So I really wanted to post this on the tenth anniversary of The Eternal Night's release but the first story isn't done yet, so... Read this if you want, I suppose? I'll be posting the rest of A New Hope this month, anyhow. Be warned, this is probably spoilery. Oops.
Chapter 1: Night Terrors
In the darkness of the cold, damp cell, the Dragon opened his violet eyes. He moved forward, his dark purple scales sparkling under the meager beams of sunlight that shined through the small window. The chains lifted from the floor and rattled when he reached the end of their length, the steel door a few feet out of his reach. He narrowed his eyes, a low growl rumbling within his throat. His Elemental powers had been drained following the incident, preventing him from breaking down the door through might and magic.
The Dragon's eyes burned with hatred at the stocky, green Dragon that opened the door and walked into the cell. Oh, Telleas... How I would love to slit your throat where you stand...
"I am quite certain you do not wish to speak to me, but alas, I am afraid I must know the answer..." Telleas stopped in front of the chained Dragon, revealing two armoured Dragons standing at the entrance behind him. Telleas took a deep breath, forcing himself to look into the chained Dragon's hateful eyes. "Why did you do this, Lucifor?"
Lucifor threw his head back and laughed, his eyes sparkling with sadistic glee. His once vibrant golden horns glittered with blood red under the sunlight, and what little of the original gold colour that remained appeared a dull brown. "Why, you ask? Why? Oh, Telleas, Telleas... The real question is... How could I not?"
"Does the gravity of your crimes not weigh on your vapid conscience?" Telleas' dark green eyes flashed with anger, and if he'd been younger and more reckless, he would've smacked Lucifor's face. "You stole eggs. You killed hatchlings, discarded their corpses like rubbish! And you nearly single-handedly shattered the uneasy peace we have had with the Dark Dragons! Even now, their Queen contemplates war!"
"Isn't war in the nature of the Dark Dragons?" Lucifor leaned forward as far as the chains would allow, flashing Telleas a grin of diamond white teeth. "After all, it's common knowledge they're mere barbarians... What does it matter if we anger them, really?"
"Hold your tongue, Lucifor," Telleas allowed his tone to lower into a vicious rumble. "Or have you truly forgotten all we have taught you?"
"What does it matter, really?" Lucifor shrugged, looking up at the ceiling and forcing a frown onto his face. He bobbed his head to the left and right. "Why should I answer to you, when you have already made up your mind? Such a shame it is... You were always my favorite of the Guardians..." He scraped the stone floor with his claws, leaving marks on it. "Until you betrayed me."
"Is that what you're taking away from this?" Telleas felt his heart sink into his chest. He barely recognized the Dragon in front of him. "You kidnap, you murder, you engage in the wicked arts... And you are the one who has been betrayed? How dare you, Lucifor!"
"Oh yes, yes, how dare me," Lucifor sat down, reaching a paw up to his chest. It didn't make it past his stomach, stopped by the chain. "Blame me. Blame the poor youth who was practically gift-wrapped the keys to the universe. Oh, what was I to do?"
"You still have not answered my question," Telleas' patience faded, and he glared daggers at Lucifor. "Why did you do it? I and the other Guardians shared with you all we knew... And this is how you chose to use it? Why?"
"I have more power than you could ever dream of, my dear old Telleas," Lucifor laughed again. "I have the power to create, to destroy, to bend the laws of nature to my will... And so I wondered, could I give this gift to another? Could I create another Purple Dragon, like the Black Dragons and Silver Dragons once used in the Twilight Wars? It was a question too irresistible. I had to see for myself... To see if it could be done."
"And you think the loss of countless lives was worth it to satiate your curiosity?" Telleas tensed, but he stood his ground against the chained Lucifor. His heart broke in two, memories of the young Lucifor surfacing and torturing his mind.
"Every worthwhile venture requires an amount of sacrifice," Lucifor replied, lowering his eyelids and pouting. The scowl his mock innocence received sent another rumble of horrid laughter through his chest and throat.
"And were any of your victims willing?" Telleas seethed, "I know not what evil has crept into your mind, Lucifor, but I cannot tolerate it. The Guardians will not tolerate it. Our Queen will not permit you to walk away from this unpunished..."
"Look at me, Telleas, I'm absolutely powerless and at your mercy," Lucifor rolled his eyes. "I hardly think I've gone unpunished..."
"It's not enough," Telleas shook his head and turned his back to Lucifor, walking out of the cell. He ignored the appalled looks on the faces of the guards. "I will not save you from whatever fate my fellow Guardians decide, nor will I protect you from Queen Khrystalium's wrath."
"No need to burden yourself, Telleas," Lucifor's tone darkened, and if Telleas was a lesser Dragon, he'd have shuddered from the sheer malice inside Lucifor's voice. "I do not fear you or the rest of my old mentors. And I definitely don't fear that wrinkly old wyrm. The one who should be feared… is I."
"Think what you wish, Lucifor, I certainly cannot stop you," Telleas sighed, walking down the hall and leaving his former protege behind.
