Spyro the Dragon: Shadows of the Past
By ValkierieDjermegandre
Disclaimer: I, the sacred being, Valkierie Djermegandre, do not own Spyro or any other related characters in this story. They are property of Vivendi Universal. I own some characters, the idea and the scenario…enjoy…
Book I: Reviving Darkness
Chapter 1: Hero's Introduction
Author's Note: This story may or may not merge with the actual Spyro the Dragon timeline. Though it is based off of Spyro: Shadow Legacy for the most part, this story is taking its own path in the Spyro timeline. The locations are mostly from the first game, but the ideas are derived from Shadow Legacy. If none of that made sense to you, than I'm sorry for taking up your valuable time.
A sunny day in the Artisan dragon home. Birds were flying through the air and landing in their nests placed in the trees and the young dragons chased each other in wild games of tag…well, all but one. The one young dragon who previously decided not to get involved was purple in color; quite rare among birth colors. He had a golden-yellow colored mohawk on his head and small wings of the same color, save for the brownish membranes. In fact, a lot of distinguishing features on his body were yellow; his chest and belly, his horns, and the fins that came out of his back and tail. His eyes were purple and were concentrated on the water in fountain he sat on.
"Hey, Spyro; why don't you join the others in their game?" came a voice from Spyro's right. The young dragon turned his gaze and his eyes met a yellow, glowing dragonfly with black gloves. Spyro than looked at the other dragons than turned back to his friend; eyebrow raised.
"I don't believe in holding back, Sparx. If I play with them, someone's definitely going to get hurt. Keeping in mind the fact that my vacation is wearing thin, the last thing I need is my parents being on me about something." Spyro said. Sparx took a minute to digest what Spyro said and the former gives the latter a sharp look.
"That's just like you. I shouldn't have expected any other kind of response. I think that attitude of yours is worse than your flame breath…but, you won't be bored for long," Sparx said. Spyro shuddered at those last few words. The night before, Spyro's father had hinted to him that he would be going to school privately with the elders as a reward for his hard work. Yeah, reward indeed, Spyro thought after that message.
"I don't see what use I would have in learning magic. There's no need for such abilities in these peaceful times." Spyro said as he hopped off of the fountain and began walking home.
"Spyro, you and I both know that it never lasts. Just think about how quickly you could dispatch your foes with magic." Sparx said.
"It's not that the idea of magic doesn't impress me; it's the fact that the word 'school' is tagged somewhere in the idea."
"Please, Spyro. You can't avoid going to school for as long as you would like to."
"No, but I can try."
Sparx laughed a bit at the last comment as the two made their way to the palace in the distance. Every dragon home had a supervisor or supervisors of sorts that kept watch on the area and made sure everyone was safe. Spyro's parents volunteered keep watch on the Artisan home, so Spyro and Sparx ended up living in a huge palace with emerald coated walls. The palace itself was a smooth emerald color, with tall towers and battlements that made the structure more foreboding than it actually was. Spyro always had mixed feelings about living in a palace that had more rooms than it needed but, he never protested.
Inside, Spyro quickly encountered his mother watering the white flowers she loved so much. Her name was Archema but, naturally, Spyro never called her that. He never called her mother, either; he preferred to use a word from an old dragon language that he discovered on one of his rare excursions to the new library in Town Square. Archema was a fairly beautiful dragon, tall but, not as much as her husband. She wore a diamond necklace that sparkled in the sunlight that danced through the window and she had long, purple hair that came down from her head, flowed beside her eyes, and down to where her tail started to come out. At the tip of her tail, Archema had a blue ring that matched the tone of her eyes. Her skin was purple like her son's, except she was a slightly lighter shade; probably so her skin wouldn't match the long locks of hair that dangled over her shoulders.
"Hello, Spyro. How is my little prince doing today?" Archema said, finally noticing her son.
"Normal, mahesan," Spyro replied. "I didn't hurt anyone today so there's no need to worry." Archema smiled at her son and then directed him to the study.
"Your father wants to speak to you, Spyro."
From the tone in her voice, Spyro could tell that he wasn't in trouble but, he was still worried. After all, Spyro's father wasn't exactly pleasant to be around when he was excited and then there's the fact that Spyro's father is a little crazy. Spyro shrugged it off and headed toward the study.
