Follower

Unit Omicron

I wanted to tell you my story.

So, here it goes...

Once, under moonlit sky

I found that I was made for glory.

I was the son

Of the man who saw his days pass by

Much too fast for anyone to see.

What really happened to him

I'll never know.

I was the son

Of a legend

The man who saw it questioned.

Of his eyes, I knew not.

But they always seemed to glow.

I was the son

Of a family that held virtues

They had their woe

But the statues that lined the hall

The novels that were written

I'd never be in one.

You see, I was the follower

Of a legacy of men

That held great regard.

But since when

Did I need to take the fall

For the man I never knew?

The Spyro and Cynder Adventures: The Dominion of Deismo

Chapter 2: Question of Faith

The rest of the day passed by quickly for the two heroes, Spyro and Cynder. Despite his optimism, Naturion hadn't been allowed to leave the infirmary. Pirsan had assured the collective group that he'd 'for sure' be released tomorrow, but all three of the dragons were slightly skeptical of the diagnosis.

Nonetheless, the two uninjured dragons had continued on with their day without any further interruptions. Resting was something that they both still needed to do, as per Terrador's instructions, and it had certainly come as a welcome directive from the Master Guardian.

Their Eternal Slumbers and subsequent defeat at the Fall of Draxis, as it was now being called by the survivors, was taxing, to say the least. It was not something that either of the two saviors had experienced before, the sense of defeat and failure. The trial and error type of strategy that Ignitus had taken in dealing with the Destroyer could have certainly qualified as such, as well as his subsequent demise in the Burned Lands, but they had still managed to defeat Malefor and save the world in the end. But this? To lose an entire settlement to the forces of Darkness? It was something that would be hard to get used to. Losing over seventy-five percent of the settlement's civilians, the death of Belinda and subsequent disappearance of Richter...no normal dragon could stomach such a chain of events. Ignitus' death had been just as horrifying, but grief was not something that could be cut off either way.

It was early evening when Spyro had decided to leave his room. He had slept for most of the day and decided he was going to explore a bit. He didn't know where he was going or what he wanted to do, but he simply continued to walk. Thinking about possible ideas for a...nightly endeavor, the Purple Dragon didn't even notice the bright yellow dragonfly that was buzzing around his head.

"Hey!" shouted Sparx, "Earth to fat purple lump! Helllooooo? Anyone home?"

Spyro jumped in surprise, bringing himself out of his thoughts, but quickly landed and smirked as his foster brother's antics. "What do you need, little light?" he said.

Sparx crossed his arms and huffed at this insult, in mock offense. "Well, I was going to tell you something," the dragonfly responded sarcastically, "but I guess you don't want to hear it."

Spyro sighed and shook his head as he replied, "Just spit it out, Sparx."

"Hmph," began the disappointed dragonfly, "Fine. What I was going to say is that I'm free tonight. And your...Midnight Mistress and no where to be found. And-"

"First off," Spyro began, grinning, "She's not my mistress, she's my inamorata. Second, she's just in her room, trying to rest this evening."

"Then why are you out of your room, Purple Lump?"

"I needed to get some fresh air. What were you going to say?"

Sparx huffed again as he said, "I was thinking we need a Boys' Night Out! Eh? Eh?" Attempting to look cocky or macho, the dragonfly clicked his tongue, winked and made two pistol shapes with his hands.

Spyro, rolling his eyes, replied, "I'll come with you. Just...please never do that again. Ever."

Sparx grinned at the response. Before he had a chance to reply, however, a new voice spoke, "Have room for one more, gents?"

Both Spyro and Sparx turned their heads to identify the speaker of the words. What met their eyes was a glaringly bright red and yellow Fire Dragon. He was grinning from ram horn to ram horn and cast his gaze between the pair, waiting expectantly for a response.

Sparx's eyes lit up at the approach of the new dragon. Buzzing over quickly, the dragon and dragonfly engaged in a fist to paw bump.

Grinning, Sparx said, "There's always room for you, Tyron."

