Chapter 24: The Discovery
...
It was dark in the throne room of the Necromancer's castle within Necropolis. Like always, the sky outside the windows were pitch black with red lightning in the distance.
In the throne room itself, humanoid skeletons with glowing blue eye sockets stood guard in various places of the room the Nigromantii himself was sitting upon his throne. He was holding a crystal ball and looked into i with his glowing green eye sockets. He could see what looked like a bearded human and a reptile man fighting side by side in a futuristic city. The two creatures were using guns to shoot at an unseen enemy and the Necromancer watched with great interest.
Nigromantii growled in obvious frustration when there was a flash of light in front of him and he looked away from his prized crystal ball to see Persephone standing a few feet away from him.
"Make this quick. I have much to do." the Necromacer stated with a calm tone of voice as his crystal ball evaporated in a sickly green mist. "I'm sure you have things to do as well." he added.
"Yes, I do. I'm her to make you an offer." Persephone replied with a straight face.
"Hm... I'm intrigued. What do you have to offer?" Nigromantii questioned as he rested one of his four skeletal hands on his lower jaw.
"I'm going to be straight with you. I know that you have Malefor's soul in your possession and I want him. I'm willing to give you three powerful souls for his." the Forsworn leader informed him.
"And what souls are these?" the Necromancer asked, obviously very interested in what she had to say.
"I am willing to give you the souls of the Treacherous, the Traitor, and the Deranged in exchange for Malefor's souls." Persephone answered as she held up her left forepaw and three glowing blue spheres appeared in the air.
The hooded deity stared at the three souls with his glowing green eye sockets for awhile, not even uttering a word. After a long moment of dead silence, he finally spoke up.
"Very well, Persephone. I agree with your terms. Just know that you're responsible for Malefor and whatever actions he takes." Nigromantii informed her as he finally lowered his hand from his jaw.
"He won't be able to do anything without my permission. I assure you that." Persephone replied with a smirk as she watched the three orbs of blue light disappear in flashes of sickly green light.
The Necromancer very slowly held out his bony hand and an orb of deep violet light appeared just above his pawn.
"Malefor is all yours." he stated, sounding pleased with the trade.
"Thank you, Nigromantii. It's been a pleasure doing business with you." the dark dragoness replied as the purple orb floated over to her side.
Immediately after she said that, both Persephone and the purple orb teleported away in a flash of bright light. Once she was gone, the crystal ball reappeared in Nigromantii's grasp and he looked into it again.
...
For Hera, it was good to be back in Warfang. After a week away from Warfang, she just felt glad to be back at the city she called home…and overjoyed to be off of the ship.
But what made her even happier, was the fact that she wouldn't be returning to her old home alone.
As Hera walked through the streets of Warfang's residential district, Dusk laid on her adopted mother's back as Hera walked them to their new home. Hera hadn't explained much about what Dusk's new home would be like, but Hera explained that it would be better than what Dusk's brother gave her. As the two neared the house…Dusk looked up to see a beautiful two story home with the Fire Dragon insignia on the main door.
Hera stopped and looked at her adopted daughter with a smile.
"Welcome home, Sweetie." Hera said softly to Dusk.
Dusk smiled happily as Hera pushed the door open, and the two entered the house.
The entrance hall of the house was small with a stone floor. There was a stair case which divided into two directions. As Hera walked through the door she soon called out.
"Keyna! It's Hera!" Hera called out, her voice echoing through the hall.
Dusk looked up at the ceiling, seeing the golden chandelier up above with several lit candles. But soon Dusk heard movement coming from the stairs, Dusk looked up only to see a grey blur come straight down from the stairs and make it's way in front of the two. Suddenly, the blur stopped, and now saw a twenty year old wind dragoness standing in front of the two. The dragoness had an excited expression and kind light grey eyes, her horns were blue along with the end of her tails and wing membranes.
The dragoness rushed forward and wrapped one paw around Hera's neck.
"Oh Hera!" The Dragoness said excitedly. "It is so good to see you!"
Hera smiled as she hugged the Dragoness back. Dusk then noticed the Dragoness open her eyes and look at Dusk. Suddenly, the Dragoness' eyes widened in excitement as she broke the hug.
"Oh my…oh Goddess…" The Dragoness said as she looked at Hera with excitement. "You brought home…"
Hera nodded, smiling.
The Dragoness almost cheered. "Oh I'm so happy for you Hera! Oh this is so exciting!" The Dragoness said. "You always wanted a child…I'm so happy you're able to adopt one."
Hera nodded as she looked at Dusk.
"This is Dusk." Hera introduced her adopted daughter. "Sweetie, this is Keyna, my maid."
"Hi…" Dusk said shyly.
"Oh she is so adorable." Keyna said as she smiled softly at the young dragonling who hid behind her mother's neck.
Hera whispered to Keyna about Dusk's abuse, and how Dusk was still getting used to strangers. Keyna nodded, appalled at the abuse the dragonling suffered.
"Oh my goodness…the poor dear." Keyna said. "I promise Hera, I will do what I can to help the poor dear."
Hera smiled as she slowly kneeled so Dusk could slowly climb off of Hera. When Dusk was on the ground, she looked up at her mother.
"Sweetie," Hera said. "Keyna will show you around the house…if you need me, I will be in my room unpacking, it is up the stairs, to the right…the very first door on your right…do not be afraid to come and talk to me if you need me."
Dusk nodded. Hera smiled and slowly made her way up the staircase.
Keyna smiled at the young dragonling and began to give Dusk the tour of her new home.
….