In the study, Spyro sat down a few inches from the entrance to confront his father. The latter was a tall dragon that was blue-ish in color. He had a ring around his left index finger and also had markings on all of his fingers. His name was Sachés which, oddly enough, meant "Dragon of the skies." He also had a red mohawk that also went down to his tail and to the end of it. The point on the end Sachés' tail was shaped like a lightening bolt which matched the golden color of his chest and belly. He gave Spyro a long grin before he picked up his son and placed the young dragon on his shoulder.
"Well, Spyro; I've thought about the idea of you studying with the elders and I say that…" Sachés said. Spyro's eyes lit up at the thought of his father reconsidering, while Sparx rolled his eyes.
"…we go ahead with this plan!" Sachés said, finishing his thought.
"I don't understand why I should learn magic if I most likely won't need it in the long run, saméyan" Spyro said. Sachés gave his son a long stare before he set Spyro onto a chair.
"Listen here, my son," Sachés began, "I want you to stand out in a way that won't repel your friends. Through all of those adventures and quests you've been on, your mother and I have been totally neglecting your education…"
"But-" Spyro began, but he was cut off by Sachés accusing finger; Spyro's father was in 'don't-interrupt-me' mode.
"Silence, Spyro the Dragon! You are a unique dragon and you will show this trait by practicing in the sacred arts of magic. Am I clear?"
Spyro didn't want to argue. He learned from the last time he argued with his father. Spyro had to organize every single book in the study in alphabetical order. This may be the reason why he knew the alphabet for the old dragon language. This time Spyro just solemnly nodded to his father although he didn't want to.
In his room, Spyro lied in his bed with his forearms behind his head and one leg over the folded other. He repeatedly spat a fireball in the air, caught it in his mouth when it fell and spat it once again. As he looked out the window at the sunset, he couldn't help feeling somewhat empty. He knew his friends were going to leave as soon as the summer was over and he also knew he would surrender to his father's will and take "special" classes with the elders. He narrowed his eyes at the sarcastic sunset which counted down his summer time. The small dragon rolled over in his bed and buried his face in his large pillows, evidently swearing at his fate.
"You know...you can't argue against your father's will; he's crazy and really scary when he's mad." Sparx said. Spyro looked at him and smiled.
"No lie; I know that better than anyone. After my first experience with Sameyan's temper, I don't ever want to see another book in my life. That punishment put an impulse in me; I somehow can't bare to see a book out of place in a library..." Spyro responded. Sparx chuckled at his comment, but then got serious again.
"Also...you know as well as I do that it won't be as bad as you think. I mean, seriously..." Sparx remarked. Spyro raised his eyebrow at that comment.
"That...I doubt. I've never misplaced my judgement. When I first saw that sameyan offered to cook dinner, I immediately ran to mahesan and begged her to either stop him or sneak us to a restaurant in Town Square. The one thing I never want to do is let sameyan cook; it's a fate worse than death."
"...in any case, tomorrow's the day, am I right?"
"Yeah...I'm gonna get some rest now. I've got a long day ahead of me..."
That was the last thing Spyro said before he closed the curtains in his room and collapsed onto his bed; drifting off into a slumber moments later. Sparx hung over his dragonian friend and shook his head as he flew toward a perch on the window where, he too fell asleep. The setting sun outside was soon replaced by a light blue moon and many stars and constallations filled the skies. It was perfect for the final night of the summer...
...or not. Far off, over the stormy seas of the ancient storm dragons, an ominous island floated above the harsh waves, bearing down on the lands below with an almost hateful aura emenating from it. On this floating isle, an alter with many ruins around it was apparent and mostly because of the glowing symbols that graced the stone structures. A single figure walked the floating rock and the air around this figure didn't give off a pleasant sense. This figure wore a long, black robe and cloak and he was hooded. His fingers had claws and silver hair flowed out from a specially designed hole in his hood. He slowly walked up to the alter and noted a large sword in its center. The blade was a deep bluish color with black mixed in. The hilt was a large circular design with a single slash mark going through it to act as the handle. It also had four blue, dragon wings coming out of the side of the blade and a large ocean blue crystal embedded at the very end of the handle.
