"These doors were built as an exit for our city, not for going back in. They have to be opened from the inside," Mason explained, staring up at the doors.

"Spyro, Cynder, Crystal. We will assemble the troops at the main gates. We're counting on you to get them open," Terrador said. I nodded.

"But you must hurry. Time is against us," Ignitus said.

~~...~~

"So what do you suppose we do with these things?" I asked, peering at the odd dragon statues.

"I don't know. Let's look around," Spyro replied.

We took to the air, heading for another piece of land. The ruins of Warfang were... well, ruined. Vast gaps existed between floors and no trace of buildings seemed to be left. I wondered vaguely how the land formed over what once must have been the first Warfang. And what happened to make it nothing more than ruins. It seemed that everybody just pretended that there was never anything down here and they just rebuilt on the surface as if nothing had ever happened.

Or perhaps it was something different. Like a secret place that nobody was supposed to know about.

"Spyro, Crystal, look at this..." Cynder's hushed tone drew my attention and I looked where she looked. It was some sort of picture or mural, on it, a purple dragon, two other dragons, a mole, and a cheetah.

"Whoa! Is that supposed to be one of you?" Sparx asked bluntly. "They're all worshipping you!"

"That isn't me or Crystal. It's Malefor," Spyro said solemnly. "Look at this place. The ancestors must have trained him here once."

"They had such high hopes," I interjected sadly, gazing at the ceiling.

After a thorough looking-through of the area and finding nothing, we headed back over to the statues.

"I don't get it. How do we open these things?" I asked, going up and gazing into one of the statue's eyes as if staring it down would make it open.

"I don't know. Maybe if we—" That's when it caught my eye. There was an inscription on the base. "Av latta shanta anyammis, Mafre," I read.

"What?" Spyro asked, staring at me as if I had grown a second head.

"That's what it says. But I can barely read it. All I can make out is 'light come frost'."

"That doesn't make very much sense," Spyro said.

"Let me read that," Cynder said. I stepped aside.

"It says, 'From light comes life', then it says 'Frost.'"

"What do the others say?" I asked.

Cynder read them all. They said:

Av mora, Belle agea (Of wood, Thunderous wisdom)

Mala Kynd, Goria varla va cey (High sky, Obscured stars in shadow)

Nagaia Pellan (Deathly outsider)

Along with above, one read 'Racuvar', which meant 'Cast down', but the rest was scratched out.

"But what is all this supposed to mean?" Spyro asked, when Cynder was done.

"I think it's a puzzle. You see, it's intended for either many dragons—or a dragon who can breathe many elements. The first puzzle must mean fire and frost must be breathed on it in a certain order and within a short time," Cynder said. Spyro and I exchanged glances and both breathed the respective elements onto the statue. Sure enough, its eyes lit up in a manner that reminded me of me and Spyro's first trek through the temple.

"Alright. 'Obscured stars in shadow' most likely means shadow, but what about 'high sky'?" I asked.

"Well, it might mean either electricity or wind. And 'Thunderous wisdom' is most likely electricity, so it must be wind," Spyro offered.

Cynder breathed first shadow then wind on the statue. Its eyes lit up. After that, 'Of wood' and 'Thunderous wisdom' were obvious as earth and electricity, so Spyro and I breathed that element onto the statue.

"Now, we just have to figure out what 'Deathly outsider' and 'Cast down' means..." I said, rather confused. "Of course it would be poison and fear, but which one is which? They both come from the outside. And cast down what?"

We pondered for a minute.

"Maybe," said Spyro, "poison is the deathly outsider? Since it works its way in from the outside?"

Cynder breathed poison then fear onto the dragon and sure enough its eyes lit up.

I gave a sigh of both relief and restlessness when the gates opened and all of the Guardians, along with a few other dragons, cheetahs, and moles walked through.

"Oh joy. Another long walk," I muttered to myself, falling back beside Spyro and Ignitus. I didn't really say it to mean anything, though. I didn't feel the sarcasm at all.

I was left to my thoughts as we trodded along. The whole of the small army was mostly hushed and silent, and I sensed uneasiness. I was uneasy myself. About... everything. I glanced at Spyro and he glanced back. We were both thinking the same thing.