The door closed, leaving Lucifor with little light once again. He stepped back and leaned against the wall near the window, watching the dust twinkle in the light. His eyes wandered back to the door, his face hardening into a scowl for a moment.
Within the weak light, Lucifor's eyes gleamed an alien, sickly gold, the promise of merciless retribution. He laughed, his voice taking on a new menace.
What once was a Dragon of virtue and heroism faded away, replaced by a king of hatred.
#
The Purple Dragon stood in dread. A flicker of despair flashed across her lavender eyes, and her breath hitched.
She stared at the writhing, crimson heap in front of her, frozen in place by the hateful yellow eyes that stared into her very soul. Past experience told her the eyes belonged to a fellow Purple Dragon. She had a hard time believing the Purple Dragon she had fought was now standing before her, skewered by large metal rods and yet still moving when he should've been dead.
"Aeqorcia..." The yellow-eyed Purple Dragon purred, blood dripping from his mouth and staining the white sand. He lurched forward, chains rattling, rods twisting and turning, drawing more blood that dropped onto the sand. He hissed, reaching a paw towards Aeqorcia and grinning. "Aeqorcia..."
Fear gripped Aeqorcia's heart, and she wanted to run, fly, anything to get away from the monster before her. The bright blue fins on her head flattened. Despite it all, she stood firm, determined to see her task through, whatever it took.
"Your reign of terror has come to an end, Malefor," One of Aeqorcia's Void Dragon companions stepped forward. "Your soul shall become ensnared by Convexity. Not even the Eternal Night can save you from it."
"On the contrary, my reign has only just begun..." Malefor snarled, his jaw opening wider than should've been possible, a dark blue light glowing in the back of his mouth. His pupils disappeared, his eyes turning white. He closed his mouth and raised his head up towards the stars, struggling against the rods. He roared and one of the rods shot out of his chest, propelled by dark blue energy. It struck Aeqorcia, breaking through her chest and poking out of her back.
"You can't kill me if I kill you first," Malefor spat, hitting Aeqorcia's face with blood. He laughed and coughed, his voice hoarse from the pain. Another rod fell out of his body, the wound gushing blood. "I should be dead, yet I live! You cannot destroy me!"
"Y-yes I-I c-can..." Aeqorcia sputtered and coughed up blood, her life draining away each second. In spite of the pain, she narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, blasting Malefor with a beam of purple energy. The beam went right through Malefor, creating a portal behind him.
Malefor screamed, the beam burning away flesh and bone. He noticed the Void Dragons circling him, finding himself unable to do anything about them or Aeqorcia.
Aeqorcia felt like she was on fire, and she noticed purple smoke rising into the air. Her heart clenched, but she kept the beam going even as it tore her apart.
Within seconds, Malefor's entire body and the rods were reduced to nothing, his lifeforce caught in a pure white crystal. The Void Dragons looked at each other and nodded. Without delay, they flew into the portal, their leader holding the crystal.
The Void Dragons flew past the massive creatures that had been sucked into Convexity upon its creation. They made haste towards the largest of the floating stone islands, eyes on the metal cage they had constructed. A pool of white light shined within its black steel bars.
"May you never see the light of day ever again," the eldest Void Dragon murmured, holding the crystal in his paws as he walked up the short flight of stairs. "May you remain trapped in between life and death forever."
He threw the crystal into the light and backed away as it grew brighter. Their work done, he and the rest of the Void Dragons took to the arcane skies again, racing towards the portal that threatened to close and trap them inside the prison they had constructed.
The Void Dragons reentered their world, the portal closing behind them. Their sense of relief died at the sight before them. The leader stepped forward, looking at the twisted piece of metal on the ground. He closed his eyes.
Nothing remained of Aeqorcia, the second Purple One.
#
"Cynder..."
Cynder stared into Cyrus' eyes, the voice sending a shudder down her spine. It didn't belong to Cyrus, but it radiated the same malice his eyes did. Her tail flicked around, and she glowered at Cyrus, trying to mask the fear on her face. She didn't think it was working.
"Cynder..."
Cyrus swung his paw at Cynder, and she jumped back before his claws could slash her face. She shot him in the face with a blast of Aether energy, leaping to the side when he tried to catch her with his jaws. He snarled and circled around her. She shot him again.
"Cynder..."
Her head pounded and her blood boiled, sending tremors throughout her body. She ignored it as best as she could, focusing on the battle. She couldn't lose, the entire world depended on her. She worried she'd break under the pressure.
"Cynder..."
Cyrus' tail came crashing into her face, sending her tumbling over the edge of the island. She gripped it with her front claws as she rolled, hoisting herself back up and fighting back with another burst of Aether. She sent Cyrus flying, watching him hit the cage and land on the stone.
"Cynder..."
If Cynder wasn't annoyed at the voice, she definitely was now. She gritted her teeth and tried to block it out, but her efforts only seemed to make it louder. She growled, drawing more power from the spirit of Aether. She could feel the Fury inside growing in strength, begging to be released. She waited for Cyrus to stand back up.
"Cynder..."
