Here we are at Chapter 10. So now the real challenge begins for our heroes. I'm sorry for the delay in this chapter; a lot of things had been going on and I was unable to continue my story but now I'm back with this next chapter.

Disclaimer: This story has nothing to do with Eragon, How To Train Your Dragon, Dragon Booster or any other stories involving humans riding dragons. Also, I only own my OC's and nothing else.

So now the story continues.


Chapter 10: The Riddles of the White Isle

Troy awoke to a strange bellowing roar. As he got up, he found himself lying on a green island. As he sat up, he looked up at the sky. Night had fallen and he could see the moons were touching tip to tip. He then spotted Sparx flapping towards him.

"Oh, good, someone's awake," Sparx called.

"What's going on?" Troy muttered.

"Where do I start?" Sparx replied. "You and Spyro went back into your weird dream world in midair and you and Astral fell into the ocean. Then this big thing surfaced with you guys on its back and Astral got it to take us to that spooky temple place."

As Troy got to his feet, he heard the bellow again and he looked round just as a massive creamy white head came into view. Troy jumped back in shock then he stared in amazement. "Wait a minute. Is that… a Leviathan?" He immediately recognized it as the same creature he saw when they'd been travelling to Dante's Freezer.

Before Sparx could reply, the sky suddenly disappeared behind a rocky tunnel. "Looks like we're nearing land," Troy assumed.

After a few more minutes of travel, the Leviathan stopped by the edge of a cliff. Troy picked up Spyro first and carried him off the Leviathan then dragged Astral off with much more effort. Once they were all on shore, the Leviathan gave another roar, turned around and swam back the way it had come.

"Thanks you!" Troy called out.

"Goodbye, freaky little turtle-monster," Sparx added, waving the creature off. "Goodbye, goodbye, thanks for everything!"

Just then, Troy heard Spyro and Astral groaning behind them and he went up to their side. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," Astral replied, getting to her feet.

"What happened?" Spyro murmured.

"Well, let's see," Sparx wondered aloud. "You and your friends have been hearing voices in your heads and have led us all over the place… which is good because we're having so much fun. And now we're stranded on an enchanted island and I just can't wait to see what happens next!"

The group set off up a sandy dune and soon spotted a cave in the side of a glowing white mountain. Blue lights illuminated the whole area and books and scrolls were scattered everywhere.

"Wait," Astral whispered somberly. "I think we're here…"

"Oh goody," Sparx moaned.

"So now, we'll meet the Chronicler and the Sentinel face to face," Troy pondered. "Come on, let's get going."

They set off into the caverns, facing off against the soldiers that Spyro and Astral met in their dreams. Soon they passed through a marble hallway and came out in a great arena with two huge dragon statues watching over a massive temple next to two separate doors. Dotted alongside the front of the doors were eight empty holes. As they approached the temple, a sudden whispered voice rang out across the grounds:

"Sacred Threshold, Hallowed Ground… Pathways Unfold, Lost is Found… Prove your Worth with Quick Desire… Ice and Earth, Electric, Fire… Two must Unite to Complete this Trick… Water, Plant, Fire, Psychic…"

"What the…?" Sparx cried out. "Now I'm hearing voices…"

"'Prove your worth with quick desire'?" Astral repeated puzzled.

"'Two must unite to complete this trick'?" Spyro added equally confused.

"What does that mean?" Troy wondered out loud.

"How the heck should I know?" Sparx said crossly. "Wait, I'm getting an idea… nope, nope, nope… yea- nope… Sorry, I lost it. I got nothing."

"We must have missed something," Spyro decided. "Come on, let's look around…"

Just then, several strange creatures emerged from the temple. They looked like crystal balls on mechanical legs. As the group watched, they did somersaults and flew over their heads before landed and signaling with their legs.

"Looks like they're asking for a fight," Astral gawped.

"Well, let's not disappoint them," Troy cried, pulling out his sword.

They charged forward and tackled the crystal balls. After a while, Troy managed to defeat one of the creatures and suddenly its legs retracted, making a proper ball. On a whim, he kicked it towards one of the holes where it rolled in and stuck.

"Hey guys," he called to the dragons. "Those things form those crystal switches. Once they're defeated, push them into the holes!"

Spyro and Astral managed to defeat two and rolled them into the holes. Soon, they had taken out five others and got them into the other holes.

"Great work, guys," Sparx buzzed, unimpressed. "So, what next?"

"Well, these switches were activated by our breaths," Astral recalled. "So we just use our elements to-"

"Wait a second." Troy held her back. "The voice named the elements in a certain order. Spyro, use your Ice breath on the first switch, then Earth, Electricity and Fire."

Spyro did exactly that and the first door opened so he and Sparx entered. Troy and Astral made to follow, but suddenly a beam of energy shot out from one of the statues' eye and struck them in their chests, driving them back.

"Astral, Troy, are you alright?" Spyro called out.

"A bit winded, but we're fine," Troy replied. "Just go on ahead. We'll find our own way in."

"Okay, good luck," Spyro replied. Then he and Sparx set off down the passage.

"Guess I'll have to do my elements on the other orbs," Astral groaned.