Spyro couldn't help but smile at this exchange. Even though the two had just met a week ago, the pair had already become fast friends. The two shared a near-identical set of personalities and Sparx's sense of humor didn't become lost on the young Fire Dragon. Spyro still shared a special, tried and true bond with his foster brother, but it was nice to see him branching out and making new friends. There weren't many other dragonflies of his type in Warfang.

Tyron grinned even larger and said, "Great to hear. Been itching to get out and actually explore Warfang a bit."

Spyro nodded and stretched his legs out. "Why do you think I'm getting out? The Temple's nice and big, but sometimes you just have to...get out for a while."

"Trust me, I know what you mean. Imagine having to stay within the same two square miles for your entire life!" Tyron said as he laughed, referring to his inability to leave the actual walls of Draxis during his upbringing because of his parents' restrictions.

Spyro and Sparx looked at each other and chuckled. Looking back at Tyron, Spyro spoke, "We had the exact same boundaries when we were younger. Remember when I said that we had to live in a swamp? Well, we were restricted to a small three square miles of it ourselves!"

Tyron laughed and smiled. "If I knew I had so much in common with two of the 'Saviors of the Realms' I'd have sought you out earlier on."

Spyro smiled again and nodded. Tyron was a bit younger than he was, but his company was still enjoyable all the same. He had a certain...optimism that made him all that more fun to be around. He was somewhat naive, but fun.

Sparx clicked his tongue and rubbed his hands together. "Alright, gents!" he said, clearly excited, "Where should we go first? I think that we have to go down to the harbor first. There's this nice little-"

"And just where do you think you're going?" shouted a new voice, coming from behind the three dragons.

Turning around, Tyron's face went to one of concern. Standing there, with a clear scowl on her face, was Selena. The blue-scaled Ice Dragoness, who had joined the group of Draxisians after coming to help from Warfang, approached Tyron.

Scowling even deeper as she approached and positioned herself straight in front of the Fire Dragon, she said, "You said you were going to spend the night with me again. Not these two."

Tyron smiled nervously and said, "Well, I just want to...uh...you know...spend some time out with these two. Is that so bad to ask for?"

Selena's facial expression turned to one of sadness at that point. She turned away, clearly looking hurt. "I thought you cared for me, Tyron. I thought you wanted to spend lots of time with me. But…"

"Now, wait," the Fire Dragon responded, taking ahold of her paw, "I do want to spend time with you. I just don't want to leave my friends hanging either…"

Spyro and Sparx looked away from the conversation. The dragoness made them both uncomfortable. She had spent almost all of her time around Tyron over the past week and almost never left his side. There were rumours amongst the refugees that they had...spent a night together and...mated, but there was no proof from any reliable source in the group.

Selena sighed at this point and looked away from the Fire Dragon. She nodded silently and walked away, her face clearly showing sadness. Tyron grimaced at this, but seemed to gulp down something and looked back at Spyro and Sparx.

Nodding at both, he said, "S-Sorry, guys. Selena's just concerned about me, is all."

Spyro stayed silent, but Sparx fluttered up to his Fire Dragon friend, and said, "You've gotta let that one go, Tyron. Live free! Like me. but not Spyro. With his Midnight Mistress." This comment drew a groan from Spyro, a wink from Sparx and a nervous laugh from Tyron.

"I really don't want to...cut her loose, Sparx. She's amazing! And she has no one else but me. I've got to help her," replied Tyron, almost...stoically.

Sparx and Spyro looked at each other. The Purple Dragon simply shook his head, frowning, and Sparx understood. Looking back, he said, "Alright, well...Let's get going then! We have a night of adventure in front of us! To the docks!"

And with that, Sparx flew out of sight and headed in the direction of the docks, which faced the ocean towards the east end of the city. Tyron and Spyro followed, walking side by side slowly and silently for most of the trip.

The city was growing darker now, but the sun still poked its head out from the western hills. Most dragons were either at home, spending time with their families, or heading towards an evening activity like the group of three were. The harbor was a popular gathering spot in Warfang, drawing citizens from every side of the Dragon City to spend time on its beaches, engage in sailing or flying activities, dine at one of its restaurants or just spend time with loved ones.