Cyrus rose to his full height, purple eyes glittering with the intent to kill. Cynder stepped back, the sight sending a shock up her spine. Cyrus didn't want to kill her. He had been holding back, even. Something was wrong. Cynder then noticed the sky was completely empty, none of the stars or planets present. She didn't even see the whales or jellyfish.
"Cynder..."
Cyrus charged towards her, and her body tensed. The Aether within screamed for release. She floated off the rocky surface, surrounded by a bright purple aura. She opened her mouth, charging an orb of Aether, watching it grow in size until it was bigger than her entire body. She felt like she was on fire, inside and out, and she leapt to meet Cyrus, releasing the energy.
The Aether Fury's beam collided with Cyrus' chest in an explosion of purple and white magic that sent out wave after wave of purifying energy, shaking the very foundations of Convexity.
"Cynder..."
A smaller Cyrus fell to the ground once the Aether Fury ended, and he groaned in agony. His eyes closed and he lay there, helpless to save himself from being pulled into the light inside the cage. Cynder moved in to catch him, feeling the light tug at her as well.
"Really?" She heard Sparx say, and it dawned on her that he hadn't been present for the battle at all. "You're going to save the monster that keeps trying to kill us?"
"None of that was his fault!" Cynder snapped, turning to face Sparx. She slid backwards, and she dug her claws into the stone to steady herself. "The Dark Master used him like a puppet!"
She turned around to see the still unconscious Cyrus being dragged up the stairs by the unseen force. She whipped her head back to Sparx. "I have to help him!"
"Cynder..."
Cynder pushed herself off the ground and dove for Cyrus, grabbing a hold of him before the light consumed him. She beat her wings furiously to escape the light's pull, flying towards the black sky. A swirling portal opened above her of its own accord, making her nervous. But she saw no better options of escaping the light, so she flew to the portal, tightening her grip on Cyrus.
"Cynder..."
She flew into the portal, leaving the voice behind.
#
Cynder was flung out of the portal and crashed into the ground below. She tumbled across the craggy field, gasping and yelping as the rocks pierced her skin. She slammed into a larger rock, and for a moment she saw stars dancing across her vision as she struggled to stand.
"Ohhh owww..." She shook her head and dusted herself off, scanning the environment she had arrived in. She stood in a desolate wasteland with an oppressive cloudy sky above it, and humid air thick with smoke. She didn't see any signs of Cyrus or Sparx, nor did she see the portal anywhere.
She turned around and walked past the rock, stopping in her tracks when she took in the sight before her. Jagged mountains filled the horizon, and green liquid poured from the largest mountain in the center. A sickly beam of pinkish purple light shot out of the mountain's peak, and the more Cynder looked at the peak, the more it looked like a gaping maw. The beam broke punched a hole through the black clouds, journeying into the sky for an unknown purpose. Cynder didn't think she wanted to know why.
I need to find my way back to the temple...
Cynder walked away from the mountain, closing her eyes and trying to imagine the Dragon Temple. When she opened them, she saw the mountain in front of her, seeming closer than before. She screamed and ran the other way, only to come face to face with the mountain again. She spun around, finding the mountain in every direction, inching closer with each passing second.
She held deathly still, watching the mountain continue to close the distance as if it had a will of its own. She couldn't tell if the mountain was actually moving, or if she was moving without realizing, or even if the world itself was shrinking and bringing the mountain to her. Nothing seemed real to her.
The world began to spin once Cynder was at the foot of the mountain, and the more it spun, the darker it became. She lost herself in the sea of pitch black, and she began falling and falling and falling and falling. She whirled her head around, trying to find light. She thrust her paws forward, feebly reaching for something to grab and stop her descent. She found no light and no salvation. She kept falling into the abyss.
She didn't know when the descent ceased, just that at some point she stopped falling and smashed into a stone floor. Pain filled her senses.
Light and colour returned to her world, and Spyro stood in front of her. A smoky aura emanated from his shiny black scales, and his marble white eyes lacked pupils. She couldn't read his expression, but she sensed the air of wickedness about him. He resembled Cyrus more than he did himself, yet at the same time she thought he was even worse than Cyrus. At the very least, Cyrus looked like he was in control. This creature looked devoid of freewill.
"Spyro?" Cynder croaked, able to move again. She risked a step forward and raised her voice, trying to make it sound gentler. It still came out a coarse whisper. "Spyro, it's me, Cynder. Do you know where we are?"
Spyro didn't respond. He didn't even move. He remained frozen like a statue, staring into Cynder's soul and making her skin crawl. For a moment, she entertained the idea that he really was just a statue with eerie eyes.
In the silence of the gray room, Cynder noticed. She dared to look at it, finding a beam of dark purple energy coming from a hole in the cracked floor. The beam radiated evil magic, and just when Cynder was about to step away from it, something pushed her in. The magic clung to her like fire, and she screamed, writhing in agony as Spyro's eyes stared from beyond the rays of light. Her scales turned a shimmering black, and then she slipped out of consciousness.
I'll return to post the rest of this when A New Hope is done.