"Remember, it's Water, then Plant, Fire and lastly Psychic," Troy told her.

Astral activated the switches in the correct order and the second door opened. They entered and found themselves in a long passage lit up with candles. A book hovered over their heads, flapping open and shut like a butterfly's wings. As Troy and Astral approached, the book floated down the passageway and they followed it into a large room with four glowing doorways, each with a different colour, and a larger door on the other side.

Astral walked up to one door and peered in. "It feels hot in this one," she murmured. Then she went up to the second one. "And I hear the wind blowing through the trees here…"

Troy was examining the other two doors. "This one has a strange energy and I can hear the ocean in the other… I think these rooms are based on your elements!"

"Of course," Astral breathed. "Fire, Plant, Psychic and Water! We have to complete each of the rooms before we can move ahead…"

"'Two must unite to complete this trick'," Troy recalled the riddle. "I think we'll have to work together to solve these puzzles."

"Sounds good to me, let's go." And with that, they walked into the Fire room.

They found themselves in a large cavern that felt as hot as Boyzitbig was. Immediately, they were attacked by two red Orb Spiders. Astral used an air combo to knock one Spider back into a switch hole and Troy took out the other with his Flaming Sword. Once the switches were prepared, Astral used her Fire Blast on them and opened a door to the rest of the caverns.

Troy and Astral set off along the caves, facing many fiery foes and solving puzzles with Astral's Fire moves. Eventually, they found a tiny button on little legs that kept running off every time they got close to it. Astral used her Dragon Time to slow it down and Troy jumped on it and switched it on, activating a nearby teleport pad which they used to return to the main room.

Their next room, the Plant room, was a cavern with grass underfoot and leafy trees. They battled several plant based enemies, Astral with her Plant attacks and Troy with his Razor Leaf Blade. Then they faced their first obstacle: a field of boulders that blocked the way forward. Astral used her Leaf Shadow to slip round the rocks while Troy climbed over them with some difficulty.

Then after defeating more enemies, they reached a large chasm that Astral flew across then she used Plant Bomb to create a bridge for Troy to cross. Then they found another Button Mite, switched it on and took the teleport back.

In the Psychic room, they faced several enemies in one go, but Astral used her Telekinetic Control to make them fight each other while Troy used his Mental Pain Blade to bewilder some others.

Then they reached another canyon that even Astral couldn't cross, but she used her Psychic Beam to pull down a column and create a bridge for them to cross. Then after they activated two Button Mites, they took the teleport back to the main room.

The last room, the Water room, was flooded up to their waists and they found it tricky to move. The water-based enemies were a bit tricky, but Astral easily took some out with her Water Stream while Troy battled the others with his Tsunami Sword.

Then they reached a door that was locked and found that the switches were on the other side. But Astral soon found a hidden underwater tunnel and used her Tidal Charge to quickly zip through the tunnel to the other side. Then she used her Water Stream to fill some vase switches and open the door for Troy. After finding and activating three Button Mites, they took the teleport back again.

When they got back, they found the larger door was open and they entered into a larger room with three glowing pools in the middle… where they found Spyro and Sparx waiting for them. After swapping stories of their challenges, they prepared to set off again when Troy held up a hand. "Hold on guys," he breathed. "I think we found it."

"You mean, this is where the Chronicler and the Sentinel are waiting for us?" Astral asked.

"Hello," Spyro called out. "Is anyone there?"

"Hey," Sparx cried, putting his hands over Spyro's mouth. "If there is, could we… you know… not wake it up? Because everything we've met so far has tried to kill us…"

On cue, the mysterious voice spoke again. "Expose your heart to summon ghost, then face alone what you fear most."

"What we fear most?" Troy murmured nervously.

"I knew it," Sparx groaned. "This place wants us dead. We should have turned back while we had the chance."

"We need to do this, Sparx," Spyro retorted.

"Right, I'm not afraid of what this place has to throw at us," Astral agreed.

"I'm with you, guys," Troy nodded. "Let's do it."

"Oh yeah?" Sparx yelled. "Well, go ahead. Expose your hearts and see what happens!"

Troy, Astral and Spyro stepped towards the pools but then Sparx buzzed in front of them, blocking their way. "Wait, don't do it!" he cried out. "You guys can't leave me behind in the wacky moon temple with all the whispering walls and the crawling thingies! They want to make me part of their freak show!"

"Just relax, Sparx," Troy sighed, pushing the dragonfly aside. "We'll be back soon… I hope."

And with that, he and the dragons stepped onto the pools and disappeared…


Spyro's teleporter took him onto a platform high in the clouds. Four orbs hovered around the stage, each glowing with the colour of his elements.

Just then, Spyro heard a familiar shriek and he turned around in shock. A huge dragon stood on the other side of the arena. It looked exactly like Cynder in her corrupted form, except its body was glowing red. With another shriek, it charged at Spyro.

As the bigger dragon swiped out with its claws, Spyro jumped to one side to avoid the attack. Then he went into a Comet Dash and slammed into its side, damaging it. Just as Spyro retaliated into a Fire Stream, its body changed to yellow and this time, the fire didn't harm it.

