied

“The meteor shower, it passes through this planet’s atmosphere once every couple thousand years.” Nebula told them “It’s very powerful, did you not know about it?”

“No” Spyro replied

“Watch it with us, it’s quite beautiful.” Onyx replied

“Where’s Ethan?” Cynder asked

“Asleep, he’s been out with some of the hunters looking for their sister’s mate.” Nebula answered

Everyone looked up at the sky, and stared for a while. Cynder gasped as a bright flash cut across the sky, then another. Soon, there was dozens of meteors cutting across the sky. Spyro looked down at Cynder, her eyes were flashing as she watched the night sky come alive. They watched the shower for a few hours, then it started to die down. When the shower slowed to one every once in a while, Nebula gasped loudly and closed her eyes, when she opened them, they were glowing white.

“Corruption is near, this realm is in danger. Evils anew rise to fight the ancient light, fate has deemed you worthy, you shall forever live in the stars. Dangers of old are watching you now, the next fight approaches you. Stay with your Guardian, he will protect you, and when the time comes, you will ascend beyond original thought. Be it as it may or as it might, this prediction is from the stars tonight.” She gasped again, and fainted.

Onyx rolled his eyes “Don’t mind her, she does that once a decade. Take her words to heart though, but don’t let them control your decisions. This is merely a helpful insight into the happenings of what’s around you, there is nothing definite from the future, other than what is obvious.”

Nebula groaned, and sat up “Of course this would happen to me during the shower.”

“Are you okay?” Cynder asked

“I’m fine, this is normal” Nebula sighed

Spyro was about to say something, but was interrupted by a snap, a meteor crashed on the other side of the square with a loud thump, glowing a faint blue.

“Now that… That is a bad omen.” Onyx stared at the crater.

Spyro walked over to it, and studied it intently. It was a chunk of glowing blue crystal; steam was still emanating from it slowly.

“It’s an ethereal star, pick it up.” Onyx told him.

Spyro picked up the rock, and felt as if he was being charged with energy like which he had never felt before. The sudden flow of raw magic made him rear up and breath fire into the air. The fire was dark blue and burned hotter than any fire Spyro had ever seen before.

“It’s strong stuff” Nebula replied

Spyro looked down at the crystal in his hand.

“What is it exactly?” Spyro asked

“A gem of raw ethereal magic.” Onyx picked up the crystal, then crushed it with his claws, it shattered, revealing a dark blue gem, which he handed back to Spyro. “This is a gift from the universe, keep it safe until you need it.”

Spyro nodded, then handed the gem to Cynder. She grabbed it and her eyes went wide with shock as she felt the shockwave of pure magic. Michael walked out and glanced at the crater that was in front of him, it suddenly returned to normal.

“A star fell?” He asked

“Yep, and I had a vision.” Nebula answered

Michael nodded, and looked over to Spyro “This gem contains the power of the ethereal realm, don’t let it fall into the wrong hands. This is now a family heirloom; you are to pass it down to who needs it most.”

Cynder handed Spyro the gem, who tried to hand it to Michael.

“You should hold onto it, it’s your kind of magic.” He told Michael

“No, it is yours now, and belongs in a place where it can protect your family. I also have a million of these.” Michael told him.

Spyro put the gem in his inventory. “I’ll put it in the royal vault later, I don’t think I can use this in battle.”

“That’s probably for the best, you should use it to assist you in powerful spells, but not to fight and kill.” Michael nodded to him.

Nebula stumbled “Oh, I think I need to go rest, that drained all of my energy”

Effie and Onyx helped her home, and Cynder turned to Michael.

“Why did she say that fate had deemed us worthy, and that we will forever live in the stars?” She asked

“You passed the test of fate, and believe me, not many people are able to accomplish such a feat. Onyx had to escape a very hostile territory, then go back into it and free it from the clutches of evil. He did this while everybody thought he was evil. Fate will reward you for all that you have done, you will never be forgotten.” Michael told them

He nodded to them and walked back into his house. Spyro wondered how fate has rewarded him, he has done so much for them. He walked into the house with Cynder, and settled into bed. She looked over at him.

