A/N I'm back and better than ever? I've been working on this project for a bit and completely forgot to upload the Prologue. I will say that it's a little shorter than the main chapters but I hope everyone enjoys it just as much as the main story when I put that out. Having said that, please enjoy and I'll see you next time!

Centuries Ago...

He needed to get back home, tonight was supposed to be one of the greatest nights of his life. If not for the guardians he would already be there, waiting for it to happen. All their talk about restraint and responsibility did nothing but inconvenience him. Their words meant nothing to him, all he cared about is being there when he was needed most. They didn't understand, how could old and solitary hermits tell him how to be responsible with his power?

The two of them have waited for what seemed like centuries for it to be the night. His mate was laying their egg tonight, after a entire year of waiting. Butterflies filled the pit in his stomach, swelling around and only increasing his anxiety to get home. Pride also rose in his chest with the acknowledgement that it was his.

It was his egg she was laying, the fact danced around in his head as if it was new. It was their dragonet in that egg, their child to love. The very idea of his child boggled his mind, he could feel all the questions jumping around inside. What would it look like? Is it a boy or a girl? What if it's another purple dragon? Is it even something he could pass down? What if it's normal? He pushed all the questions aside, he would love them whoever they turned out to be.

Feelings flurried between the very bones in his body when he saw their home in front of him. He could've recognized the stones from miles away, to him, nothing but what sat inside those stones mattered. Bright orange torchlight shone out the windows, and barely distinguishable smoke floated out of the chimney. It felt like his cheeks would break with how hard he was smiling. He felt both weak and strong, nervous and confident, not ready and ready.

The door was wide open.

Surely he closed the door when he left, and Eclissi shouldn't be out with how close it was. All of their friends knew not to disturb them tonight, they knew how special this night was to them. None of the Guardians left before him and there wasn't a reason for them to be here anyway. No one would dare… would they?

Fear bloated out all other emotions as he shot down to the door. Random objects flew off the shelves with the wind that came rushing in with his entry. Whiplash would've disoriented anyone but he was on a critical mission. His eyes scanned the room, his heart dropping with what he saw.

"Eclissi!" She was on the ground, a cabinet pinning her to the floor. He wasted no time, practically throwing the cabinet through the wall. He sat next to her, cradling her in his arms.

Something had put a blade to her, a large gash made its way through her beautiful red scales. A darker red flowed down her legs and underbelly, spilling onto the floor where she was. Her breathing was shallow, filled with ultimate terror.

Something moved, he heard it through the only other door in their small apartment. It shuffled again whatever it was, it was trying to hide. She pointed to the door and his heart sank. Their egg was in that room, alone, and with whatever or whoever was in there.

A mixture of fear and rage filled him as he laid her back down. The floorboards protested against his heavy footsteps but he was trying to hide from them. He wanted them to know he was here and that he was anything but pleased. Some unknown power circled within him, it felt cold and practically begged to be released.

A step closer and he heard the dragon's nervous breathing from the doorway. Small trembles reached him through the wall, the other dragon was shaking. It wasn't a possibility anymore, the burglar knew what home he was breaking into. Only question was, did he know what this night was?

Malefor didn't care, this was his home and whoever it was also injured his beloved. The scream was cut short when he dragged the dragon out by his neck. He began to choke as Malefor slammed him to the ground, the fury was surely raging in his eyes. The thought appeared in his head to turn the thief over, and try to save Eclissi's life. It was a passing thought however.

"I can explain!" The thief crocked out between gasps. He didn't care about his explanation, justice was the only thing on his mind. Torchlight bounced off the window, catching his eye. Something told him to stop, to let this dragon live to face trial before the council but he didn't listen.

Dragging him across the floor by his neck, Malefor brought him to the window that shined to him. A look outside suggested that the window dropped onto the lower tier of the city, he settled for it. He grabbed the back of the dragon's head, thrusting it through the glass to clear the way for the rest of him. Some shards stuck themselves in his face, blood ruining the perfect clarity they once had. The hold returned to the dragon's neck but he wasn't ready yet

"Please, let me go!" His cries didn't change what was next. A brutal snap and the bones in his wings were broken. The bones pierced through the scales, becoming red fountains on the edges of his wings. He didn't care about what he should do as the purple dragon, he only cared about what he should do as a husband and father. "You made your point! Please!"

All the strength in his body was channeled in that throw, and the thud at the bottom was music to his ears. That cold power didn't leave him, instead it grew stronger. It continued to build inside him like hunger. He ignored it, running back to Eclissi as soon as he looked at the disfigured body on the street.

"I'm so sorry. I should've been here to protect you." He rocked her back and forth, holding her head close to his chest. "I should've ignored the call. I should've stayed here."

"Don't blame yourself, no one could've guessed this would happen." Her voice was weak, barely louder than a whisper.

"It was my fault. This wouldn't have happened if I was here." She caressed his cheek, her forearm shaking as she did so. "Get it for me."

He didn't waste a moment, running into the other room and grabbing the egg from the blanket. It was a crimson red and felt heavier than he had expected it to be. It was already teaming with life, he swore he already felt a pulse inside. The egg looked to be perfectly smooth but that changed with a crack that ran up the side. He didn't care about it however, it was still perfect in his mind.

"Isn't he the most precious thing in the world?" She wrapped her talons around it when he gave it to her.