At first, Dusk wasn't so sure about Keyna. But after the tour of the house, Keyna made the young dragonling breakfast, and kept her distance from the young dragonling, understanding that Dusk didn't fully trust Keyna yet due to the abuse the dragonling suffered. But after fifteen minutes, Dusk began to like Keyna. Due to Keyna's respect of Dusk's space and helping the dragonling get accustomed to the house and how Keyna's personality made Dusk smile and laugh, Dusk fully trusted the maid.
The last part of the tour of the house led to Dusk's bedroom, which was originally meant for when Hera gave birth, but upon learning that she was Sterile, Keyna kept the room clean and furnished in case Hera ever adopted a child.
Dusk loved the room, it was open and wasn't cramped like the rooms her brother put her in…and the bed…Dusk enjoyed the softness of her new bed and practically plopped down onto the bed, and almost fell asleep instantly. Upon seeing how tired the young Dragonling was, Keyna let the Dragonling rest, but before she left, she told Dusk to call her if she needed anything.
Dusk slept for nearly five hours, thoroughly enjoying a nice long nap, something she never got to enjoy in Lumimyrsky.
When Dusk woke up, it was already noon. Dusk continued to explore the house after her rest. But as she made her way into the living room of the house…Dusk stopped when she looked up at a painting which was above the fire place. Dusk tilted her head in curiosity when she examined the painting.
The painting was of two dragons, one was of Hera, although she appeared to be twenty in the painting and had her glasses removed. She laid on the ground, smiling. She wore a Poison Dragoness' traditional marriage gown, which was light green with an Emerald Necklace. Sitting next to Hera was a slightly older Fire Dragon who seemed to have a hard expression, but his eyes looked at Hera with absolute love and adoration for the Dragoness. He wore traditional gold and ruby red Fire Dragon armor and the painting showed Hera leaning her head against the Dragon's neck, her eyes closed, her lips curved into a loving smile.
Dusk slowly approached the painting.
"Momma!" Dusk called out from the room.
Upon calling Hera, Dusk heard footsteps coming from the upper floor. A minute later, Hera walked in. Hera looked at her adopted daughter with concern.
"Sweetie…is there something wrong?" Hera asked, concerned.
Dusk shook her head, but then pointed at the painting.
"Who's that with you?" Dusk asked.
Hera looked up at the painting that Dusk was pointing to…but slowly froze upon looking at the painting…Slowly, Hera removed her glasses, and wiped her eye lids softly, wiping away a trace of tears.
"His name…was Matthew." Hera answered softly as she sat down on a couch, patting the side, inviting her daughter to sit next to her. Dusk sat next to her mother, who wrapped a paw around Dusk and hugged her close as the two looked up at the painting. "He…would've been your daddy."
Dusk looked up at Hera…who was on the verge of tears.
"He was a brave warrior…" Hera began. "He cared for each of his men like they were his brothers and sisters…He was also my loving husband…we were only married for one year…until…until…"
Hera paused, the tears overwhelming her. Dusk slowly rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Hera smiled softly as she kissed Dusk on the forehead.
"I wish he was here…" Hera whispered to Dusk. "Oh…how much he and I talked about being parents…if he was still alive, and he helped me rescue you…he would've beaten your brother to the point your brother could only drink for food…if he saw what he did to you…"
The two were silent, the two looking up at the painting of Hera and Dusk. Slowly, Hera sniffed and stood up, Dusk following her.
"Would you like to come to the temple with me?" Hera asked Dusk, changing the subject. Dusk nodded, excitedly.
"Yes please!" She said.
"Alright…" Hera said as she kneeled for Dusk to climb up on Hera's back. "Let's go then."
…..
Spyro and Cynder stood before the Guardians and The Prophet. Spyro explained his group's journey into the Forgotten City, acquiring the Scroll and giving it to Janus after learning of it's power. When Spyro finished his explanation, he made no mention of the Banshees that he and the others fought...deciding to leave that information out for the time being.
Cynder continued with her group's adventure to Lumimyrsky, meeting Gelu, her battle with Oculos and everyone meeting Ventus and Aqua.
After the explanations, Cecil nodded and spoke.
"As for the scroll…it will be in good hands with one of the Dragon-Gods." Cecil explained. "It anyone was to use the scroll for their personal gain…then it would only bring ruin.
"As for your adventure in Lumimyrsky, Cynder, it was reckless that you entered the City without first consulting us." Cecil began. "But I understand your concern for Hera…and for that I thank you that you were able to rescue her and Dusk."
"Who would've thought?" Pyra began. "Lumimyrsky has always been a breeding ground for Corruption since the death of Queen Gelu's father…but to think the Forsworn could control the city's Criminal Underground…"
"Indeed," Cyril continued. "It explains why there have been many innocents being put on trials for crimes they never committed…but it is good to know that Queen Gelu is doing something about that."
"But one thing that is unnerving," This time Rikku, the Stone Guardian, said. "If Persephone has taken up residence in the city…" She looked to Cecil. "Why hasn't she taken direct control of the throne?"
Cecil closed his eyes, slowly his white scales glowed softly.
"I'm not sure…not even my power to see into the future…can tell me why Persephone is so interested in the city…" Cecil said calmly. His eyes opened. "But right now…we still do not understand what artifact she is looking for…whatever this "Key" is…is not in the Temple's Archives…"
"What about Warfang's library?" Cynder asked. "It's big enough to store a lot of Warfang's history…what if we went to the library to see if there is anything inside regarding ancient artifacts connected to The Goddess?"
The Guardians looked at one another, each one nodded. Typhoon spoke up.
"You have a point, Cynder." Typhoon said. "I suggest you and Spyro and some of your friends look through the library…the Librarian, Minerva, a dear friend of Hera, maybe able to point you in the right direction."
