Took a while but I got it out. Appreciate the messages and reviews you all have given.

Chapter 12

Sullied Seams

Flying was a cinch at this point. After a few hours of practice in the air, Cosmo had grown more confident than he was beforehand. He had no doubts Isis felt the same. The fur dragoness was all too happy to show off her skills in the air.

Now was the time for remembering the elements. Cosmo knew one of his four already, but Isis had two elements that were rather rare. With her electricity and earth, she also knew plasma and water in the past. Water would probably be easier to re-learn, but plasma was going to take some time. There weren't very many dragons with that ability.

At the moment, Cosmo, Isis, Everest, and Orion was relaxing in the cabin. It was a bit chilly inside but Cosmo was beginning to grow used to it by now. He wouldn't mind sitting next to a cozy campfire though. Orion would probably help him with that if he asked, but didn't want to bother the shape shifting fox at the moment.

As Isis and Orion casually chatted on the furthest couch, Everest stood near the window looking out in the cabin's front yard. Cosmo could only imagine she was waiting for Archie, or maybe she was just bored and didn't know how to occupy her time. Maybe she was frightened to go out again and wondered if it was safe to go outside again. Whatever that thing was that tried to kill her was most likely still on the loose. Was it only after her in particular?

Orion heard about the incident with Everest but didn't seem to act surprised. He had an open mind to what he would find in another realm, it appeared that a ball of darkness wasn't too high on the list of surprises he would find. His only concern was with Everest, which he was told she was doing well and fine.

But in merely two seconds, Everest was out the door, closing it behind her. Cosmo merely shrugged, assuming she saw Archie outside. He turned toward Isis and Orion to join in on their conversation.

Everest looked across the small snowy area, seeing Archie with his bow and quiver slung around his back. Behind him was the reason Everest jumped out the cabin so quickly. Spyro and Cynder followed the human, looking toward her in anticipation.

The snow white dragoness eyes widened in surprise. Seeing those two dragons wasn't something she was expecting. "Archie?"

"Hello my dear Everest!" Archie greeted with his usual grin.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The human's grin faded. "What do you mean?"

Everest looked at Archie in bewilderment. It was obvious Cosmo and Isis wanted to remain hidden for now. She thought he knew that. "You know exactly why. Don't play this game with me."

Archie sighed looking past her toward his cabin for a moment before returning his attention to her. The look in her eyes was all too familiar. "Everest . . . our enemies are making moves. It's time we did the same. We can't sit idly by. It's time we took action."

At first, Everest looked a bit unsure. She knew what Cosmo wanted. But if what Archie said was true, then she had no choice. There wasn't a time she never trusted the human, today would be no different.

"Fine . . . but if he gets angry . . . it's your fault, not mine."

"Relax," Archie assured. "I'll take the blame. Don't want your boyfriend breaking up with you now would we?"

"Il pas mon petit ami. Un tel terme humain."

"There goes the Everestian," Archie smiled. "Good to see you're the same as ever."

"Shut up!" Everest shouted. Archie looked toward her, unfazed by the dragon's remark. He couldn't help but utter a small chuckle toward her.

"So what's going on?" Spyro began, disregarding the act that played before him.

Everest looked over toward the purple dragon. "I guess I'll show you."

Silently Everest turned toward the cabin behind her and made her way to the entrance in a quick fashion. Spyro and Cynder eyed the white dragoness curiously as she disappeared into the building. Archie was quiet, but held a smile of anticipation.

A moment later the cabin's door opened. Everest emerged, but the dragon that trailed behind her was quick to notice the purple dragon standing in front of Archie across the small field. The purple dragon was quick to his feet in surprise as he looked toward the new arrival. The yellow scaled dragon immediately stopped on the porch as he felt all eyes were on him. Not only that, but a familiar black fur dragon also appeared from within the cabin's walls.

"It can't be." Spyro took no time to rush over. "Cosmo! Isis!"

Cosmo scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward as the purple dragon skidded to a stop in front of the porch he stood on. He honestly didn't know what to say as he wasn't expecting Spyro to find him so soon. It wasn't long before Cynder took her place beside Spyro with Everest and Archie behind them silently watching their reunion.

"What's up?" Isis asked in a chill fashion. A small smile curled on her face in the process.