"So...this is the dragonian blade of sealing, Spirayoma...hmph!" the figure said. That last comment signaled his action of knocking the blade out of the alter. As soon as the blade left its resting place, it disappeared in a flurry of blue cherry blossoms and they flew off into the distance. Red eyes glowed through the darkness of the figure's hood he began to silently chuckle as black lightening began to fly from his hands and into the hole where Spirayoma was originally embedded.
"Foolish dragons...they will know the meaning of true fear by the time I'm done. The gate is open now..." the figure said. He than began to laugh evilly as clouds began to swirl in the sky over his current position...
The Next Day...
"Awaken, my child!" came the voice of Saches.
Spyro's eye craked open at light speed and he immediately arose. In a reflex, Spyro let out a stream of flame that made contact with the greater, father dragon's chest. The flame was almost absorbed into Saches' chest scales and he gave his son a sceptical look.
"You'll need to work on that, too. I swear, I hardly felt that flame, Spyro." Saches said flatly. Spryo growled to himself and looked out the window; the sun hadn't even risen.
"Um...sameyan...the sun hasn't even risen!!" Spyro roared. Saches merely gave a toothy grin and put a hand on Spyro's messed up mohawk.
"My son...the early dragon catches the fodder! Now get up, before we have to use my way."
Saches strided out of the room and left Spyro to wake up. The young dragon buried his face in his pillow and let out a piercing scream that had so much effort put into it, that a small amount of flame flew from his mouth and into the pillow. Spyro removed his face from his pillow and a look of utter disgust was evident on his face. He than got up from his bed, licked his paw, and ran it through his mohawk and it was immediately straightened. The young dragon than made his way out of room and downstairs to the front foyer.
"...this sucks...getting up before dawn, just to go to school...with the elders. Fun times ahead." Spyro said to himself.
He walked out the door and immediately encountered a large blue dragon. He held a staff in one hand and had gold bracelets around his wrists. A short white beard was apparent on his chin and large majestic wings. His horns were the same golden color as Spyro's and he wore a large crystal amulet around his neck. He outstretched a hand to Spyro and the younger dragon sat upright and then shook his hand.
"Greetings...you must be Spyro. I have heard of your exploits against the forces of evil and I am quite impressed with you, young master. I am personally honored to have you as a studet at our dragon dojo. I am elder Tomas, your instructor in the arts of general magic such as teleportation." the elder, known as Tomas, said.
Spyro remained silent and followed as Tomas gestured for the yound dragon to follow. The two walked silently through the Artisan home until they reached an altar. Tomas raised his staff and it gave off a calm glow and then the altar began to resonate; creating a portal that emitted the same glow as Tomas' staff. The elder gestured for Spyro to enter and the young dragon did so, followed by Tomas. The portal closed behind them and the calm of early morning was returned...
The realm before Spyro left him very impressed. It was very quiet and there was grass everywhere, besides the stone path. A large river went through the area and made the only noise that was present. The structure in the distance was what really caught his eye. It was a large temple that had many rooms by the looks of it, and had large steps leading to the entrance. Spyro smirked to himself and continued following Tomas as the two made their way into the dojo.
Inside, Spyro sat in a large room as Tomas walked to the other side and lined himself up with the other dragon elders. With Tomas, there were six elders, each giving Spyro a different look. Tomas, once again stepped forward.
"Spyro, allow me to introduce the rest of the elders; your instructors. From left to right, Elder Sensei; instructor of Dragon Kata and Chi; Elder Cho-Lei; instructor of offensive and defensive magic; Elder Titan; instructor of Dragonian strength; Elder Magnus; instructor of Dragonian defense; Elder Astor; instructor of Dragonian breath attacks. You will learn the arts of each elder and progress until you can defeat them." Tomas said. Spyro cocked his head and Titan walked up to him and stood tall with his arms crossed.
"You're Spyro?! I was expecting a stronger looking dragon!" Titan said. Spyro closed his eyes, but was clearly irritated because of the veins popping up on the side of his head. Titan smirked and then decided to throw a punch at Spyro. His fist burned with a red aura as it made its way toward Spyro.
Spyro clearly sensed it and immediately blocked with his own hand. Strangly enough, Spyro managed to stop Titan's fist and the orange elder threw another punch, but Spyro jumped and landed on his fist like a skilled warrior leaps on his opponent's sword. Spyro was clearly irritated because he lunged at Titan and attempted to give the ignorant elder a roundhouse, but Titan moves back and then stops. Spyro crouches low to the ground and begins growling lowly.