"And perhaps the Temple of Spectra here in Warfang," Skyress suggested. "The Priests have much knowledge on The Goddess…and to become one of the Priests you have to go through constant knowledge of the artifacts in order to even be accepted as one of their own…"
Cecil nodded in agreement.
"Spyro, Cynder…with how much Persephone has been active…we can only guess what she is planning…work with haste." Cecil said.
Spyro and Cynder nodded, and slowly left the Council Chamber. When the two left, the Guardians and Cecil began to speak amongst themselves. But their discussion was ended by the arrival of one of Cecil's Sentinels.
"Lord Cecil…" The Sentinel, a Water Dragon, said while bowing his head. "You have a…visitor…one of The Gargoyles who came to discuss your agreement with them…he insists to speak with you personally…"
Cecil looked in the Sentinels general direction.
"Thank you…what is his name?" Cecil asked, curiously.
"It's The Eraser himself…" The Sentinel answered.
The Guardians all looked at one another, concerned and shocked. The Blind dragon chuckled softly.
"Irvikuva…" Cecil said, smiling. Cecil looked at the other guardians. "If it is alright…I would like to speak to him alone…it's been so long since I've seen my friend and mentor…"
The Guardians nodded, albeit reluctantly, but were aware of the blind dragon's friendship with the Eraser himself…something their grandparents and parents had told them. Slowly, each Guardian left the chamber until Cecil was alone. When The Sentinel stepped out of the room. Cecil stood up from his chair, and approached the end of the table close to the door. Soon, Cecil heard the sound of footsteps approaching…and sensed a familiar aura…one with strength, wisdom…and a kindness that Cecil remembered clearly.
Cecil looked up at the general direction of the figure that stood before him.
Cecil soon smiled kindly up at the figure.
"Irvikuva…" Cecil said in the Gargoyle language, smiling happily. "It's good to see you again…"
...
"It is a pleasure to see you as well, Cecil." the Eraser greeted back with the most friendly tone his scratchy voice could do.
"How have you and your village been?" the blind dragon questioned politely.
"Ah, we have been fine. You know how we operate. Even under the worse circumstances, we still press on and survive." Irvikuva answered before he grabbed a nearby chair, dragged it over, and sat down.
The dragon chuckled from this. He knew all too well that the Gargoyles could survive just about any situation.
"Your people never cease to amaze me..." he commented, mostly to himself.
"How so? The fact that my people can survive almost anything fate throws at us... or that us Gargoyles are more attractive than dragons...?" the Eraser questioned with a light smirk.
"Oh how I missed your humor." the blind dragon chuckled as he shook his head.
They both laughed lightly at this with amused expressions. They both only seemed to lighten up like this when they were around each other. Few people got a chance to witness the Prophet joking around like this and even fewer saw the Eraser do the same.
"My friend, I could joke with you all day if I could... but I came here for... political reasons." Irvikuva stated regrettably as he leaned back in his seat.
"I understand. You wish to discuss your people's rights?" Cecil guessed accurately.
"Yes. Were you able to meet our request?" the Gargoyle questioned with a straight face.
"You will be pleased to know that the council is willing to listen to your opinions on various important subjects, but you still don't have an official place in the council." the blind dragon answered calmly
"That's fine... we just want our voices to be heard. Many of us Gargoyles are tired if being seen as monsters for the world to fear." Irvikuva stated as he looked down a little.
"I know, I'll never understand why people see you and the rest of the Gargoyles that way. You're people are wonderful with an amazing culture. You don't deserve the treatment you get from others." Cecil stated, expressing his strong opinions.
"I appreciate you saying that... truly I do. Cecil... if you ever... need help or protection... I will be there to fight by your side. I will help you and those young dragon friends of yours." the Eraser spoke with a sincere voice.
"Thank you, Irvikuva. That means a lot to me..." the Prophet replied with a smile.
"You're quite welcome. Now... I need to return to my village, my friend." the Gargoyle said as he slowly stood up and his bat wings shifted a little behind his back.
"I and thank you again... my friend." Cecil said his farewell with slight sadness in his voice, not wanting his friend to leave.
"Don't worry... I have a feeling in my gut that we'll speak again soon. Farewell." the Eraser replied with a respectful bow of his head before he slowly walked out of the meeting room.
The Prophet listened to the Gargoyle's footsteps grow more and more faint until he couldn't hear them at all anymore. He was sad that his best friend had to leave, but he understood why. They both had important things to do.
Cecil sighed lightly as his head tilted upwards a little. He couldn't help, but remember the first time he actually met Irvikuva... the infamous Eraser.
...
Within the dragon temple in Warfang, a five year old Cecil could be seen slowly wandering down the halls. He could hear voices coming from a nearby room and he wanted to investigate. He got closer and closer to the voices, but he yelped when he walked right into a closed door. He ended up falling down on his rump and he rubbed his nose, frustrated and obviously not used to his blindness.
The talking had stopped and after a few short moments, the door opened. Emera was standing at the doorway and she was looking down at Cecil. The blind dragon could sense her aura and he slowly stood up.
"Oh Cecil... still trying to get used to being blind?" the Dragon-Goddess asked softly as she watched the five year old stand up.
"Yeah... I don't like not being able to see." Cecil complained, sounding very upset.
"I know, but you will get used to it; I promise." she replied with a heavy sigh. "Look, how about you come in here with me. There's someone I want you to meet." she told him with a soft smile.
The blind dragon became a little nervous when she mentioned meeting someone new, but he followed the powerful dragoness into the room anyway. She shut the door behind them and he immediately sensed a third person's aura. This new aura felt very aged, wise, and strong.