"I almost can't believe it!" Cynder exclaimed joyously.

The purple dragon himself sat in near awe. He studied Cosmo very closely, but no matter how hard he looked him over, the more he believed it. The dragon that stood before him was similar in every way to the Cosmo he remembered. "So you must be Everest's boyfriend . . .," he began simply. A small smile cracked on his face as he watched Cosmo's expression change to pure confusion and almost horror.

"No!" Everest shouted in an outburst of anger. "Archie's a lying scoundrel and deserves to be strapped to a chair and beaten with a stick!"

Archie almost pouted to hear that. "Cosmo's quite the ladies man Everest. I'm sure his other girlfriends won't mind sharing."

"Ferme ta bouche Archie!" Everest shouted again. Quickly making her way past the dragons, she quickly opened the cabin's door and slammed it shut. All eyes turned back toward Archie, who was almost laughing uncontrollably.

"Twice in one day!" he exclaimed.

"That wasn't very nice," Cynder replied, finding his form of comedy a bit over the top.

"Relax," Archie assured, calming down. "It's almost routine at this point, but what are we doing standing out in the snow for? Let's go inside and catch up."

The ever so odd Archie made his way inside the cabin and let the other dragons inside his cozy home. Closing the door behind them, the human made his way to the cabins bedroom without a word to say to his new visitors. Everest sat near the window, looking out into the snow covered field in front of the cabin. In the corner a peculiar fox slept, but slowly stirred as Spyro and Cynder made themselves at home. The canid watched as the two new dragons sat down on the couch across from him and couldn't help but wonder who they were.

"What's with the company?" Orion asked, startling Spyro and Cynder.

"It's fine," Isis assured. "Orion this is Spyro and Cynder."

"Oh, I remember hearing about these two." Orion stood to his paws as he stretched for a moment. "Something about them being heroes yeah?"

"Who's the fox?" Spyro asked in wonder.

"That's Orion," Cosmo answered, speaking for the first time since he saw Spyro and Cynder. "He's . . . more than meets the eye. That's not important right now though."

"Hey," Orion said, almost sounding offended as he sat down on the wood flooring.

"What's important," Cosmo interrupted. "Is the reason you're here."

"I should be asking you that," Spyro retaliated. "I'm very happy to see you and Isis again, but I feel like there's a story behind all of it. Did the spirit guardians bring you back?"

Cosmo looked toward Isis, who merely shrugged toward him. "I'm not sure to be honest. Me and Isis got here through an ancient portal from our realm. Whether it was the spirit guardians that guided us there or not is a mystery. We only had dreams of the portal, but the guardians never made themselves known to us."

Cynder asked, "How long have you been here?"

"A week," Isis answered. "We both appeared from the portal near Clawstone so we made our way here. Along the way we met Everest and Archie who helped us out a bit."

"There are other humans here," Cosmo finished.

"I know," Spyro answered. "Archie helped us as well, telling us about the UCA taking relic fragments. They're not the only ones after the fragments though. There's another by the name of Verus Nexis who is also after the fragments."

"Verus Nexis?" Cosmo repeated. "Let me guess. He's related to Ismeral Nexis."

"I know he is. He has to be after the fragments power to bring Ismeral back from his prison. He already has two."

Cynder nodded, then added in, "Not only that but the UCA has one. They think they can power the stones up with dragon souls so they've been raided villages and capturing dragons."

"I know," Cosmo sighed. "Me and Isis found their headquarters and was captured. Thanks to Orion, we escaped and met Archie and Everest. Not before their leader shot Isis though."

"I'm mostly fine," Isis assured. "Still a bit weak but I'll live."

Spyro was a bit relieved to hear that. He had no trouble figuring out what was going to happen to them if they didn't escape in time. "That's good but how did Orion help?"

Before anyone could answer, Orion did it for him. In a quick flash of light, the small red fox polymorphed himself into a small childlike red scaled dragon with a white underbelly.

"I can change my shape," Orion answered. A smirk appeared on his face as he saw the looks on the two dragon's faces.

"That's quite amazing," Spyro replied. "But you forgot the wings."