“Another fight is approaching.” She stated

“We already knew this, but now it’s definite” Spyro replied

?

“Rose

I set this letter to be sent to you in the event of my departure, whether or not it was you that sent me away, you must be prepared for what’s to come. Power, my daughter, you have more than most, not just because of me, but your egg will be far more powerful than expected. I know it’s purple, don’t ask how, but just understand that a purple dragon from the royal line will be the most powerful one to ever exist. Protect it, and Silver’s as well, for the evils that will come make Malefor’s corruption look like a hatchling having a tantrum. Save yourself, my sweet girl, because your power can keep you alive without a body, make sure to have a backup in place, because fate has stepped in, and now that I’m gone, you won’t have my protection.

See you soon, Michael.”

Letter From:

Rose’s Saved Letters

Can be Found In The Royal Palace Vault

?

Chapter Ten

“Josh, wait for me” A red dragon called after his yellow brother.

“C’mon Sam, it took me forever to convince mom to see the comet, and I don’t want to miss it. If it weren’t for you, I would have just zapped there.” Josh replied

“Remember what mom said; even though you can use your boosted powers, that doesn’t mean you should.” Sam replied

Sam sped up and caught up with his brother, they walked out through the forest and found their destination; a flat rock broken up only by quartz veins. Sam looked up at the clear sky.

“We just made it.” Josh smiled

“Are you going to call to her” Sam smirked

Josh frowned at him “I shouldn’t have told you about that, please, please stop talking about it, I don’t want to get caught.”

“I won’t tell anyone, but I do want to meet her.” Sam promised.

Josh sighed “Maybe when it’s passed.”

A star lit up in the sky, burning brightly. The turned and watched it as it started to cut across the sky. They watched it for an hour, before it disappeared on the horizon. Josh was smiling, and Sam kept watching the sky.

“That comet only comes once every hundred thousand years.” Josh told his brother

“Can we call her now?” Sam asked excitedly

“Fine, hold on a minute.”

Josh closed his eyes and focused, after a few minutes he gasped and smiled.

“She’s coming.” He told Sam

They waited around for a moment, then suddenly a white dragoness flew into view from the sky, she landed gracefully next to the two brothers.

“Hey, you must be Sam.” She spoke

“Hi, your Grace, right?” Sam greeted her excitedly.

“That’s me.” She replied

“Josh has told me a lot about you.” Sam told her

“Has he?” Grace laughed

They heard a roar in the distance.

“That’s mom, probably wondering about us.” Sam told them

“She’s wondering about you, go ahead, I will be home soon.” Josh told him

Sam flew off, leaving Josh alone with Grace.

“He’s cute” She giggled

“Yeah, he’s been pestering me to meet you since he found out about you.” Josh told her

She nuzzled him, making him blush heavily.

“I’ve been waiting for you to tell your parents about me.” She said to him

“I don’t think I will” Josh sighed “They want me to be with another electric dragon.”

“What are we going to do?” Grace asked

He kissed her “Lets run away, our powers can make us rich, and we can live happily together without a care in the world, we can explore the galaxy together.”

She blushed at the kiss “But what about your family?”

“Forget them, they’re always pushing me to train my powers, then telling me not to use them.” Josh sighed “and they wouldn’t like you.”

Grace looked into his eyes, and laughed “Your serious”

“Of course.” Josh replied

“Then let’s do it, tomorrow night, meet me back here and we will leave, I can get us a portal out of here.” Grace told him

He nodded and laid down, she joined him, they stared at the sky together.

“Is it just me or are some of those stars going out?” Grace asked

“I noticed that too, it’s been happening more frequently, I think our system is passing in a dust cloud that is blocking out a lot of the stars.” Josh replied

“That makes sense.” Grace replied.

