Chapter 7: Spyro's Doubt

As Spyro and Cynder train to become stronger against Soul. They start to thinking that maybe it was too much to deal with. After all, if one of them dies, then surely the other would perish in pity until death comes. But they they have to remember, their oldest, Scyra will be in charge and Soul would try to kill her. So it was kill Soul or let Soul kill until he became Emperor.

As they looked down at the new dummies, instead of having straw and wood; it was all wood, metal, or even crystal due to the fact that Spyro faced some metal and crystal monsters. Stone would be hard to make as a dummy as it was heavier and most magic doesn't work on stone. But now that they had those types of dummies for practice, they will over come anything.

"Concentrate to beat your enemy," Terrador said as he looked over to Cyril. "They may never defeat him..."

"Terrador, don't be like that," Cyril countered with an angered voice. "Sure they are having a hard time but they haven't fought for a long time. Nearly forty years of no fighting, it's not their fault now is it?"

"True," Terrador said with a sigh. "But at least they try."

"Do or do not, there is no try," Volteer said. The two guardians looked at their electric companion. He looks at what Spyro and Cynder are doing, fighting the dummies as trying their best to destroy them, this made the electric guardian chuckle.

"Now you sound like that freak outside of the Warfang Temple. Creepy cheetah," Cyril said as he walked over to Spyro and Cynder.

Spyro sighs as he looks at Cyril. "Haven't fought and we are doing horrible."

Cyril sighs, "It's due to the fact that you need to get back into the habit. Sure it's hard but nothing is impossible."

Cynder looked at him and growled. "You sound like Malefor and Gaul."

Cyril takes a heavy breath, "That may be true but nothing is impossible. But in their minds, they didn't expect to be defeated by Spyro, did they?" Cynder shakes her head. "Thought so."

"Point taken." That caused Cyril to chuckle as he left the couple. "Uncle, do you think..."

"'Think'? No, I know. Better to know than to think. Assume nothing for it makes an ass out of you and me. Thinking is the same as assuming," Cyril answered Cynder's uncompleted statement. "But we are here to make you into the fighting people you were at one time. Shall we begin?"

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other and smiled before nodding. "Yes sir."

"Good, the first thing a Dragon must do is understand that the tail is an extra arm. Using it can give another attack or launch. You can use your tail like your hind legs to jump up but be warned it can break due to weight."

Ignitus comes in with a scroll in his paw. "I have found where Soul is to die. Apparently he is not to die a physical death but to be purged on the evil spirit. There is a gem that I found. But it's somewhere we don't want to go..."

"Where," Spyro asked.

"Mountain of Malefor." Everyone gasped when they heard that. "I knew this would happen. Why do you think I didn't say where it was at the first time?"

"Because it wouldn't have mattered," Cynder said as she got her claws ready. "I promise you this, he will not hurt my daughter if we fail."

"And we won't fail, Cyn," Spyro assured her. She looks at him before smiling. "We won't fail because then it would be like Malefor defeating us."

"You're right, we will win," Cynder said as she licked his face.

"Okay, lets go," Cyril enthusiastically said. "It's time that we get rid of this menace, threat, intimidation, trouble, nuisance right now." Everyone looked at him with shocked eyes.

"Cyril are you feeling okay," Terrador asked. "You never talked like Volteer."

"Yes, I'm fine. Those were basic vocabulary that I just used. So you don't need to worry about me."

"I disagree, counter, vary, disnarmonize, you anticlimatical personal," Volteer said. Cyril looked at him with a shocked expression. "I'm kidding with you. Okay, so lets forget about this right now and head to Mount Malefor."

"Only Spyro and Cynder must go," Ignitus forced onto the Guardians. "It's they're battle, not ours. They must face Soul and purge his soul."

"Ignitus, before we leave, how did you find out about Soul," Spyro asked.

"Akathos had a feeling that Soul was going to attack and ruin everything that created the world. He would have created another one if Shocker and Alduin didn't stop him. He was going to create another world for chaos only, worse than the world we are in right now. And to do so, he has to be appointed as the Dragon God of Dragons."

"No wonder where Malefor got it from, he got it from his father," Spyro angrily said as he walked towards the doors. "I just hope I don't become like my father."

"Spyro your not like your father," Ignitus said. Spyro turns his head towards him and looks at him.

"How do you even know?! All I know you might be lying about that. My father's side is just corruption no matter what. Soul as my grandfather is greedy for power, Malefor as my father is lusted with dragonesses and wished for power, I might be like them and I don't know about it."