"Yes...you are definetely worth my time!" Titan said with a smirk. Spyro gave him his famous ignorant look at the comment.
"Well, that wasted time. Let's begin..." Cho-Lei began, but she stopped and began powering up a spell, "everyone...get ready. Something's coming! It's a very dark entity!"
"What?! How did it pierce the boundaries?!" Tomas said.
"Doesn't matter. We've no time to gawk!" Astor said.
A swirling portal of darkness appeared on the top step of the foyer staircase and the familiar cloaked figure stepped out from it. He held his staff with dignity and an a black and purple egg in another hand. He smirked under the darkness of his hood.
"Who are you?! How dare you defile this place?!" Titan and Sensei said simultaniously.
"Calm down, dragons...I just felt like stopping by. Nothing like revisiting the past, right Spyro?" the man said.
"What are you talking about? I don't even know you!" Spyro said.
"Heh...or do you? Well, you once did and I remember that day fondly."
"Do you speak of the theory of reincarnation?!", Magnus interrupted, "that idea was rejected years ago! Only the Dream Weavers still believe in that, but they are insane, anyway! Now reveal yourself, demon!"
"...not now. You'll know me soon...in any case, Spyro is a very powerful dragon. I suggest you six don't fool around with him; just take care of him until I can pick him up...for now, I have a little surprise for you all. Remember that old sword that was sealed the power of the Yasu altar?" the figure said. All of the elders gasped in unison.
"You didn't! The sacred dragonian blade, Spirayama, must never be removed or a grave tragedy will befall us all!" Cho-Lei yelled. The man merely smirked
"What's 'Spirayoma'?" Spyro asked. Tomas turned to the young dragon.
"Spirayoma is the sacred dragonian blade that belonged to a dragon god. It was used to seal the power of a dark dragon who tapped into the Shadow Realm. That blade prevents the Shadow Realm from being opened and it keeps the dark dragon sealed." Tomas responded.
After Tomas made his speech, the ground below them began to quake and a torrential storm began to brew out of nowhere. The elders, seeing the immenent danger, combined their magical power and conjured a barrier to shield the dojo. Spyro rushed toward the window and was shocked at what he saw. The whole Artisan home was covered in a thick purple haze and many dark markings covered the land. Lightening crashed down from the sky and caused the darkness to spread even faster. Spyro turned his gaze toward his new enemy and promptly rushed at him on all fours. He jumped high into the air, ignoring the elders warnings the whole way, and proceded to try and claw the villian. The mysterious villian caught Spyro's attack on his staff and looked at Spyro very closely.
For a moment, Spyro turned a dark blue color and his mohawk began flowing majestically and it turned red and purple. His horns arched backward and got much longer, bending to his back and they to changed color; silver for his horns and front scales. His claws got much more jagged and his eyes turned red along with the membranes on his newly black wings. Finally a large, silver bracelet with black markings and many designs appears on his wrist. He gives the villian a very angry look and is surprisingly standing on his hind legs with no trouble.
"Well, well...it has been a long time, Spira...it seems your blade has not returned yet..." the villian says.
"This is your fault, Seroth! You have released hell itself! Once I recover my power..." Spira says. Seroth removes his hood and reveals his crimson red eyes and black top hair.
"Don't reveal everything to the mortals, Spira. You need to stay dormant and let fate take its course. Go ahead; take another two thousand year nap!"
Seroth releases a stream of black lightening from his hands and it strikes Spira in the face. The dragon god staggers back and releases a mighty breath of blue flame from his mouth. Seroth goes wide-eyed and promptly teleports; leaving the flame to leave a giant hole in the wall. Spira raised his hands and his eyes began to glow. The dragon god moved his hand from left to right and the pieces of the wall slowly began to move and the wall regenerated. Spira smirked and turned back to the elders. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead, collapsed onto the ground and entered a slumber. He than reverted form back to Spyro and Tomas promptly picked him up.
"Spyro!!!!" Tomas screamed. Spyro didn't awaken from the elder's voice, but they all knew that they had bigger problems: the Shadow Realm...
End Chapter One
ValkierieDjermegandre: This story is blosseming into something good; I can feel it. Keep checking it and be sure to review. Be nice; it's the first chapter for crying out loud!