It was a stunning sight, and Spyro wanted to take Cynder to the area once their week of required rest was up.

"Never got to see this kind of thing before I came to Warfang. It's...spectacular, I have to admit," came Tyron's voice from the side of Spyro. He was being oddly sentimental in this moment.

Spyro nodded, disregarding the change as he said, "Indeed. I lived in the Swamp for so many years, I didn't see the sea until I came to Warfang for the first time."

"During the Battle of Warfang?" inquired the Fire Dragon.

Spyro nodded and continued, "After the battle ended, but yes. I came to the City to help defend it against Malefor's hoards, but once the battle was over, Cynder and I spent the night in the city. It was the night before the war ended, actually. We were able to...somehow defeat him the very next day."

"There are stories that have floated around about you two managed to defeat him," said Tyron slowly, almost in an admiring fashion.

The Purple Dragon sighed and nodded. "It's unfortunate that the rumor mill has already begun to turn on our affair. I'll tell you something; the only individuals that know what happened that night are Myself, Cynder, Malefor and...the Spirits. No one else was present. Everything else you heard was either speculation or just pure fantasy. And it's something I'd rather not discuss," he said, putting a paw over his face emotionally.

Tyron nodded and dropped the subject. The trio continued along the docks silently, the only noise from the group being the occasional monologue from the ever-egotistical dragonfly in front of the two dragons. Other individuals strode along the docks, chatting enthusiastically in groups with friends, loved ones, family members and otherwise. Unsurprisingly, most groups stopped and smiled or gasped in amazement when the Purple Dragon passed them by. Most of the residents almost seemed to worship Spyro as some sort of deity. He found it humbling, but also quite...annoying. He has done his duty, and nothing more. To be treated like a hero, a saint even...it was something he'd have to get used to.

Sparx, picking up on this extra attention, fluttered back to the two dragons and crossed his arms, huffing. "Doesn't everyone know that I'm the real savior here?" he said, drawing a grin from Tyron and a groan from Spyro, "I worked hard you know! I've got moxy, I'm a tough cookie! No one's even ever asked me-"

"Can I buy you a drink, then?" said a loud and sudden voice from in front of the group, drawing all three of the individuals to stare at the source.

What met their eyes almost made their eyes pop out of their heads.


Niere was not one to lose control. She was always calm, collected, logical and always up to task.

But this was almost sickening to her.

The gray Electric Dragoness and sighed and shook her head, covering her face with her paw. "No, thank you. I'd rather just walk alone tonight," she said cordially, hoping he'd go away.

The red-sangria and gray dragon smirked and winked at her, indicating that he wasn't done trying yet. He motioned a paw further down the dock, towards a row of restaurants and bars in the general direction. "Come on now," he pleaded, "You'd be spending time with the most skilled and courageous warrior in all of Warfang...Miarko, of Clan Suolo!" He flexed his forearms again, drawing a loud and annoyed groan from the Electric Dragoness.

She supposed that she was lucky. This was the first time she'd ever been hit on, despite her age. Tyron had done it jokingly in the past, but he knew next to nothing about relationships and love. Wait, love? Why had she thought that? The only things that she loved were herself and alone time. Not even she knew what love was.

Turning back to Miarko in an attempt to distract herself from the inner monologue, Niere shook her head again and said, "No, thank you. I'll be fine on my own."

Miarko made a move to place his wing over shoulder, and said, "Come on...there's nothing wrong with enjoying time with a guy like-"

"Excuse me, are you bothering this young lady?" came a sudden voice from behind Niere and Miarko, causing Niere to sigh in relief and Miarko to snap to attention.

Spyro approached with an eye ridge risen, flanked by Tyron and Sparx. "Well?" he asked again, "Seems like she's not enjoying the attention…" he said, trailing off, as he didn't know or even recognize the dragon or his name.

Miarko bowed his head in shame and said, "I-I'm s-so sorry, Mr. Purple Dragon, sir. I d-didn't know that you were associated with her. It won't happen again."

Niere groaned once more and strolled over to her three friends, shaking her head. "He's been relentless," she began, clearly annoyed, "Been following me around for the past hour and a half, trying to get me to either get a drink, or go home with him."