"Young dragon," Terrador started. "Path of corruption is a neat path of darkness but it can be broken by the powers of love."

"And look where it got Malefor."

"He didn't love anyone?"

"He may not love anyone but at least I didn't hide it from the lineage. I still haven't forgave myself when I learned I was his son. He may have spoken the truth about the Purple Dragon destroying the world to create another one."

"Now that is incorrect," Volteer yelled. "If it was to be like that, then why is it that you are alive or not showing any sign of corruption?! You were lied to when my brother told you that false prophecy but the true prophecy was to have the Purple Dragon rid the world of great evil, no matter what happens except corruption. If you don't see it that way, then you must understand no Purple Dragon is to destroy this world. They are to bring it closer to peace so that the next ten generations - or in your case, next generation due to Scyra as the Purple Dragoness," Ignitus' eyes grew wide when he heard that, " because of your wife - so that the other races can be whole. And right now you are doubting yourself. You doubt yourself, you are going to doubt everything." Everyone was struck back at what Volteer said, it was a lecture that no one thought he had in him. Ignitus personality must have rubbed off of him.

"You're right," Spyro said as he looked at the floor. "I shouldn't be like this."

"Spyro, no matter what happens you can't be corrupted due to the Divines won't allow it," Cyril started. Volteer nodded in agreement. "You have learned the Dark Side of Convexity but yet show nothing of corruption, not even a thought of killing anyone. Is that true?"

"Yes Cyril," Spyro said as he opened the doors with his tail and walked out. "Time to rid of Soul, once and for all." Cynder smiled as she finally got to see her lover back to his old self. She missed her lover but now he's back.

"Very well, to Mount Malefor, get ready to fight them. I pray the Ancestors be kind to you young dragons," Ignitus said as he saw Spyro and Cynder get their wings ready for flight. As he smiled, he only thought of the outcome, Spyro and his daughter coming back to be Emperor and Empress.

- Five Hours Later - Mount Malefor

As Spyro and Cynder are flying through the sky, they start to hear ape voices below them. To them this meant that Soul must have brought them back to life or they were hiding from the war. They do remember that Shine and some of his squad left and never returned back to Malefor but this apes they heard below sounded like they were working for Soul. Spyro and Cynder quickly dived down and landed silently behind two apes.

"Hey," said one of the apes, the other ape woke up and smacked him. "We are to be on duty, stop sleeping."

"It's hard to sleep when you are forced to stay up all day and night for duty while the Captain Fareye Coldblade is watching twenty-four seven," said the other ape as he grabbed his sword. "So let me sleep or I'll cut your fingers off." He waved his sword as he saw Spyro and Cynder's reflection on the sword. He quickly turns around and grows wide eyes. "Oh no... Forest Electricseat, don't turn around."

Forest looks at him, "Why?"

"Because of this," he slowly showed Forest his sword and showed the refection of Spyro and Cynder.

"DRAGONS!" Forest turns around and quickly bows. "Don't hurt us... please... We aren't going to hurt you... Please don't hurt us."

Spyro rolled his eyes as he walked past the two white furred apes. "We aren't going to hurt you but you can help us." Forest's eyes grew wide as the other ape quickly sheathes his sword on his back. "We need to purge Soul's soul. We need you to get the power working because I have a feeling that my father..." Forest quickly grabs Spyro's paw and shakes his head.

"You are not Malefor's son."

"I am due to him and Soritha," Spyro said. "I have to do this."

Forest looks at the other ape and sighs. "What you say Steel Macetail, we allow them in?"

"Yes," Steel said as he walked towards the mountain's side. "Okay, your father had your grandfather - he told me about it before the Temple raid - in a small room in the center. It is easy, just one... moment..." Steel grabs a lever and pulls it down. As he pulls, they start to hear the humming of machines. "Malefor was a researcher in studying an old race called Dwemer. He had machines in here by making them his own way. So if you see a machine, don't fret. They won't harm you. Oh we knew Malefor had children so the ape inside will not attack you. Just go in, and head straight in the middle. You'll find Soul's body there, and then do whatever you have to do..." Steel opens the door and smiles at them. "Hope the Dragons can be free soon. Our forces are in control but we didn't want power."

"That's why we are here," Cynder said as she walked towards the door. "We will have a government soon."

"Good," Steel said as he sat down on the ground. "It's time the Dragon's take control. Ever since Malefor was in power, they Dragon's couldn't control all their races. But now they have a chance."