"We are getting closer..." Ignitus' murmur drew me out of my thoughts. I glanced at him, then back to Spyro again. "I know what you are thinking, Spyro and Crystal. Have no worry, young dragons. We'll make it," Ignitus said after a moment.

I was filled with dread then. I wasn't sure if we would make it. And even if they made it, would Spyro and I? What if the same thing happened to us that happened to Malefor?

"But unlike you, I have not forgotten what they said Malefor was like when he was young..."

What Chief Prowlus was implying here could go either way. Did he mean when Malefor was a young adult, when he was evil? Or was he implying that Malefor had once been like me, like Spyro... But then the thirst for power consumed him.

"I don't understand... Malefor is about to destroy everything. But you seem so calm," Spyro said. I noted this fact. He was calm and it seemed strange to be, especially since there was next to no hope.

"I don't imagine Malefor would expend all this effort if he did not feel threatened," Ignitus replied.

"But why should he?" Spyro asked. I still remained silent.

"Throughout our history there has only been known to have been three purple dragons. Like Malefor, your powers go far beyond what you might imagine. He knows this. Malefor could have accomplished anything, but instead he chose evil and the world has been spiraling into chaos ever since. Your existence is nature's way of balancing itself."

"The ancestors thought Malefor was going to be different. They believed in him. And look what happened."

"Malefor draws his powers from destruction. Destruction is the only way he knows, Spyro."

"Why should I be any different?"

"What if the same thing happens to us?" I asked, finally speaking.

"Because I know you. And your heart would not allow it. Because I believe you are destined for great things, to bring about a new age... an age of peace... And I do not see what role destruction will have in that age," Ignitus said. I felt reassured. Maybe Ignitus was right.

Finally, we came into the light of the day, onto a small cliff that the others spread out upon in a fan-like formation. Below us was a gorge-like canyon filled with trickling water, and to right was a dam with the statue of a dragon on the top. Across the gorge was a forest. The most notable feature, though, was the Destroyer in the distance.

"Here we are," Ignitus said.

I gazed out over the forest. Far away, the Destroyer did not look like too much of a threat, and Sparx seemed to notice this.

"Whoa... gotcha! Errr... gotcha gotcha! P-taaw... Take that! Squishy squishy!" Sparx was flicking the air where the Destoyer would be from his point of view.

"Oh, keep it up, Sparx. I think it's working," Cynder said sarcastically. I was snickering before but Cynder's comment almost made me go into a fit of laughter.

"Sparx, cut it out. Now's not the time," Spyro said.

"You're no fun," I grumbled.

"It's never a good time," Sparx said, crossing his arms.

The Destroyer was moving fast. "How long until it crosses the belt of fire?" Terrador asked.

"We might have until midday... maybe less at that speed," Ignitus replied.

Cynder suddenly got a strange look on her face. "Spyro... how deep do you think that canyon is?" she asked.

"I don't know... What are you getting at?" Spyro asked.

We both realized at the same time what, exactly, she was getting at. We shot a bewildered glance at the dam behind where Sparx was hovering.

Sparx blinked a few times then looked at us. "What? What are you looking at? Do I have something... something on my teeth?" he asked. When we didn't reply he glanced behind him.

"Cynder, you're a genius!" Spyro and I exclaimed at the same time.

"I have my moments," Cynder replied with a smile.

"Ignitus, can you stall it long enough to allow us to open the flood gates? If we fill up the canyon with water, it may slow it down enough to give us a fighting chance!" Spyro said quickly, excited. The dark clouds had slightly parted. There was a ray of hope.

"That may work..." Terrador said.

Ignitus nodded and spoke loudly, addressing the small war party. "Listen to me! We must prevent that monster from escaping the canyon no matter the cost! Every moment counts!"

"You heard the dragon! Let's move!" Terrador exclaimed, leading the non-fliers down a natural rock-ramp.

"We will do all we can to give you time. The rest is up to you," Ignitus said to us.

"'The rest is up to you.'. Pfft. No pressure or anything," Sparx said, rolling his eyes.

"Sparx, do you really need to—" I was interrupted by nearly being dragged off the cliff by Spyro and Cynder, who had flown off. "Wait for me!" I yelled, flapping after.

"Let's hope this is enough..." Ignitus said to himself.