Orion quickly turned his head toward his back and noticed that Spyro was right. "Nuts," Orion went. "Forgot about the wings. Oh well." Transforming back to his original form, Orion the fox curled back on the ground, acting as if that never happened. Cynder grinned toward the canid, finding him to be a very interesting character.

Spyro returned his attention to Cosmo, who seemed to be in thought for a moment before looking back toward the purple dragon. "So Cosmo, now that we know you and Isis are here. What do you say to thwarting evil once more?"

Cosmo couldn't help but smile toward him. "For old times sake . . . I guess I have no choice."

"We all don't have a choice," said Archie as he emerged from his bedroom off to the side. "From the way it looks, every human that sets foot into the dragon realm becomes insane."

"Including you," Everest plainly said, still looking out the window.

Spyro was a bit taken aback from that unexpected reply. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Everest immediately answered. "Just . . . nothing. Forget I said anything."

The white dragoness opened the cabin's door and walked outside, closing it behind her. Silence filled the room as each dragon looked at one another awkwardly. As Cosmo looked over toward Orion, he swore he saw a faint smile on his face.

Archie was the first to break the silence. "Eh . . . perhaps I should go prepare another hunt."

Walking back into his bedroom, Spyro, Cynder, Isis, and Cosmo was left in the room. Orion had his eyes shut in his corner, not even paying attention to the conversation from what it seemed. Cosmo looked towards the windows behind him, but felt a tug that made him stand to his feet.

"I'll be right back," the yellow dragon simply said. Walking out the cabins door, he left the other dragons inside.

Cosmo looked around worriedly for Everest and found her walking toward the frozen pond behind the cabin. Quickly catching up to her, the dragoness took notice of the new company she had, but didn't stop walking until they both reached the ponds edge. Everest looked up towards where she fell through the ice, remembering the moment so clearly. While the hole had frozen over once again, Everest was a bit hesitant to walk further.

"Everything okay?" Cosmo began.

Everest was quiet. She looked down on the ice, barely seeing a reflection of the treetops above. She sighed deeply. "No."

"What's wrong?"

"Archie."

"He was only teasing," Cosmo assured. "Some humans are like that."

"I wish he was dead."

Cosmo was completely stunned. That certainly wasn't something he expected to hear. "Everest?"

The white dragoness stared at the ice, but didn't budge. She turned toward Cosmo, a look of despair "A great part of me wishes that. I watched him drag my family off down those halls and out of my sight. I'll never forgive him and he thinks a few jokes can change that." She shook her head disapprovingly. "My emotions toward him are so conflicting it's confusing what I should do."

"But I thought you already forgave him," Cosmo asked, greatly concerned at this point.

"Just words," Everest simply replied. "Ice skating used to calm me. I'm not sure I want to anymore. All I know something will try to kill me again." This was a part of Everest Cosmo hoped to never see. "Why did you save me?"

"Pardon?"

"Why did you save me from the ice?"

"I couldn't have let you die that way."

"Why not?"

Silence. Everest's emotions had turned so fast it left Cosmo in confusion of what he should do. Everest shot an unfavorable look toward Cosmo, but took a deep breath as she looked back down toward the ice once again. A moment passed. The cool breeze blew through the treetops, making them sway a bit. Snow fell from the branches onto the pond's ice. Then Everest felt Cosmo's paw on her shoulder.

"You're my friend and you're important to me," Cosmo finally answered softly. "Do you really think I would just leave you like that?"

"No . . . you're too noble. But I want one of my friends dead."

"The past is gone Everest," Cosmo began, setting his paw back down into the snow. "If Archie was dead would it make a difference?"

"Here we go with the past is the past cliche' garbage," Everest replied. "Are you going to tell me what's important is my future next?"

"Err . . . no?"

For the first time in a while, the white dragoness shown a smile. "You know another cliche'? The noble are terrible liars."

"Not sure if that's a cliche'," Cosmo said, but couldn't help but share a smile of his own. "But what do you say we forget about this whole business, go back to the cabin, and make a plan to end this relic fragment fiasco? Once we kick out all these unwanted visitors we can go back to having fun and forgetting our troubles."

"Sounds nice."

"It won't be easy though. You have to commit."

"Nothing has been easy for the past few months," Everest replied. "I've grown used to it. But I guess you're right."