"Yes and it's high time that their empire comes back," Forest said as he walked in. Spyro and Cynder followed him as they knew where to go but they wanted to make sure that they didn't get lost.

As they traveled the hidden fortress in the mountain, they began to hear voices in their heads.

"So my grandson has finally come. The so-called Legendary Purple Dragon has come here for what," the voice said. "To be like his father or me? It won't matter, he is not worthy of being an emperor. And you as well Cynder, are not worth to be Empress. Your deeds from the years, cause nothing but misery on someone. Every decision you have ever made ends with pain and suffering with misery. People die, you get famed as heroes and do it again. Not this time."

"Spyro, I don't like this," Cynder thought. Spyro looked at her and bowed his head. "I have a feeling that Soul is trying to trick us."

"I know what you mean," Spyro said in Cynder's mind.

"No matter what, you will fail," Soul's voice was clear as day. They can finally hear what it sounded like. Dark, menacing, and beyond the average evil, a tone that sounded like Malefor. "You thinking your never wrong, but you live by what you learn. You think you have to act like someone but you leave nothing behind to see what the true meaning of an Empire is. You act like you have know nothing, but yet you know something. Explain those to me."

"Because we have nothing to fight for," Spyro and Cynder thought in unity. "Time to end this." Spyro got up to where Soul's body is at and breathed a heavy sigh as he unleashed a Convexity beam. Soul's body starts to shake as black smoke starts to appear around him. As the smoke forms around, Spyro quickly jumps in the air and lands next to Cynder.

The smoke then starts to form a Smoke Dragon, a Dragon that is rarer than the Purple Dragon for it is only born only one time. "BEHOLD, MY TRUE FORM," Soul's voice echoed in the room. Spyro and Cynder then saw an ash colored Smoke Dragon that is all muscled with blood red wings, underbelly and spines. Jagged horns with the tip of the right one is covered in scars. His eyes are as cold as his soul, with a glint of mischief. He is the Fallen and Exiled Dragon God of the Corruption. "You will see what a true God can do." He takes his head and unleashes a Convexity beam towards the couple. Spyro and Cynder saw it and quickly rolled out of the way before unleashing their elements, Ice and Shadow.

Spyro and Cynder then flew in the air and started attacking Soul, but that didn't help due to him taking each hit like a tank, no stagger or stun. Nothing was working. "How is he not getting hurt," Spyro asked.

Cynder then looked at Soul and saw a connection link between the body and the soul. "Because he is in soul form, if we can burn the body he will be purged." Spyro then looked at Soul's soul and nodded.

"I know what we need to do." Spyro then flew right towards Soul and breathed five fireballs at his face. "Cynder, now."

Cynder saw this opportunity and took Soul's body away from the connection. As she grabbed his soul, she heard metal hitting flesh. She looks up to see Spyro had stopped Soul's tail strike but instead of a block, it went through his side. "NO," Cynder yelled out. She then looked up to see another Spyro fight Soul. "Wait... how is that..." Then she saw the Spyro that was hit by the tailblade explode into white smoke. "Illusion. Smart." Cynder then grabs Soul's body and lifted it up as she flew out of the room. "Spyro, I got him. Lead his soul away from his body as I burn it. If he so much gets close, the body will not be destroyed."

"Got it."

Spyro then comet dashes towards Soul and breaks his ribs. "YOU LITTLE FUCKER," Soul yelled out as he unleashed Chaos spheres. Spyro took his Convexity breath and shoot it at the sphere, as they exploded it made perfect cover for him. Soul looked around and tried to see through the smoke but couldn't. As he looked through, a huge green sphere knocks him down. "Son of..." Before he could finish, that green sphere lands on his head. Yelling in pain, he swats the sphere but instead of it moving, it stabs his paw.

"Nice try," Spyro's voice came from the green sphere. Soul was shocked at this and tried to destroy it but due to Spyro's Mastery of Earth Element nothing happened. All that it did was hurt Soul. "Okay Cynder, his body is gone and now he's hurting." As Soul tries to land one hit, he stops when he looks at his arm. A small reddish-orange bubble forms on it and starts to turn into a scorch mark.

"NO," Soul yelled out. Flames came out of his arm and start burning his soul. He tries to put them out but can't due to his soul was corrupted. He falls down as the flames go bigger and bigger by the second, making his whole body become a scorched corpse. After a few seconds, the scorched corpse then falls down like a tidal wave from a broke dam. Ash calmly settles down on the floor.