Chapter One: Destiny
By Deeth Irteen
Disclaimer: I, Deeth Irteen, do not own any of the characters in the Spyro franchise, nor do I own the characters in Dark Legacy. This is written with permission from Dardarax himself. One of my own chracters is featured in this chapter. Anything that happens in this story has no effect on Dark Legacy, unless stated otherwise by Dardarax. That said, enjoy.
How long had Ramolous been engulfed in this abyss? How much time passed as that axe swung down and ended his life? Was only seconds? Days? Minutes? Years? He couldn't keep track of any of it. He lay in this darkness, eyes refusing to budge as the memories recycled over and over in his mind...
Some time ago, Ramolous was the prince of the land of Grasbonda, and son of the great King Kaiser. Kaiser was about to enter a treaty with the purple dragon Spyro and the Guardians of Warfang. Ramolous feared that the purple drake would bring about great doom and destruction. So, acting on the advice of his ally, the dragon-feline hybrid Jaxar, the prince hatched a coup to wage war against Warfang, with intent of slaying Spyro and his spawn and ending the purple dragons once and for all. But it was not to come to pass; Ramolous' plans were undone, and he was sentenced to treason. Right before he was to be beheaded, a strange vision came to him.
The twin moons opened and split into four great eyes in the sky, and Ramolous' mind was plagued with the images of the dragon realms burned to ashes. The prince could only watch as the four-eyed being toyed with him.
"Who are you?" He asked, unable to move from his spot on the dais. "Are... are you the one showing me this?! Why!?"
"Why? Because I felt that you should get to see the fruits of your labor before going to meet the ancestors."
"What... what do you mean?"
"All of this, my boy. All of this will happen because of your actions."
"... Me?" Ramolous asked, confused. "I... I don't..."
"Of course you don't. That's painfully obvious."
Ramolous couldn't understand this. "How is this my fault!? I was trying to stop something like this from happening!"
"Fate has a very cruel sense of humor." The creature chuckled maliciously.
"Why are you showing me this?!" Ramolous demanded. "I... I can't do anything about it now! I'm literally waiting for the axe to fall! Why couldn't you show me sooner?! Why now?!"
"Din't I already tell you why I'm showing you this?" The voice laughed.
"But..."
"I think it's time for me to be off. I have kept you waiting too long now, haven't I?"
After that, the voice vanished, and the vision ended. Before Ramolous could say a single word, the axe swung down. For a brief few seconds, the prince saw the world tumbling around as he head fell to the ground. His ears were met with a great chorus of woops and cheers as he died. And then, everything went black...
And now, Ramolous found himself floating in this abyss. Time and space had no meaning anymore. He never seemed to reach anyplace, nor did he ever encounter another soul. Not even the fabled Ancestors gave him company. Ramolous was completely alone. All he had to keep himself sane was reflecting on the horrible images of his homeland destroyed...
And then, quite suddenly, Ramolous found himself laying on a cold, tile floor. A shiver crept up his spine, and his black mane-hairs stood on end. The feran opened his eyes and shifted to sit on his haunches. He was in a blank, dimly-lit hallway. He could see his breath before his muzzle as he inhaled and exhaled. Looking north and south, the hallways seemed to extend onwards for eternity. The ceiling was just high enough to allow Ramolous to stand upright. Both walls were lined with countless iron doors, with silver locks preventing entry.
What is this place? Ramolous wondered. Is this the afterlife? Am I dead?
As the feran was reflecting on the possiblity, he heard what he guessed to be slurping sounds coming from behind. Ramolous turned around, looking about for anyone else in the hallway. Some ten feet away, he spotted that one of the doors was unlocked and wide open. Another slurping noise came from beyond the door, accompanied by wood plopping on wood. Curious, Ramolous walked towards the door, peeking inside.
Ramolous saw a lavishly decorated sitting room. The floor was covered in white tiles and a great, red carpet. Bookshelves and artistic decorations were strewn along the side wall. A bar with all sorts of wines and fine beverages were on the other side wall. In the center, a purple dragon sat at a stone table, arranging chess pieces on a board. The dragon was about as large as Ramolous, and had a marvelous, golden mane. A fine, silk cape was draped over the dragon's back. Black stockings were worn on his four legs. He had broad, ram-like horns, and a third horn that pointe backwards upon his head. The dragon drank from a bowl, creating the slurping sounds.
The purple drake looked up fromt he chessboard at Ramolous. "Hello there."
The feran eyed the stranger with caution He scratched at the ground with his foretalons, unsure what to make of the purple stranger. Ramolous had hated purple dragons for years, ever since the evil drake Malefor brutally murdered his mother before his very eyes.;
The stranger rolled his eyes. "Surely you're not going to just stand at the doorway for all eternity? Come in, come! Have a drink! Join me in a little game of chess!"
The feran eyed the bar for a short time. He hadn't realized how thirsty this ordeal had left. He licked at his parched lips. But then he eyed the purple dragon with vehemence.