Standing to her feet, Everest turned around and began heading back toward her home. Cosmo felt worry toward her, but there wasn't much else he could for her. He just had to hope she would find her will to commit. Now all he had to worry about was that Spyro or Cynder had some news about Kali. Not a day passed where he didn't think about her.

Turning back toward the cabin, Cosmo followed Everest at a slow trudge. When they entered the cabin, all eyes turned toward them for a brief moment. Cosmo shut the door behind him without anything to say.

"Everything alright?" Spyro asked, partially concerned.

Cosmo nodded. "Of course. What's been going on in here?"

Cynder quickly answered, "Isis was just catching us up on how you two got here. Very interesting story. Somehow our two worlds have been connected to each other longer than we would have thought."

Cosmo understood what she meant. It was rather odd but at this point he didn't question it. Before he could reply, Archie exited from his bedroom, wearing his coat from before with a bow and quiver wrapped on his back.

"I'm off," Archie plainly said emotionless.

Spyro could immediately tell something was off about him. Most likely something to do with how Everest reacted to his teasing earlier. He didn't pay the matter any attention though. "But shouldn't we come up with a plan?"

"Tell me later, those deer won't jump on my dinner plate freely." Making his way through the small crowd, Archie quickly exited the cabin. Everest sighed, but said nothing.

"Well then," Spyro began, bringing his attention back to the others. "Before me, Cynder, and Archie got here, an old mole friend of mine helped us find another relic fragment in an underground lake near Velxtra Forest."

"You have a mole friend?" Orion asked.

"I met Mole-Yair a long time ago. But before we could get to the fragment Verus ambushed us and took it. Apparently he knows how to use illusions. He distracted us long enough for him to steal the fragment and escape the cavern."

Isis put a paw underneath her chin in curiosity. "Interesting. I think I remember Ignitus mentioning illusion as an element. I've never seen it in action before though. I wonder why Star never learned anything about it."

"I wouldn't really consider illusion an element," Cynder added.

"So what it is like a magic trick?"

"I guess you can say that," Spyro answered. "Star was supposed to know all the elements but he never learned anything about illusion. Maybe it would be something to ask Ignitus when he visits us tomorrow."

"He's coming?" Cosmo asked.

"I asked him to come," Spyro replied. "I was hoping he would know everything there is to know about the fragments. He agreed to travel to Warfang and said he would be there by the morning sun."

"That's good news."

"Why don't you all come to Warfang tomorrow? I'm sure everyone would be happy to see you. Especially Kali."

Everest's eyes darted toward Spyro. Cosmo sighed toward the purple dragon as he sat down beside Isis on her couch. "I don't know. There's a reason me and Isis have been hiding. If we do whatever we need to do here, stop whatever evil has manifested itself in your world, what if the spirit guardians throw all of us out again? If Kali has gotten over me, I don't want her to relive the pain."

"Would you like to at least know that she's doing alright?"

Cosmo simply nodded.

"Last I heard she found Cerulean and they've been living together."

He took the purple dragon's news with a smile. Knowing who Cerulean was, Cosmo was happy to hear she was doing well on her own. As unbearable as it was to just ignore his feelings and rush to Warfang right now, he chose to sit and trust his plan.

"Who's Kali?" Everest suddenly asked.

Cosmo immediately remembered he never told her before. "She was my mate before I disappeared after the defeat of Ismeral Nexis."

" . . . I see."

"Well," Spyro began, standing to his feet. Cynder followed. "It was great seeing you and Isis again, but we have to head back to Warfang and give our report of the relic fragment we lost."

Cynder almost flinched at hearing it. "Yeah . . . we lost."

"Don't worry," Spyro assured. "Once Ignitus tells us all about the fragments I'm sure he can disclose their locations. We'll get those last three fragments in no time."

Meanwhile

"This is stupid!"

"No it isn't you're stupid! I worked here before it's easy and we need the money."

"They're going to recognize us eventually."

"And until then we can keep quiet and low. Those other humans won't come into the city after us."

Two familiar dragons entered a local inn from the streets. One, a bright pink scaled dragoness with dark yellow toned belly and light pink wings. The other a red scaled dragon with an orange underside and tangerine colored wings. Both looked around the room they entered, seeing many places to sit, both small and large, hugging the wall on the left and right. Proceeding forward, the red dragon closely followed the slightly larger pink dragoness to the front desk. A light black scaled dragon manned the counter and looked over to the new company approaching him.