After a while, Josh got up and kissed Grace.

“That was to hold you off until tomorrow, then we will have our lives together” He smiled at her

Josh took off and flew home, he landed outside the front door and walked in. His mother was waiting for him.

“Did you enjoy the comet?” She asked

“Yeah, it was cool, the next one isn’t for twenty years.” Josh replied

“I thought you said it doesn’t come by except for every million years or so,” His mom told him

“It’s a different one, the same one will come back a while from now.” Josh answered “I’m going to bed.”

“Love you sweetie” She smiled

He climbed into bed, but couldn’t sleep for a while. He eventually fell into a sleep and dreamed of flying into the horizon with Grace.

Josh woke to Sam nudging him.

“What?” He asked

“It’s time for your training.” Sam told him

“Why don’t you come with me this time?” Josh told him

Sam smiled and nodded, they walked out of the house and over to a clearing they use as a training grounds. Josh practiced his daily moves for a while, before he took a break to talk to Sam.

“So, hey, I’m leaving tomorrow, and I don’t know when I’ll be coming back.” Josh told Sam

“You’re going with you know who?” Sam asked

“Yes, and I know mom and dad are going to question you, so when I’m gone, I want you to tell them everything, I’ll be long gone by the time they try to follow me.” Josh replied

Sam nodded “When you leaving?”

“Tonight, they won’t notice until noon tomorrow.” Josh answered

Sam nodded and smiled at him. “I’m happy for you, I wish I could come with, but I know I can’t leave mom and dad alone.”

Josh nodded “I also don’t think you can fly all the way.”

“I’ve been working on my dives and banks though.” Sam’s eyes made contact with someone behind Josh

Josh understood immediately “Oh, really, have you figured out that roll trick I taught you?”

“No, but I’ve been working on it.” Sam replied enthusiastically

Their mother chuckled behind them. “Boys” She shook her head and walked past them

Josh went back to his training, he blasted a dummy with a bolt of lightning, then flashed behind another and sliced its head clean off with his claws. After about an hour, they went back to the house, Josh sat down at the table and smiled when his mother handed him a plate of food.

“You did good with your training today.” She told him.

“Thanks” He replied, scarfing down the food.

He finished his meal and went to take a nap; he wanted all the energy he could get for his upcoming adventure. He woke up after the sun had set and snuck out of the house. He could hear his parents talking through their bedroom window. He felt a pang in his heart, but ignored it, his mind was already made, he was leaving tonight. He paused for a moment, mentally saying goodbye to all that he was used to. He said goodbye to his parents, his brother, his house, and his life here. Then he turned and flew to the star gazing rock. Josh felt his heart soar when he saw Grace waiting for him, she smiled at him when she landed, and he kissed her.

“I got us that portal, were getting off of this planet, and out of the system.” The white dragon nuzzled his neck.

Josh smiled, and they took off together, flying off into the horizon. They flew for hours before they approached a small city, it’s lights flickering in their vision. The city was silent when they landed, it was still late at night. Grace led them to an inn, and bought a room for the night.

“The portal opens tomorrow in the afternoon; we will have to stay here for the night.” She told him

Josh nodded as they entered the room, then blushed at the one bed. Grace laughed at him and laid down on the bed, motioning for him to curl around him. He did so shakily, unused to curling around another dragon. They quickly fell asleep cuddling each other.

“Sam!”

The red dragon opened his eyes. “What?”

“Where’s your brother? He didn’t come back last night.” His mother asked him

Sam looked between his mother and his father, then sighed.

“He ran off.”

“HE WHAT?” They yelled in unison

“He left, a while ago he met this girl, and he got tired of your constant pressure, so he left. When I found out about her, he made me promise not to tell until he left.”