"It's a boy?" He pushed the worries away, this was the moment he's been waiting for. He wanted nothing but to be right where he was, with both his wife and child. They pulled him away and it almost cost him everything. How could he learn responsibility if they didn't allow him to be responsible?

"You wo-"

"We. We won't know." He knew that she wasn't going to survive, her injury was too substantial for a doctor to get to her in time. He laid next to her, bringing them close to him with his wing.

"We won't know until he hatches, I just have that feeling." She caressed the shell, careful not to catch her talon on the crack. "He's strong, just like his father."

"And his mother." He put his head between her shoulder and neck, letting a content sigh escape his muzzle as he did. "He'll get my dashing looks and your brave heart."

"He'll get my smarts and your…" She turned towards him, a small smile resting upon her face. He placed his paw over hers on the egg, wanting to feel him with her. Their son pulsed with new life beneath their paws, like he was reaching out to them. "...yeah, let's hope he only gets your looks." She giggled, even through the pain in her side.

"Hey, I have other good qualities for him to take." He protested, smiling with her.

"Like what?"

"Well, he could get my amazing charm, …" She shook her head, her smile growing slightly. "... my fantastic magical abilities, …." She raised a questioning eyebrow. "... and my unbelievable luck." Another giggle sounded from her.

"Oh yeah? What makes you so lucky?" He heard a soft squeal as he pulled them closer, careful not to crush the egg.

"How am I lucky? Hmm…" He toyed with her more, earning him another giggle from her. "...well I managed to swindle the most gorgeous and courageous dragoness the realms have ever seen." The egg seemed to agree with him, pulsing against them.

"What should his name be?" She snuggled in closer to the egg, letting him kiss her forehead. "Good suggestions only."

"Malefor Junior."

"I said good suggestions." She laughed again.

"It is a good suggestion. Why isn't it a good suggestion?" They laughed together.

"He's my son too." She looked up to him, her silver eyes throwing more butterflies in his stomach. "Give him a name that means something."

"A good name that means something…" Various names jumped around in his head, all of meaning one thing or the other. Looking down into her moonlight eyes, a name brought itself into the spotlight. "...Eclipse?"

"Thank the ancestors if he gets my smarts."

"What's wrong with that name? It's a good name."

"You just took the common term for my name..." Her smile loosened for a moment. "...but I like it."

"Good, because I was going to call him that anyway." He returned her smile.

"You're nervous."

"This is my first-born dragonet. What if I do something wrong? What if I can't give him the life he deserves?" The voices of his worries spilled out before them both. To him, the very thought of being a father scared him. All the wrong decisions appeared in his head, bringing more worries into his mind.

"You'll do fine Malefor. Our son is in good hands." Her confidence was infectious, all the worries away from her words. "Just promise me something."

"What is it?"

"Promise me that no matter what happens to me, whether I see the next sunrise or not, that he won't know this pain. I don't want him to know the pain you're feeling." He pulled just her head in this time, letting her tears soak his shoulder. Tears of his own formed at the corners of his vision and blurred the lines of the destroyed furniture around them. The underlying anger fed into the coldness inside, growing it like water does to a seed.

"I promise my love, he won't experience this." Dams in the corner of his eyes broke, letting the backed up tears fall over his cheeks. Grief, pain, anger, betrayal, all of the negative emotions flowed out with his tears. "I'll make him as strong as me, I'll make sure our son can do what I couldn't with his family."

"Thank you." She looked back up to him, her eyes red from the tears. They brought their lips together and held them there. Unspoken commitments, eternal vows, and unyielding emotions passed between them without a single word. Sleep took them together, encasing them under purple winged protection.

His eyes fluttered open, landing on his lover's face. At first a warm smile crossed his face yet it quickly fell without the feeling of her breath. Her eyes didn't open with his nor was his loving smile returned. Shed tears laid dried on her red scales and no beating heart gave him a happy feeling.

He scrambled up but bent down almost instantly, nudging her with his nose. The absence of movement brought unspent tears to his eyes. Overwhelmed with emotions, he dropped down to sit before her. The tears came with soft sobs, memories brought back those last moments. They made him remember his last promise to her, his mind scrambling to find a way to keep it.

The grief turned to anger, then anger brought the need for vengeance. Betrayal told him that his own race took this from him, took one of the few things he had left. The vengeance begged him to find a way to avenge her. A cold presence wrapped his insides and mind, telling him how to achieve his goals.

It changed him, throwing away the hints of who he was before they did this. Soft purple eyes hardened into a stone yellow, while his pupils sharpened like swords. His scales cracked and shifted, letting the shadows tint them darker. Talons grew longer and were given a razor blade edge. The once pure soul let the darkness turn it black and corrupted.

Yellow eyes landed on the egg, still being held tight by her. He carefully slipped it out of her grasp, holding onto it with the utmost care. The red shell held true, holding the crack in place. Veins of black surged up the egg, tainting it with its touch. Within seconds of grabbing the egg, it's entire shell was painted jet black.

"Do not worry. We will show them our pain…" Plans had already formed in his head, ranging from soldiers to magic. A picture of victory clouded his mind and evicted all other thoughts, the singular goal that he desperately wanted to achieve. The bright light of the sun hit the egg, showcasing the new life forming within. "...my son."