"Fine, I'll have a drink." He snapped, walking into the room. "But you better not try any tricks, Purple. Or else..."
"Or else what? You'll kill me?" The dragon laughed. "Then you'd be all alone. With no one to talk to. Forever."
"And how do I know there aren't others here?" Ramolous demanded.
"You're welcome to walk right out the door and look." The drake nodded. "The hallway goes on for miles, both ways. I was lucky enough to find a room I could open."
The feran thought on this for a moment. I can stomach the purple eyesore if it means getting a drink.
Ramolous poured himself a bowl full of brandy and sat down at the table. The dragon had just finished setting up the chessboard. He was black, while Ramolous was white. The feran moved a pawn forwards. The dragon moved his own pawn, and the game commenced.
"You know," The stranger began, "You're a very intelligent man, Ramolous."
"How do you know my name?" The prince sneered.
"I like to do a bit of light reading every now and then." The stranger chuckled. "As I was saying, your skill at scheming and plotting is quite commendable. You could have succeeded had your plan not been hijacked by those interlopers."
"... Thank you for the compliment." Ramolous said suspiciously. "But I was only doing it to save the dragon realms. I would have surrendered myself for my actions afterwards."
"Ah, the honorable thing." The purple drake chuckled. "It's just a shame that nobody in your homeland saw things your way. They labelled you a tyrant and a monster, didn't they?"
Ramolous glared at the stranger, talons digging into the table.
"I like you, Ramolous." He went on. "You're a man who takes charge of his own destiny, just like me. Plus, we have so much in common. You see, I also lost my dear mother at a young age, and I had a coward of a father who didn't see danger hiding under his muzzle. I even have similar views on good and evil as you. For instance..."
The stranger lifted his king and placed it over Ramolous' king, knocking it off the table. Ramolous snarled, standing up.
"You cheater!" He snarled. "You can't make that move!"
"Based on what rules?" The stranger asked. "You and I are the only ones here. Who is to tell me that I cannot send my king to defeat yours?"
"Well, if there are no rules..." Ramolous took the board and tossed it away, sending the pieces flying everywhere. "Then there is no game!"
The purple dragon laughed heartilly. "Exactly, Ramolous."
"What...?" The feran sneered.
"The objective of chess is to defeat the king, yes?" The stranger went on. "There are no real rules; only the capture of the king. There is no game, because war is not a game. The enemy won't play by your rules; they only seek to cut you down. And it is the same with destiny."
"... What are you talking about, Purple?" Ramolous demanded, sitting back down.
"Time is not a single line; it is a line that's endlessly splitting off into segments, and those segments have segments of their own. What happens in one line, goes differently in another line. So who's to say that any one line is the definite one?"
"What does it have to do with-?"
"What is your destiny, Ramolous?" The stranger asked.
"My destiny is..." Ramolous' eyes went wide. He looked down at his forepaws, the memory of his beheading clear as day. "... It WAS to die a traitor..."
"Says who?" The stranger questioned. "Did you decide that was to be your destiny?"
"NO!" Ramolous exclaimed. "I was supposed to save the dragon realms from destruction! I was supposed to be a hero!"
"And yet your plans were hijacked, and your hopes were smashed." The purple drake stated. "Tell me, are you going to simply lay down and give up?"
"What am I to do?" Ramolous demanded. "I failed. Now I'm stuck here, whever here is..."
"There have been many names for it." The stranger said, pouring himself more brandy. "The afterlife, the Underworld, Purgatory, the beyond, the space between spaces... They're all names, really. I like to think of it as the spot between two segments in time."
"What do you mean?"
"There are many possible futures for events that already transpired." The stranget took a swig. "And there are ways of travelling between segments, going forwards and backwards. You may be dead, but you still exist. And that means you can travel to a place in space and time where you can be more... successful in your endeavors."
"How?" Ramolous asked.
The purple dragon stood up. He pointed towards the wall to the side. At first, nothing happened. But suddenly, the room shook. The glass bottles fell from the bar. Books fell apart, their pages scattering. Ramolous held onto the table to keep his balance. Some kind of great, white tear appeared in the air. Light of all colors shined through as the tear grew wider. A moment later, a great, white light overtook the back wall.
"Come with me, and I can help you make your mark on history in ways you never imagined before." The stranger grinned. "Or... you can stay here and explore the hallway til the end of time. It's YOUR decision, Ramolous."
The feran looked back at the doorway, then back at the great white light. He sneered, seeing that he had no real choice.
"Fine." He said, walking towards the light. "I'll go with you, Purple."
"Please, call me Bergan." The stranger grinned.
The two walked into the light together...
Characters created by Dardarax:
Ramolous
Characters created by Deeth Irteen:
Bergan
Greetings, friends and loved ones. This is a new story that I threw together to work on my writing chops, as well as create a fanfiction of a fanfition. Just for fun, you see. It was also sort-of supposed to be a birthday gift for Dardarax, but it got MASSIVELY delayed due to writer's block. But now that I've started, here's hoping everyone enjoys it.
Signed, Deeth Irteen