"Welcome to the Lakeside Beauty," the dragon recited routinely.

The red dragon said nothing but let his companion do the talking for him. "Me and my friend are looking for jobs. Would you happen to be hiring?"

The black dragon cocked an eye. "Hiring?"

"Looking for help with the inn?"

"Oh . . . of course. Well we are a bit short staffed at the moment. Since the incident several months ago dragons from other towns have been coming to help clean up but have no places to stay for themselves. It was a bit surprising to see business rise but I suppose we could use some help."

"Should me and my friend here speak to your boss?"

"You're speaking to him," the dragon replied nonchalantly. "Originally it was meant to be passed on to someone else but she was never heard from again after the battle Warfang went though. So eventually I stepped up and took over. It hasn't been too difficult to run but wouldn't mind the extra help."

"That's great," the dragoness happily replied.

"I'll need to know your names of course."

Both pink and red scaled dragons exchanged quick glances. The male nearly panicked before the female turned toward the clerk with a quick answer. "I'm Hyacinth and this is my brother Carmine. We came here to start a new life and leave behind all our troubles."

"You don't say? Well I hope you get what you wish for. You're welcome to stay in one of the rooms during your time here. I might need you two in the morning to man the front desk and take in anyone who needs a home. For a modest fee of course."

Hyacinth showed a smile toward him. "Can't be a business if everything is free."

"And the name is Halite."

As Carmine hung back behind Hyacinth she nodded for both of them. "Sounds good Halite. Me and Carmine could use a rest. Which room should we go to?"

"Room two ten. Enjoy yourself."

Without another word to say both Hyacinth and Carmine made their way upstairs to the right of the counter. Climbing to the appropriate floor the duo walked down the desolate hallway, barely decorated with one or two paintings on the wall. The stone floor could have used some kind of carpeting but both just assumed things were still settling back down from Ismeral's recent threat. At the near end of the hall the duo found the room they were looking for and entered without delay.

Inside wasn't exactly how Hyacinth remembered it, but at least it held more of a charm the barren hallway. A few paintings on the wall, two large beds, and a balcony overlooking the forested area behind the building. In the distance one could make out a lake, but was a bit tough to spot through the snow covered limbs of the tree tops.

"Dibs on window bed."

The red dragon sighed. "Fine with me Myrianda. I just want some sleep," his voice young and vibrant. A moment passed as the red scaled dragon laid himself down on the other bed. He stretched before turning toward Myrianda. "And Carmine?"

"It was all I could come with at short notice. If he knew you were Blaze and I was Myrianda I would have no doubts he would tell his buddies and get us found out. As much as I'd like for some recognition around here we have other priorities."

"You've changed from what I remember."

"Maybe you changed. Ever thought of that?"

Blaze disregarded her comment and simply moved on without revisiting it. "So what's our plan? Live our life in the dragon realm and hope we don't get captured by insane human beings who are after us for some reason?"

"I think they're after us because of what we took from that shrine." Myrianda looked back and reached into her folded wing. Grabbing a stone fragment, she pulled it free and took a moment to closely inspect it. "I wonder what this thing is and why they wanted it so badly. Looks like a rock."

"There was an entire shrine dedicated to it," Blaze began. "Just one of many wonders of this world. Maybe we'll find out later what it is."

Shrugging, Myrianda put the stone fragment on the nightstand in between the two heads of the beds. Plenty of time to find out about that later. As long as she possessed it her only objective was to find out why there was a portal on her world that led back to the dragon realms she thought she left behind forever.

Yawning, Myrianda felt sleepiness begin to overtake her. She didn't realize how tired she actually was until she gave her body a few minutes of rest. Laying down on the opposite bed and closed her eyes in deep thought, wondering if perhaps the others were here as well. She wouldn't mind seeing them all once again.

The Following Morning

Archie's Cabin

Cosmo awoke with a yawn, light beaming through the window and on his face. He sat upwards and rubbed his eyes then looked over at Isis, who still seemed to be sleeping peacefully in an odd crooked position on her couch. She was going to have achy legs when she woke. Turning toward the corner where Orion slept, Cosmo was surprised to see the fox was missing. He always seemed to just disappear and reappear out of thin air recently. It was a bit worrisome, but Cosmo just assumed he was out exploring or something. Probably best to just ask whenever he showed himself again.