"I would like to introduce you to Irvikuva, the leading elder of the Gargoyles. Of course, you have probably heard of him as the Eraser. Irvikuva, this is Cecil, Spectra's new Prophet." Emera introduced with a mind smile.
"Hello..." Cecil greeted shyly, amazed that he was in the presence of such a powerful Gargoyle.
Irvikuva simply nodded in response, but he quickly remembered that Spectra's Prophets were blind.
"Greetings child." he stated with his very scratchy and deep voice.
"Well, I hope you two don't mind, but I need to leave. I'm going to speak with the Guardians about me and Irvikuva's negotiations." Emera informed them before she turned to leave.
"What kind of negotiations?" Cecil couldn't help, but ask.
"Oh, we've just been talking about allowing the Atlawa, Apes, and Forest Dragons to live in parts of Tall Plains." the Dragon-Goddess answered as she walked over to the door and opened it.
Emera looked over her shoulder and smiled at them before she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. There was an awkward silence after she left and neither Cecil nor the Eraser knew what to say. Not really feeling like talking with someone who was such a big part of Spectra's whole vibe, Irvikuva walked over to the door, opened it, and walked out.
The Gargoyle began to walk down the hall to leave, but he stopped when he heard the sound of claws clicking against snow. Once he stopped, he felt someone bump into him and heard that person fall to the ground. He mentally groaned as he turned around to see Cecil was sitting on the floor and rubbing his now sore nose.
"You're following me." Irvikuva said more as a statement than a question.
"I have no where else to go right now." the blind dragon replied as he looked up in the Gargoyle's general direction. "I wanted to ask you some questions." he added a little excitedly.
"Shouldn't you be worshiping Nigawes right now?" the Eraser grumbled irritably.
"Who's Nigawes?" Cecil couldn't help, but ask, letting his curiosity ge the better of him.
"That's what us Gargoyles call Spectra." Irvikuva answered as he watched the child slowly stand up.
He then immediately turned around and started walking, but he noticed that Cecil was walking by his side. He figured that he wouldn't be able to convince the child to leave him alone without antagonizing himself, so he allowed the dragonling to follow him. Cecil asked him various questions about the Gargoyles, which the Eraser answered every question truthfully. He was annoyed by the questions at first, but slowly started to ease up when he realized that the child actually had an interest in his people. The conversation gradually shifted from the Gargoyles to Cecil's past and and family.
"My parents told me that when I was two years old, I got very sick. My parents knew that the disease I had would kill me, so they took me to a Gargoyle woman and she was able to heal me." the blind dragon explained with a smile at the end.
"Really? Interesting... Our venom possesses properties that can cure diseases and heal minor injuries." Irvikuva replied as they walked out the back exit of the temple.
"That's incredible." Cecil thought aloud as his smile widened.
They both stopped walking after a bit and the Gargoyle looked up at the partly cloudy sky.
"I need to return to village. It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Cecil." the Eraser commented as he slowly looked down at the dragonling.
"Oh... okay..." the blind dragon replied with a sad tone of voice, not wanting his new friend to leave.
"Do not be saddened. We will speak again. I have a feeling that we will speak to one another more than once." the Gargoyle comforted as he took a step away from the young dragon. "I promise that we'll speak again." he added.
Immediately after he said that, Irvikuva spread open his bat-like wings and flew off. Cecil felt the Eraser's aura fade away and he smiled lightly. He was already looking forward to their next meeting.
...
Cynder, Hera, Dusk, Spes and Soturi slowly made their way to the Warfang Library located not far from the Temple. As they made their way to the Library, Hera explained to the others about her friend Minerva, the Librarian of the Warfang Library.
"Minerva is an energetic Dragoness." Hera explained as Dusk rested on Hera's back. "She served as an information gatherer in the Imperial Army during the war against Gaul and eventually Malefor's grublin army. Although she is talkative, she has a strong photographic memory, which is how she is able to memorize almost every book in Warfang's library."
"You mentioned she was talkative?" Cynder asked. "If she's a librarian…shouldn't she be…I don't know…quiet?"
Hera chuckled softly.
"Cynder, Minerva owns the Library." Hera explained. "Her family built it…if anyone is allowed to make rules or to talk, that would be her…she also has a nasty habit of saying…a certain word that I will not repeat with my daughter present."
Luckily, Dusk was already napping while on her mother's back, so she hadn't heard what the four were talking about…however, Hera didn't want to take chances.
Soon, the group approached the Warfang library, a two story building that was built one hundred years ago by Minerva's ancestors. The group slowly stepped through the doors and entered an marble floored room, which in front of the group was a desk, which is where the Librarian would sit…but the seat was empty.
Cynder looked passed the desk, and noticed that there were two dragons, about her age, organizing books. One dragon was a red fire dragon…he almost looked like Spyro, someone could've guessed that he may even be Spyro's brother or cousin. The other dragon was a pink dragoness. The two looked to be suffering from sheer boredom as they organized the books.
"Those are Minerva's assistants," Hera whispered to the others. "The red dragon is Flame, the pink dragoness is Ember. They work here daily."
"So…" Spes whispered. "Where's your friend?"
Before Hera could speak, the sound of laughter could be heard up on the second floor. The group looked towards one staircase to see a light blue water dragoness cheerfully slide down the wooden railing of the staircase, laughing as she reached the floor, flew up into the air, and performed two flips before landing on the table Ember sat at, then backflipped and landed a few feet away from where Flame and Ember were sitting at. The two dragons rolled their eyes briefly…seemingly knowing what was going on.
"GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS EVERYONE! GUESS! GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS!" The water dragoness cheered.