Spyro, slightly perplexed, said, "I don't think even Sparx would be that relentless with a female…" this drew a 'Hey!' from the dragonfly, but it was quickly ignored, "especially asking her to be your liaison, just like that."

Miarko shook his head in shame, flustered and not sure what to do. "I'm s-sorry, sir. I haven't even done this before. I thought, I-thought…" he said, not even finishing his statement, out of fear of ridiculement.

Spyro brought up his paw, indicating to the Fire Dragon that he could relax. "It's alright...sir. I'm sure it was all just some misunderstanding," said the Purple Dragon, drawing a risen eye ridge from Tyron.

"Wait, what?" said the Draxisian Fire Dragon, either confused or angered, "He hits on one of our group for nearly the entire night and we're not going to do anything about it? Niere's got better things to do that be bothered by this...Warfangian."

Niere was surprised by this reaction. Tyron hadn't stood up for her like this before. She stayed quiet, but made note to ask him about it later.

Spyro shrugged as he responded, "I don't think he meant any harm by it, Tyron. Besides, I think Niere's perfectly fine. Just a bit...um...uncomfortable, I suppose." Niere nodded silently at this claim.

Miarko nodded and looked back up, still nervous. "Um...my name is Miarko, of Clan Suolo. I'm a Defender of Avalar here in Warfang for the next few months. My service number is 0411-1969, my current station of service is-"

"Woah, woah, woah. No need for that," said the Purple Dragon, hoping to calm the Fire Dragon down, "You're fine...Miarko, was it? Miarko, you're fine. No need for all of that. You said you were a...what was it?"

"A Defender of Avalar, sir. Have you, have you never heard of us?" asked the Fire Dragon, drawing a shake of the head from the four Draxisian Refugees, "We're a group of...guardsmen, based out of the city of Avalar's Hope in the Avalarian River Valley. Although there's already been some talk to rename the city to 'Ignidium', in honor of the late Fire Guardian. He hailed from there originally, you see," finished Miarko, looking slightly more relaxed as he discussed a familiar topic.

"I've never heard of your order," replied Spyro, slightly interested, "Were you present at the Battle of Warfang?"

Miarko nodded. "Yes sir," he said, "We were defending a side of the city that was almost opposite yours."

The Purple Dragon nodded and smiled, saying, "Well, it's good to meet a fellow veteran of the Battle. I didn't have much time during it to meet anyone else beyond discussing things with the Guardians. I hadn't seen them for...quite some time."

"We all assumed you had been killed with the collapse of the Mountain of Malefor," said Miarko, "We sent out search party after search party to dig through the rubble, but to no avail. There was nothing left. It took Hunter three years to find you."

Spyro nodded and then shook his head, "I was made aware. I still have trouble coming to terms with that. Lost three years of my life to the war and that ordeal. It wasn't supposed to happen like that," he said, reminiscing about the ordeal.

Miarko nodded as well and sighed. "Warriors like us will always be needed. Until the day when the pen truly becomes mightier than the sword, we have a conflict to fight," he said, agreeing with the Purple Dragon.

"I would gladly retire from the world, were such a day to dawn," responded Spyro, smiling.

"You're wise beyond your years, Spyro," responded Miarko, grinning. "Just how old are you all, anyways?"

"Our group ranges from sixteen to eighteen," said Tyron, nodding, "Spyro and Cynder are the youngest."

Miarko chuckled at this, saying, "Really, now? I'm nineteen years of age myself. Pleasure to meet you all. Mind if I tag along with you for the evening? Don't really see many of my age group in this part of town."

"Sure, why not?" responded Spyro.

Tyron frowned for some reason. but said nothing. Sparx shrugged and nodded, indicating nonchalant 'yes'. Niere shook her head and sighed, but then nodded with her eyes facing the ground.

Miarko chuckled, saying, "Guess I've got to make a good impressions."

"You've already made an impression, Miarko," said Tyron suddenly, "Try to improve it."

"Hostile little one, aren't ya?"