Quietly standing to his feet, Cosmo stretched all his limbs in satisfaction. Looking out the window, he was a bit surprised to see there wasn't much snow on the ground. Slowly opening the door to not wake Isis, Cosmo made his way outside onto the cabin's porch. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, the yellow dragon was happy feel a bit of warmth. It seemed as if a warm front hit the area, which was fine with him. It was about time he looked at the dragon realm and not see snow for a bit.

Deciding to stretch his wings, Cosmo took off into the sky. It felt a bit weird at first, but the familiar feeling of being light and in the air took over. He immediately spotted Warfang in the distance, but decided against rushing over as fast as he could. Whenever Spyro and Cynder learned more about the relic fragments he was sure they would return to him.

In the meantime, Everest promised to help him with the elements today. Maybe he would be able to use more than just electricity by the end of the day. Perhaps even his guardian abilities would return to him.

"Actually now that I think about it I haven't even tried to use any of those abilities."

Looking down as he flew, Cosmo spotted a mid-sized boulder he could try his luck on. Landing in the forest, Cosmo pretended to crack his knuckles, then braced himself against the rock. Pushing will all of his might, Cosmo felt an old sensation come over him. Then, just like that, the boulder moved. It didn't move far, but nevertheless it moved.

Cosmo felt as if he just performed a workout. "Well good to know I still got it. Maybe this means my night vision and elemental thievery works as well."

While he couldn't test his element stealing skill his night vision seemed to be working for him as well. He almost instantly regretted trying it out in the middle of the day. Everything turned colorless and really bright for a moment before Cosmo forced his eyes shut. Rubbing them for a moment, everything returned to normal.

Satisfied, Cosmo took to the skies once more. Heading back toward the direction of the cabin, a few thoughts roamed through his head. Nothing would be answered at the moment. Only time would tell.

Arriving at the cabin, Cosmo noticed Everest sitting on the porch and looking out toward the tree line surrounding the cabin. Landing in front of her, Cosmo gave her a comforting smile. "Morning Everest." Everest took notice of Cosmo but said nothing to him. He shrugged and continued. "Well I figured out my abilities seem to be working again."

"Abilities?"

"I can see in the dark really well, use super strength, and steal a dragon's element and use it for a little while."

"I know," Everest simply replied.

"Oh . . . well now all I need to do is re-learn the elements and I'll be good to go. Is Isis still sleeping?"

"I think so. I didn't pay much attention to be honest."

Cosmo could tell something was a bit off with her. She wasn't acting like her usual self. While he wanted to ask what was wrong, he didn't want to bother her for the moment. Deciding to give her some space he replied, "I'll go see if she is."

Walking past Everest, Cosmo entered the cabin to see a sleeping fuzzball on the couch, still sleeping in the same position she was in before he left. The yellow dragon rolled his eyes, but decided to let her sleep. Turning his head toward the corner, Cosmo noticed Orion seemed to be back, but he too was asleep.

"Guess I'll join them."

With nothing else to do for the moment, Cosmo laid back down on the free couch and closed his eyes. He knew he most likely wouldn't fall back asleep, but it would be worth a try.

Meanwhile

True to his word, Ignitus arrived first thing in the morning. When Spyro and Cynder arrived at the Elder Hall's office, the purple dragon's smile was the first thing the Chronicler noticed. Cynder grinned herself at the reunion between the two dragons, but decided to hang back. She took notice of Relic who stood behind his over-sized desk looking through the window.

"It's good to see you again," Ignitus began, giving the purple dragon a small comforting hug. "I trust you've been doing well for yourself?"

Spyro nodded as he pulled away from Ignitus. "Well they were. I'm sure you know the reason."

"Of course, but your spirit hasn't faltered. You want to know about the guardian's relic?"

"We need to know everything," Cynder answered. "What purpose do the fragments hold? Where did these other humans come from? Why do they want the fragments?"

"Right down to it eh?" Ignitus began. "But I believe Star is on his way."