The two dragons groaned softly.
The Water dragoness suddenly appeared in front of Ember, grinning.
"Ember! Ember! Ember! Ember! EMBER! Hey Ember! Guess what day it is!" Minerva said to Ember, who struggled to stay focused on her task.
Minerva shrugged and turned to Flame, and grinned.
"Flame! FFFFFFLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMEEEEEEE! Come on you know what I'm gonna say! You know what day it is!" Minerva said grinning.
Flame sighed, and muttered.
"It's Bitch-Day…" Flame muttered.
Suddenly, Minerva let out a howler of laughter upon hearing Flame say that. She walked up to a table and proceeded to slam her fist on it, laughing until tears began to roll out of her eyes.
"OH!" Minerva said cheerfully. "That is always so funny!"
Minerva turned to the two dragons and smiled kindly, calming down.
"Alright you two," Minerva said, taking out to small pieces of candy. "Here you go, like always, you two are amazing assistants."
The two dragons smiled happily as they took the free candies and proceeded to eat them before going back to working happily.
Minerva smiled and turned to the new arrivals. She was about to greet them, but stopped when she saw Hera. Minerva's eyes widened in joy.
"Oh Ancestors…" Minerva whispered happily, she then rushed forward and wrapped a paw around Hera's neck in a hug; Hera smiled and hugged her best friend. "OH! HERA! It's been so long! What's up my bitch!"
Hera sighed and looked at Minerva.
"It's good to see you two Minerva…but may you please not use that word…not while you're in front of my daughter." Hera said.
"Daughter?" Minerva asked, but suddenly noticed the now waking dragonling on Hera's back. Minerva placed one paw over her lips. "Oh my…You…you adopted a child?" Minerva grinned. "Oh I'm so happy for you…and as for the swear jar…" Minerva scratched her chin and grinned. "Normally I don't do it for anyone…but you're the exception."
Hera smiled and nodded gratefully.
Minerva turned to Cynder and the others, Minerva's eyes landed on Cynder. Slowly, the water dragoness bowed.
"An honor to meet you, Cynder." Minerva said respectfully. "You make me feel honored that you would like to use my family's library. Now," Minerva paused. "How may I help you?"
Cynder and the others proceeded to explain about what has been happening the past three weeks. About how Persephone has been searching for an ancient artifact, which she calls "The Key" and how their friends have split up to find out more about the artifact, since no information is located in the Temple Archives.
Minerva nodded softly.
"Hmm…The Key…" Minerva muttered. "I don't recall anything about a Key…but there maybe something similar." Minerva motioned to the others to follow her.
As the group followed the Librarian to one bookshelf, Cynder noticed Ember and Flame walk up from behind them, and seemed to be ready for something. Slowly, Minerva climbed up the ladder and up to one of the higher shelves and proceeded to grab a book.
"Hmm…" Minerva looked at the book. "History of Ice Dragons…no…" Minerva said throwing the book down, which Flame quickly caught. Minerva proceeded to grab another book. "Tragedy of King Pegasus…Of course not!" Minerva then threw the book down, which Ember caught.
For the next few minutes, Cynder and the others watched as Minerva went through the entire shelf, throwing books out of her way that weren't what she wanted, which Ember and Flame all caught. Eventually, the two dragons were now just barely holding up a stack of about fifty heavy books. Slowly, when Minerva was seemingly finished looking for her book, the two placed the piles down, and took a sigh of relief.
"FOUND IT!" Minerva yelled happily, surprising the two assistants, who accidently bumped into the pile of books, that now wobbled and fell on top of the two fire dragons, completely covering them.
Minerva slid down the ladder and stood in front of Cynder, Hera and the others cheerfully.
"Alright my Bit…" Minerva paused, covering her mouth. "Sorry, I meant…Alright my friends! Let's see if we can find your artifact…" Minerva then looked at the big pile of books on the ground, seemingly unaware of what happened or that Flame and Ember were underneath the pile of books. "Whoa…what a mess…I could've sworn this place was clean…oh well…FLAME! EMBER! Grab a broom when you two get the chance and clean up this place in ten minutes!"
Minerva then motioned the others to follow her as she placed the book in her bag. As the two walked away, Flame and Ember both groaned from underneath the pile in exhaustion from catching all of the books, and slight annoyance.
"Well Ember…" Flame muttered from underneath the pile. "Guess it's time to put these back…"
"Yep…" Ember groaned slightly.
…..
Minerva led the group to a small study, and proceeded to look through the book. Minerva flipped through the pages for a few minutes, until she pointed her claw at a page.
"Ah ha!" She said, grinning. "Found it!"
Cynder walked forward and looked at the page she was pointing to. Minerva glanced at Cynder.
"There is no picture of the Key, BUT, the book does mention it." Minerva explained. "It says that it is an ancient artifact created by The First Guardians of the Empire, approximately five hundred years ago when Empress Emera first formed the Empire. The Key is an artifact connected to the Goddess herself…however, the book doesn't mention what it was meant for…just that it is of great importance and that it must be protected…"
"Does it say where it's at?" Cynder asked. Minerva nodded.
"Yes it does…and you'll be quite surprised." Minerva answered.
"Where is it located?" Cynder asked, confused.
Minerva looked at Cynder, and said. "Here…in Warfang."
…
From atop one of the bookcases, a pitch black owl with crimson eyes looked down at the group as they listened to Minerva talk about The Key…it tilted it's head lightly, and quietly flapped it's wings and flew out of one of the windows, and flew out into the city.
...
In another part of Warfang; Spyro, Mentem, Blaze, and Tula were walking down one of the city streets. They were making their way over to the Church of Spectra to see if they could find any information regarding the Key.