Spyro quickly learned that the dragon's colour would change based on his elements; blue for Ice and green for Earth. So every time the dragon's colour shifted, he would switch to the corresponding element. The battle went on for a while, but finally the dragon was defeated and Spyro was teleported back to the entrance.


Astral found herself in a large arena in the center of a massive cave. As she took in her surroundings, she heard some groans behind her. Turning around, she gasped as she saw two bodies lying on the ground; one human and one dragon. "Troy! Spyro!"

As she drew closer, two huge smoky paws emerged from the shadows and slammed down onto the two bodies, lifting them into the air and pulling them into the darkness. Then a monstrous creature materialized in front of her. It was very similar in shape to an Ape Commander, though it looked like it was made from smoke, its red eyes glowing like dying coals.

"It's no use, little dragon," the creature hissed in a sinister growl. "You cannot save your friends. It's just you and me here now!"

With an angry growl, Astral lowered her horns and charged at the creature. But as she hit it, she passed right through like it was a ghost. With an evil laugh, the creature turned and lashed out with its claws, sending her flying across the arena. Astral got to her feet and shot a Fire Stream at it, but again the attack didn't do any damage.

"How noble, but your attacks serve you no purpose," the creature laughed, stomping towards her. "Down here, only darkness will be triumphant!"

Astral's eyes widened as an idea came. "Of course…" With new determination, she got to her feet. "You're wrong! I will be able to beat you! You know why? Because you're not even real! You're just a manifestation of my fears, created as a test by this temple! But whatever you throw at me will never bring me down and I will never fall to you!"

Suddenly, her body began to glow with a brilliant light and the creature flinched in agony. "AARRRGHH! The light… It's too… great…"

"Go back to the shadows where you belong!" With that, Astral fired a powerful beam at the monster, dissolving it into nothing. As the cave lit up with the incredible light, Astral was teleported away…


Troy opened his eyes and found he was standing in a large darkened chamber lit only by some candles. As he stepped forward, a sudden series of tremors knocked him off his feet. He sat up and saw a massive figure in black armour was stomping towards him. As it reached Troy, it pulled out a dark sword and pointed it at Troy.

"I am the Shadow Knight," the figure boomed out. "My presence is formed by the dark feelings hidden in your soul."

"What kind of dark feelings?" Troy asked as he got to his feet.

"My strength is forged in your fear of losing your friends and family… the sword is crafted by your sharp jealousy for your brother's skills in battle… and my shield is made from your doubt of ever being great." The Shadow Knight let out an earth-shaking laugh. "But my armour is the strongest of all; created through your lack of self-esteem in the face of danger."

"No!" Troy yelled out. "I don't feel any of those emotions!"

"Yes you do," the Knight growled. "You've never told any of your friends, but I know you inside and out."

Giving an angry shout, Troy pulled out his sword and charged at the Knight, swinging with all his might. The Knight just laughed as his blade simply bounced off the armour and then he raised his sword and lashed out. Troy blocked the attack with his shield, but the Knight's sheer strength still pushed him back.

As the fight went on, the Knight continued his speech. "When Cynder first invaded your home and took your family, you ran and hid rather than face her in battle. When your friend was captured, you were too afraid to even rescue her. When you saw your brother fight well in training, you wished you were as good as he was. And when you believed you were destined for greatness, everybody laughed at you. Admit it, Rider. You don't have what it takes to be a hero."

As the Knight threw Troy to the ground, the young Rider felt his mind filled with the taunts and doubts of his childhood; all the kids laughing at his belief of destiny, the village Elders assuming his mark meant nothing, his own brother telling him not to let greatness go to his head.

But then he heard faint voices growing louder against his doubts until he could hear his friends talking to him: You're already destined for greatness… If we can do that, we can do anything… I couldn't have done it without my dragon friends here… I always knew you were destined for greatness… You really are a valiant warrior… We're a team; I wouldn't get far without you… Now, his courageous spirit lives on in you…

As the Knight swung his sword down, Troy quickly rolled aside and jumped to his feet. "There's one thing you didn't count on, Shadow Knight. I may not be brave, I do envy my brother's skills and sometimes I do doubt my confidence, but my greatest strength comes from the friendships I made in the Realms. When I had my doubts, my friends were there to believe in me and give me the power I needed to save them. And now with this power, I will be able to vanquish you." With that, he focused his power and called out, "DRACONIS DIVINUS!"

At once, his sword began to glow with a mighty purple light. Troy charged forwards and with his Divine Slash, he cut through the Knight's sword and shield like a hot knife through butter.

"NOOOOO!" the Shadow Knight yelled as he stumbled back. "It's impossible! Your darkness is too great to bear."

"Then it's time to go into the light," Troy cried out, pointing his sword forwards. "DIVINE BEAM!"

At his command, a beam of energy shot from the sword and smashed into the figure. With a scream of pain, the Knight's body was disintegrated. Then the beam stopped, the sword faded to normal and Troy collapsed face first on the ground, his body spent…


Phew… what an intense moment! Hope the delay was worth it.

Next chapter, Spyro, Troy and Astral meet the Chronicler and the Sentinel and learn some startling truths about the dangers that await them.

See you then