"Here I am!" the dragon called out as he entered the room. Spyro turned toward him to see his scales were yellow this morning with a black underbelly. It looked kind of odd but he had other things on his mind to worry about.

Ignitus bowed his head toward the dragon out of respect, then continued. "The purpose of the fragments. I have records at the library and studied them closely the night prior to this morning. The original spirit guardians had more than one story to their names. Aside from their conflict with Ismeral Nexis, they were also involved with another, much sinister plot. The void."

"The void?" Spyro repeated. "The place where Ismeral Nexis was banished to?"

"The very same. Although I must correct you on one thing. The void isn't what I originally believed it was."

"Isn't it an element?" Relic asked, his full attention toward the older more respected dragon.

"Not exactly," Ignitus answered. "While the void could be summoned in the past, it cannot be anymore."

"So I can't use the void?" Star quickly questioned.

Ignitus shook his head. "No for you see, the void isn't an element, but a being."

Spyro looked towards Cynder, not liking the sound of what he heard. "A being?"

"Where it came from, I am unsure. But I will tell you of what I am sure about. The relic fragments tie into the void. A long time ago the void was growing and becoming a threat. The spirit guardians saw this evil and sealed it away in a forest and surrounded it with powerful pieces of a magical stone, creating a ward. The forest is known today as Velxtra Forest."

"So whatever the void was was sealed in the forest?" Relic asked. "I suppose that was the best place seeing it's maze like structure."

Ignitus continued, "But the forest wasn't always like that. Sealed in the forest with no escape, the void corrupted the area, turning it into the so called enchanted maze many believe it is. The forest was never enchanted."

"So the void is the reason behind the mystery of Velxtra Forest," Spyro replied. "Then that means that the void is still there waiting to escape."

"I'm afraid not," Ignitus corrected. "The energy of the fragments diminished just enough for the void to crack the ward and escape into the world. If you were to go to the forest now, it would be back to the way it was all those years ago."

"It's already escaped?" Relic asked, very concerned at this point.

"It has, but to be precise, it escaped several months ago. Shortly after the disappearance of the reborn guardians the ward was destroyed."

Relic sighed in annoyance. "So that thing has been free longer than we thought?"

"So that's the reason Cosmo is back," Spyro mindlessly said.

Relic grew surprised while Star just showed a smile. "He's back? Are the other guardians with him?"

"Only Isis," Cynder answered.

Ignitus however looked a bit troubled. "Odd," he began.

Spyro immediately noticed the Chronicler's puzzled look. "What is it?"

"The guardians never called them," Ignitus explained. "Unless the books are incorrect, but that has never happened."

"Cosmo told us they went through a strange portal from his realm," Spyro answered.

"Portal? But I haven't read anything like that in the library . . . unless . . . ."

"Unless what?"

Ignitus was quiet for a good while. Spyro and Cynder exchanged confused glances, Star stroked his chin in thought, and Relic lean over on his desk in anticipation. Ignitus looked back down toward Spyro. "Either this was an event that wasn't meant to be recorded or something else was responsible for the arrival of Cosmo and Isis. The spirit guardians had no part in this."

"So you're saying something wanted them here?"

"I must head back to the library immediately," Ignitus announced. "This news troubles me and I need to see if anything new has been recorded in the books about this matter. I will be back as soon as I can with hopefully an explanation of what has happened."

"Oh and one more thing," Cynder began. "Cosmo asked to keep his presence a secret from everyone."

"It will be done," Ignitus replied nonchalantly.

"You have my word," Relic added.

Then all eyes turned back toward Star, who was using his back leg to scratch the side of his head like a cat. "What?"

"You say nothing about Cosmo to anyone ever," Spyro stated.

"Don't worry!" Star happily assured. "I'll be as quiet as a . . . a thing!"

While it wasn't very reassuring, Spyro and Cynder was just going to have to trust him. Ignitus they could trust with their lives, Relic . . . probably not their lives but still they trusted him. Star on the other hand was mostly a hyperactive dragon who was normally seen shouting simple sentences at dragons two feet in front of him. He was going to be the one they would have to keep an eye on.

While it was good having Cosmo and Isis back with them, Spyro knew it wasn't the best of news in the end. If Ignitus was right and the spirit guardians weren't actually responsible for bringing those two into the dragon realms again, then what was?