"I really don't want to go to this church." Mentem commented with a frown while his white cloak flapped behind them as they walked.
"I know you don't, bu we're not gonna be there for long. We're just going there to find information." Tula replied with a comforting smile.
"I guess you're right. I still don't like it." the fear dragon mumbled with his head down.
"Hey, leave the preachers to us. You won't even half to talk to them." Blaze assured with a kind tone of voice.
"...Alright." Mentem replied with a slight nod.
With that said, the group of four continued to make their way to the church. After a few minutes of walking down the busy streets, the group located the Church of Spectra. The building looked like any other church with a hell tower, except the doors were bi enough for an adult dragon to go through. The windows also had images of a single dragoness on them, most likely paying homage to the Goddess, Spectra.
The group of four approached the church and the stone door slid open when they were close enough. The four dragons glanced at one another before they walked into the building.
The room they entered was very well lit with scented candles and the dragons' claws tapped against the wooden floor as they walked. There were rows upon rows of benches and seating pillows where people would sit during church. At the other end of the large room, a podium could be seen where the preacher would be.
The group slowly walked down the center isle as they looked around. They all quickly looked over to the podium however when a water dragon with aqua colored scales walked in.
"Have you come to pray?" the water dragon, most likely the priest, questioned as he made his way to the podium and opened a book that was resting on it.
"Um, not exactly. We were wondering if we could look through your archives to find information on an artifact called 'The Key.'" Spyro answered as he led his friends over to the other end of the podium.
The priest finally looked up and was about to say something, but he stopped when he noticed Mentem. He glared at the fear dragon with anger in his blue eyes.
"The rest of you are welcome to search the archives, but I don't want HIM to be in my church. Not after he stole and burned one of my paintings of Spectra." the water dragon replied, honestly trying his best not to shout.
"What? That painting you and the other protesters burned was stolen from the Church of Spectra?" Tula questioned her brother with wide eyes.
"I... Yes we burned a painting if Spectra, but I had know idea it was stolen..." Mentem defended himself as he himself donned a shocked expression.
"Liar. I bet you and the other protesters planned to steal the painting. You're all nothing, but a bunch of spoiled punks." the priest growled with a furious look on his face.
Spyro sighed heavily and looked at his tricorn hat wearing friend. He made sure to look at him right in the eyes.
"Mentem... did you know that the painting was stolen?" the purple hero questioned with a calm tone of voice.
"No, I had no idea." the fear dragon answered honestly with a frown.
"Okay... okay." Spyro replied with a nod of understanding before he looked at the still angry water dragon. "Mentem didn't know that the painting was stolen and I believe him. Either you let my friend stay or me and the others won't ever come back here." he stated sternly.
At first, the priest didn't say a word. There was a very awkward silence as the water dragon simply stared at Mentem. Finally, he broke the silence.
"Fine... he can stay. Follow me to the archives." the water dragon replied with a sigh before he turned around and walked towards a door behind him.
The group looked at one another again, mostly at Mentem, before they followed the priest towards the doors. Something told them that that could've been a lot worse if Spyro didn't stand up for Mentem like he did.
...
As the group made their way through the Temple, Spyro quickly broke the ongoing silence between them and their guide.
"I understand your frustration towards Mentem for burning your painting…but it was just a painting, it can be replaced…but to blame Mentem to the point of not allowing him into the church seems a little bit…drastic…isn't everyone welcome here?" Spyro asked.
The water dragon turned to Spyro as they walked. The Water dragon sighed softly as he spoke up.
"We aren't just angry at your friends for breaking into this place of meditation and worship of The Goddess." The dragon explained. "We are angry that he and his friends hurt someone during their protest. We of the church understand the growing frustration among the populace of Warfang about the Guardian's current policies about how to govern the Empire…and we respect that they have a right to voice their angers. But it does not give them the right to break in, frighten those who want to meditate and reflect in peace, and then hurt somebody during the protest."
"It was an accident." Blaze interjected. "He never meant to hurt Tula…"
Tula nodded in agreement with her crush.
"He would never hurt me." Tula defended her older brother.
"That is true," The priest replied. "But that still doesn't change the fact that he hurt a bystander."
Mentem looked down at the ground briefly.
"But I can tell he truly is sorry for his deeds and that he had never intended to break into the church or hurt someone in the process…" The priest continued. "As a follower of Spectra, one who believes in The Goddess' will, I will not hold it against you, Mentem."
The fear dragon looked up, and nodded.
"I truly am sorry for what some of my friends did...breaking into your church I mean. I'm not a follower of your Goddess, but we were just angry that the Guardians were making decisions based on your religion." Mentem explained.
"I understand." The Water Dragon priest said. "There is a reason why the Church is separate from the Empire's government itself. For centuries many civilizations have tried to make religion the central part of their government…but it will not work. Which is why we refuse to let politicians disgrace our Goddess' name by basing decisions off of her. At least with The Prophet's return…we are seeing improvement in the decision making of the council."
With that, the group continued their walk to the Archives. Upon entering the Archives, the group entered a dimly lit room, with a stain glass window at the head of the room, multi colored rays of light shined through the glass and lit the room. On the walls of the room, were nine statues that circled around the room, one for each Dragon-Goddess. At the center of the room, in front of the stain glass window, was a statue of Spectra…her multi jeweled necklace reflecting the sunlight.
As the group was guided by the Priest towards one of the bookshelves…Spyro noticed two pedestals near the entrance they came in from…but there were no statues. Spyro approached the pedestals, and looked at one of the nameplates on the pedestal to the right.