His gather sighed “You honored your word, you’re not in trouble”

“Where did he go? And who’s the girl?” Sam’s mother asked

“He didn’t tell me where, but her name’s Grace, and she’s a white dragoness. Not sure if she’s an aether or a moon though.” Sam told them

They both sighed

“Of course, now he’s running off with some girl he barely knows.” His mother replied

“Actually, they’ve been together for two years.” Sam told them

“TWO?” His father exclaimed, and facepalmed “I should have seen the signs.”

They rushed out of the house and flew off, Sam smiled to himself, knowing that they won’t find him.

Josh woke up to a nuzzle on his check, he opened his eyes and smiled at Grace.

“Time to go.” She told him

They got up and stretched.

“I’ve never slept so good in my life.” She yawned

Josh blushed, and nodded in agreement. They walked out of the inn and checked out, then Grace led them to a random wall, and they waited. After a few minutes, a portal opened in front of them. Josh smiled brightly at Grace, who beamed back at him. They stepped through the portal together.

Sam heard his parents return after midnight, his mother was crying, and his father was consoling her. Sam knew that Josh’s training will be able to pay off now, he will be able to protect both of them. He was happy for his brother, and hoped he had a good life, even if he never sees him again.

Josh and Grace walked through the city, looking at all the wonders of the massive structures around them. She stayed close to them, and they held each other’s tails. The city was strangely quiet, but an armored dragon ran up to them.

“What are you still doing here?” He yelled at them.

“I’m sorry, we just got here.” Josh told him

Suddenly a huge crackling sound rumbled through the city, the soldier looked back in fear as a massive black void came into view, it crumbled everything it touched.

“RUN” The soldier yelled

The ran as fast as they could through the streets, the void behind them closed in. Josh grabbed the soldier and stopped him.

“Hold onto my wing, I can get us out of here, just tell us where to go.” He told him

The soldier nodded “The last portal is eighty clicks west of here.”

Josh closed his eyes and focused, he had never flashed with somebody else before, and as he turned to lightning, he felt himself dragging them with him. They instantly landed in a clearing with a portal in the center, the soldier rushed through and the other two followed. They landed in a strange clearing filled with dragons, they were rushing back and forth, talking and screaming. Josh rushed after the soldier but lost him in the crowd

“What was that?” He asked Grace

“I don’t know, I have never seen anything like it.” Grace replied

A pink dragon ran up to them turned to Grace

“You there, are you moon or aether?” She asked

“Aether” Grace gulped

“We need your help in the healing tent” The pink dragoness replied

They followed her into a tent with a big red plus on it, and saw many dragons and other species with various injuries laying on beds. Grace rushed to help them, and they stayed in the tent until the sun had set. In return for Grace’s help, they gave them a tent to stay in for a few days. Grace fell into bed, exhausted, while Josh went to find answers. He wandered around until he found a captain.

“Hey, do you know what’s been going on? I come from an outer ring planet.” He asked

“Nobody knows, we lost communication with the ML, our allies, then we started getting attacked by a lightless void, it destroys all that it touches, leaving nothing left. There is no way for us to fight it, we just have to keep retreating. Were safe here, for now, so rest up.” The captain told him

“Thanks” Josh replied

He walked back to the tent and quietly entered. He curled back around Grace and cuddled her, falling asleep in the warmth.

They woke to someone yelling outside the tent.

“Everybody in this wing, we are evacuating you to the capital, they have generously offered to take all of you in. Get ready to move in one hour.”

Josh yawned and smiled faintly at Grace.

“Morning.” He said to her

They got up and left the tent, a portal had been opened in the center, and they walked through it.

END OF BOOK 3

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“The end is never the end is never the end is never the end. Fate cannot end, until the end of the dimension, there will be constant prophecies, constant destinies, and constant change. Life will live forever, everything is a circle, time, life, love, matter. It’s all a circle, the circle is power, the circle of power, it is everything, and is everywhere”

Excerpt From:

A carving found on a stone in the middle of a wood on Earth, of the prime dimension.

Copies Can Be Found In The Infinite Archive

Ancient Mysteries Section (Public)