"No. Defensive," said Tyron. He was being quite hostile towards the Fire Dragon, for some odd reason. Niere was quite intrigued by this; why was he defending her honor so much?

Miarko shrugged at this and said, "Very well. Guess I'll have to prove myself then. How about we all get a drink? Not alcohol, mind you. There's a bar around the corner that tailors to our age group as well. What do you think?"

Spyro smiled, showing his pearly white teeth, and said, "Yeah! I think that'd be great."

"Great! I'll show ya'll to the place. It's just up around the next bend," said the Fire Defender, turning around and walking the opposite direction.

Sparx fluttered up to him and started a conversation. The two seemed to have some things in common, and were laughing in conversation within a few moments.

Niere hung back, as did Tyron. The pair of Draxisians eventually fell into pace with one another, but were silent with one another for a few moments. Niere was still bugged by the Fire Dragon's defending of her. He'd never done that kind of thing before, not as long as they had known each other.

The Electric Dragon mulled these thoughts over for a while, before she opened her maw and said, "So...Tyron?"

The Fire Dragon turned to her, rose an eye ridge and said, "Hm?"

Niere pursed her maw together, trying to find the right words. "I...wanted to ask you, what made you treat Miarko so poorly back there?" she asked, focusing on the Fire Defender rather than herself.

Tyron shook his head and looked forward, saying, "He was making a friend uncomfortable. You turned down his advances more than once and yet he still continued with what he was doing. It was...unsavory. I don't like flirts like him."

Niere was shocked. "Wait, you consider me a friend?"" she asked, clearly surprised.

Tyron turned back to her and rose an eye ridge. "Of course I do," he said. "Why would I not?"

"I haven't exactly treated you with the most respect since when we met."

"We're survivors, Niere. We can't let our differences get in the way of what's going on right now. I'll defend you, Richter,Tammy, all of you, I'll defend to the death, if need be. No one will take our freedom away from us."

Niere looked aside, nodding, "I...um...I appreciate that, Tyron," she said, almost embarrassed by this admittance.

Tyron nodded and looked back towards the marketplace in front of them. He picked up his pace and left Niere to her thoughts.

This was not the Tyron that she remembered from Draxis. How could she describe the change in him? His new found levels of...determination...yes, determination, had forged him into something that she almost didn't recognize. He was still the happy-go-lucky Tyron that she remembered, but this serious side that he was showing wasn't something that he had ever done in the past.

But, he was still Tyron. Completely the opposite from her: emotional, humorous and naive. He would always be the little ash-head from Draxis that she had known for years. Not anything like this new, determined warrior.

If that was the case, then why did she feel so...warm?


"You know I don't have time for these games. Either give me your status or leave me in peace, you mangy mongrel."

"Yes, your high exalted one."

"Insult me again and I'll be forced to take preventative measure against you."

The figure growled but but his tongue. "Yes, sire."

"Status update, now," said the other figure, unfazed by the growling.

"We've finished with Draxis. The ruins will not be disturbed for quite some time."

"Then I assume your mission is complete?"

"...No. Some of the residents escaped."

"You let them flee?" shouted the other figure, roaring in anger, "You're just as incompetent as the day I found you. If you fail me again, I'll be forced to choose another leader. Your incompetence has proved a near-detriment to my plans, Kameron."

Kameron growled at the figure, and said, "Deismo. What else would you do about it? There's no others that could even come close to taking my position."

"Your Beta shows promise. More so than I can say for you. Fail me again and you'll pay the price, Kameron," said the Lord of Shadows.

"Hmph. We'll see."

"I'm entrusting you with one last operation. Fail me, and you will be replaced. Begin the Second Stage of the Rebirth. The Realms will bend before me."


A/N: Thanks for reading Chapter 2! I appreciate the praise I've already recieved in terms of chapter 1 through private messages, reviews, favorites and follows. I always respond to reviews, so feel free to leave one and I'll get back to you about it! (As long as you're a registered member of the site.)

Thanks to HKGhost for BRing, as always. Epsilon was unavailable this week. Finals will do that to you!

Look for the next chapter in about two weeks.

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