"Nireen…" Spyro began. "Once the Dragon-Goddess of War and Conquest…but after her tragedy…she has long since left the mortal realms, in grief and sadness…and has never since reconciled with her mother."
Spyro heard the Priest walk up to Spyro.
"Nireen was a fierce defender of her mother." The priest said. "But…her fierceness and her overwhelming love and devotion to her mother was what blinded her…and caused the death of her only daughter. Out of grief…she has not been seen for thousands of years…and still has not returned to her mother for comfort…"
"That's…" Tula said, wiping her eyes softly. "Tragic…"
The priest nodded as he noticed Spyro approach the other pedestal.
"Why doesn't this one have a nameplate?" Spyro asked the priest.
"That…" The priest began. "Was meant to be in honor of Spectra's eleventh born child, a daughter…however…she died of stillbirth…the only one of Spectra's thousands of children to die…"
Spyro nodded…looking at the empty pedestal…it seemed that his Grandmother had suffered much grief…her tenth born child refuses to return to be comforted by her mother…and her eleventh born died of stillbirth…Yet Spectra still performed her duties...Showing her devotion and love for Mortality.
Spyro, Mentem, Tula and Blaze followed the priest as he examined the various scrolls on the shelves. Finally, he picked up a single scroll amongst a pile on a table. The priest placed the scroll on a cleared table, and carefully unraveled the aged old parchment. When the scroll was opened, Spyro and the others did not recognize the words or characters on the scroll. But the priest seemed to know what it read.
"Your Key…" The priest announced to the group, in an expressionless tone. "It is the most important of the various artifacts connected to Spectra in the Dragon Realms…"
He paused, and looked at the four teens.
"It not an ordinary key…" He said, his voice holding nervousness. "It is the Key to the Realm of The Goddess herself!"
….
"You will be fine Electra, I promise." Hera said softly to Electra.
After Hera and the others got back from the Warfang library, Hera immediately got back to her duties, her most important checking in on Electra inside the infirmary. The nurses told her that Electra was still traumatized and still suffered Night Terrors due to the after effects of her experiences in the nightmare world. But Electra was well enough to be kept on her own without anyone worrying about her attempting suicide.
However; she was still kept under constant visits from her family and friends, since Electra was still terrified about being left alone, and seemed to act clingy to her family and friends whenever they visited, not wanting them to leave.
As of now, Hera sat with her teenage friend, asking various questions and informing the Electric Dragoness that Emera would return, and help Electra heal from her experience.
"You're leaving…" Electra said, already knowing that the leader of the Medical corps was preparing to leave.
"I'm sorry Electra." Hera said. "But I have to return home...Dusk is waiting."
"Please don't…leave me alone." Electra whispered…almost terrified.
"I'll have the nurses be with you Electra…" Hera responded, pity evident in her voice towards the younger dragoness.
"But…" Electra said sadly. "I just want someone who I know…around…"
Hera nodded sympathetically. As Hera was about to speak, the door to the infirmary opened up, and in came none other than…
"HELLO ELECTRA!" Janus yelled happily as he walked inside, a grin on his face as he approached one of the only people who laugh at The Dragon-God's jokes.
Electra's eyes widened in happiness and relief upon seeing Janus step inside.
"Sorry I'm late my dear," Janus said as he approached the Dragoness. "Being the Dragon-God of Mischief isn't like being my younger Brother, Ventus, who can go wherever the wind carries him!"
Soon, following close behind Janus, was Mary, who walked up to Electra and grinned.
"Hi!" Mary said happily. "I'm Mary, Daddy's told me a lot about you."
Electra smiled at the Dragon-God of Mischief and his daughter. Janus looked to Hera.
"I'll stay with her Hera, it's the least I can do for her." Janus said happily. Hera nodded, gratefully.
"Thank you, Lord Janus," Hera replied. "Electra has been through so much…having a familiar face around will keep her comfortable."
"I understand," Janus said smiling. "I'll be here as long as she needs me."
Hera nodded, bowed her head, and slowly walked towards the door of the Infirmary, and walked out. When the door shut, Janus snapped his talons, and sitting pillow appeared underneath him and Mary, who both sat down. Janus then snapped his talons again, and in a flash of emerald green flames, a beautiful rose appeared in his paw and handed it to Electra.
Electra blushed softly and took the rose.
"Thank you…Janus." Electra said happily.
Janus nodded softly.
"I am truly sorry for what happened to you my dear," Janus said. "It is only right that I come and visit one of my dear friends."
Electra nodded gratefully. Slowly, Mary stood up and looked to her father.
"Papa," Mary began. "I'll be back, I'm gonna grab something to eat…would you like anything Electra?"
"No thank you…" Electra said with a smile.
Mary nodded and suddenly vanished in a flash of emerald green light. When Mary vanished, Electra looked to Janus.
"I noticed her eyes…they look different…they don't match her scales." Electra commented.
Janus nodded. "Ah…Mary inherited her eye color from her dear mother, my only wife…" Janus paused briefly…for a brief moment, Electra noticed his lip quiver lightly. "She was a beautiful woman..."
Electra nodded…sensing sadness in Janus' tone.
But slowly, Janus grinned.
"You know…I have a few jokes for you." Janus said.
Electra smiled widely, and leaned forward as Janus began to tell his jokes to the recovering Dragoness…for the first time in weeks, Electra had finally laughed.
….
Cecil, Pyra, Cyril, Terrador and Volteer all stood in the Pool of vision's resting chamber…awaiting the arrival of Spyro, Cynder, Spes, Blaze, Tula, Mentem and Soturi. The Guardian Council had just received…a rather important message. Currently, Pyra was the only one who hadn't seen the message, and the message was addressed not only to Spyro, but to Pyra as well…
Spyro, Cynder and their friends arrived as soon as they were finished with their respective investigations…and had given a report to the Guardians before personally meeting with them in the pool of Vision's resting chamber.
Upon arriving, Terrador was the first to speak.
"We read your reports…and we now know the main reason why Persephone seeks the Key…not only is it located in Warfang," Terrador explained. "But it leads to The Goddess' realm…"
"Yeah, we pretty much figured that out." Spes said emotionlessly. "So where in Warfang is this key at?"
The four guardians looked to Cecil, who looked up at Spyro's direction.
"It is located in the Treasury of Spectra, the same place your and Cynder's armors were stored in." Cecil answered.
"Wait…" Spyro said, connecting the dots together and remembering seeing a jewel. "That jewel! That's the Key!"
Cecil nodded.
"It's true name is the Spectra Gate, the only way for the mortals of our world to enter The Goddess' realm…the crystal serves as a "key" to open the gate. But it can only be opened by those with First Dragon blood running through their veins…your blood Spyro." Cecil explained.
"So then Persephone has already failed." Blaze said. "Persephone maybe immortal, but she isn't a child of Spectra…how can she open the gate when she doesn't have the blood of a First Dragon?"
The Prophet and the Guardians were silent…Cynder suddenly figured it out.
"Persephone has no intentions on opening The Spectra Gate, does she?" Cynder asked.
Cecil nodded, and slowly revealed a bluish silver gem in his paw.
"Spyro…this will reveal everything." Cecil answered as he placed the jewel in the center of the pool of Visions.
The gem began to glow a blue light…and an aura that both Spyro and Cynder recognizes…it was the aura of The Chronicler himself. Soon, an image of a dragon appeared above the pool of visions…as the image became clear…Spyro, Cynder and Pyra's eyes widened in shock upon recognizing the dragon…
It was Ignitus himself…alive…as The Chronicler. Spyro starred in shock at the image of his supposed deceased Father figure and mentor…now understanding what Elena had told him and the others…Ignitus never died…he was chosen to become the next Chronicler…
"Spyro," Ignitus said in the wise and experienced voice he always spoke in, that always seemed to calm and inspire anyone no matter the circumstances and brought a sense of peace to those who followed him. "It has been so long…But I am afraid I do not have much time to explain how I survived the flames the last time we saw each other…but I want you to know, I am alive…and how proud I am of you...my greatest student."
Spyro closed his eyes, tears threatening to overtake him…relieved and happy his mentor was alive and well.
"But now…I must deliver my message." Ignitus continued. "I am aware of your journey and your battles with Persephone and her armies. You know what she is after, but you do not know what her goals are. I have discovered them…but after I have told you what you needed to know, you must act quickly.
"Persephone seeks not only the Goddess' death…but also the resurrection of one of The First Gods. In the beginning, before Spectra was born, there existed two deities. One was The Goddess of Life, the other was the God of Death. These two deities would later give birth to Spectra herself. However…The God of Death is a deity that must not be released…if he were to be free…then I will assure you that none of us will live to see what the future holds, which is the reason Spectra sealed away her own father, to allow the races to live without the hands of a deity to decide their fate.
"The Key can serve as not only the entrance to Spectra's Realm, but also a gate that will allow the God of Death to break free. Spyro…you must travel to The Goddess' Realm…seek out The Goddess' oldest son, and The Goddess' Guardian. They will reveal the forbidden past that we mortals were too young to remember."
Ignitus closed his eyes.
"I am sorry Spyro, but I must leave…for the fate of not only our world, but the rest of reality itself…you must prevent Persephone from achieving her goals…farewell…Spyro." Ignitus paused, and then looked in Pyra's direction. "Pyra, my love…"
Pyra looked up at the image of her lover, tears rolling down her eyes and cheeks.
"I'm proud…" Was Ignitus' only words before the image faded.
Pyra looked back at the ground, and smiled softly…happy to know she had made the love of her life proud…and happy to know he was alive and well.
The room was quiet…by now the sun had set. Slowly, Cecil looked up to Spyro and his friends.
"Come with me." Were Cecil's only words.
With no questions, everyone followed him out of the chamber, and made their way towards the Treasury. Once they entered through the main Treasury's sealed doors and Cecil opening the door, the group slowly walked towards the center of the room…the Key's pedestal appearing as they approached, with the dull gem resting on top.
Spyro looked at the gem, and looked to Cecil, who nodded.
"Touch it…" Cecil explained. "And the path will be revealed."
Spyro nodded to Cecil, and slowly approached the gem…and slowly touched it. His index talon touched the cold gem…for nearly a minute, the gem did nothing…but seconds later, the gem began to glow a spectral aura.
Suddenly, light appeared in front of Spyro…and soon the light began to take the shape of a circular portal…different colors of the spectrum radiated from the gateway. It was to bright to see what was on the other side.
"Go…" Cecil said. "Go to Spectra's Temple, find your uncle and his bonded partner…and discover this forbidden history."
Spyro nodded. He was about to step forward, until Cynder stopped him, placing her paw on his shoulder. Spyro looked at his mate, who smiled at him.
"I'm coming." Cynder said and then gestured to Mentem, Tula, Blaze, Spes and Soturi, who nodded in agreement.
Spyro smiled softly and nodded. With that, Spyro and the others quickly flew through the Spectra Gate…upon entering, the portal suddenly closed behind them, turning the Treasury dark when the Portal vanish. The four guardians and The Prophet stood alone in the treasury…Slowly, Cecil turned around towards the exit and began to walk away…knowing now they could only wait.