Chapter 37: Liar

By Dardarax

Disclaimer: I, Dardarax, do not own Spyro, Cynder, the Guardians, the Temple, Warfang, or any other place or character belonging to the Spyro franchise. Several of my own characters are featured in this chapter, and their names are listed at the bottom.

Ancestors, Igneous was a pathetic, sniveling sight! Lyrith leaned against the crystal wall with a groan as he watched the simpering red drake eat up the life crystals. At least the pain was fading from all the scratches and bruises he had gotten from the leftover monsters, though Lyrith imagined Igneous felt far more relief than he did. That was a nasty leg wound he had.

Lyrith turned his gaze away from Igneous as the wounds slowly closed over, and focused his gaze on the glistening crystals around them. It was actually sort of pretty in here. It would have been nice to do a proper adventure. Shame. Fortunately for the moron, they left most of the dragon crystals untouched in the earlier passages. There was absolutely nothing left of the supplies Igneous had in the trap chamber, and only the barest slivers of glittering red life crystals remained. Lyrith felt a tug in his chest at the sight, and his stomach growled. What a waste.

A groan caught Lyrith's attention and he turned back to find Igneous standing once more. The red dragon wobbled a bit, and stood on his once injured leg tenderly, but it seemed the worst of the injury was gone. At least he could walk now and get things done, rather than sulk in a pool of his own blood.

Then Igneous turned to Lyrith, his expression slightly more puzzled than it normally was. Lyrith let him finish the question that was on his mind. "How did you know where we were?"

The white drake let out a grunt and sat up. At least all of his pain was gone now. "You two weren't exactly inconspicuous."

A wince flashed across Igneous's face, and his shoulders drooped into an even more pitiful stance. What had Tirren ever seen in this drake?

"I suppose that means there are others here too."

Lyrith shrugged. "I don't know. Didn't see any when I was coming here. I didn't tell anyone either."

Igneous perked up, hope flashing across his eyes.

"I thought about it," Lyrith said with a sneer and a roll of his eyes. He felt a jump in his heartbeat as Igneous flinched once more. "But I know better than to snitch when Savron's involved, at least as he is now."

A snort escaped Igneous and he stomped over to shove his face into Lyrith's. "He is not that bad!"

Lyrith felt a smirk twist its way across his muzzle. "You can say that without a hint of sarcasm? Impressive! You really are an idiot!"

Igneous blew a cloud of smoke into his face with a violent snort, and the white dragon blinked; his smirk grew wider. Before the red dragon could speak, Lyrith continued onto the real, burning question.

"Now that you've had your turn, I'll ask my own question: What the fuck were you two thinking? Could you have made a stupider decision than to come here?"

The red dragon straightened up, his eyes narrowing into thin lines. Glowing cinders fluttered from his nostrils and breath, to float up to the ceiling. Huh, so Igneous could look more offended than he already did. Lyrith didn't know he had it in him.

"Savron was going insane being trapped in that room! I know you haven't been here long, Lyr, but even you shouldn't need this explained! Savron hates being trapped!"

"So we should just let every criminal go on break if they decide their cell is getting a bit too stuffy?"

Igneous's roar echoed down the hall, ringing so loud in Lyrith's ears that he actually flinched despite himself. "Savron is not a criminal!"

"Seems like every other student in the Temple thinks so," Lyrith met Igneous's eyes with a flat stare, challenging him. "He did after all, threaten and assault a group of students."

"Savron would never-"

"And Savron refused to give proof that he didn't, therefore the prosecution won by default. He is a criminal now. A minor one, but he is still a criminal."

Igneous looked away, his fangs clenched by his eyes unable to look above the floor. Lyrith snorted at the sight. Even Igneous couldn't deny it. The red dragon spoke after a few seconds of silence. "So you're just going to let him rot? You're going to let him go insane? Isn't he your friend, Lyr?"

"Friend? After what he said to Typhous and Tirren?" Lyrith huffed and turned his back on Igneous. "That's far too generous."

Igneous's snarl blasted Lyrith's back with heat. "Then why did you even come? Are you here to take us back?"

Lyrith rolled his eyes, only to remember that Igneous couldn't see it. He turned back with a snort. "Take you back? Me?" A raucous laugh ripped from Lyrith's throat. "Even with my powers I could, at best take you in a fight, Igneous. Never seen Savron fight, but I'm not arrogant enough to assume I could defeat a purple dragon alone, especially if he has backup."

"So-"

"I'm here to keep track of you two so if Sav decides to run away, the Guardians will know right away, and in what direction. Though more importantly I came to make sure you two don't die or get seriously hurt. Turns out that, once again, I had to save your asses."

Lyrith looked to Igneous with a smirk. This reminded him of the time before, when Savron had foolishly decided he had wanted to stop a war and Lyrith came to make sure they didn't die. That had gotten Sav nowhere too. Hopefully this wouldn't end with Lyrith getting kidnapped.

Igneous remained silent for a long while, his head turned away, all of his anger gone. Shame, Lyrith could almost respect him when he was angry. Igneous sighed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Lyrith said with a grin. With that he pushed past Igneous, into the hallway beyond and gazed down it. It was well lit, though there was no sign of Savron anywhere. How far had he gone by now? Lyrith shrugged. At least it would be easy to follow him: just look for the trail of broken bones.

"Now that you are done complaining, let's get going. I imagine you have some questions for Savron about why he left you to die."

Lyrith didn't need to look back at Igneous to know he winced at that. If Iggy didn't ask it, then Lyrith certainly would.

The white had only taken a few steps when Igneous cleared his throat. Lyrith looked back, and saw that he had just trailed right through Igneous's pool of blood. Oops. Igneous looked up from the blood, his eyes fixing on Lyrith's body. He had not moved from his spot. With a groan Lyrith turned back to face him.

"What is it now?"

The red dragon looked back at the chamber that had nearly cost him his life, and then to Lyrith.

"How did you get through?"

"I flew."

Igneous's eyes widened, and his face nearly caught fire as it turned even redder. Then he shut his eyes, groaned, and turned to bonk his head against a wall.

The white dragon flashed the red a sardonic grin, turned, and resumed following the trail of destruction Savron had left, After a few seconds, Lyrith heard Igneous's paw steps begin to trail behind him, though with a slow, plodding pace. Lyrith decided not to tell him that, had he wanted, Lyrith could have gone on a leisurely stroll through the trap. The crystals were clearly magical in nature. The crystals probably wouldn't even touch Lyrith if he had decided to use his powers. Let the dolt figure that out for himself, though knowing his record for picking up clues, Lyrith guessed he never would.

The chambers beyond were full of the shattered skeletons of the once dead. The entire floor was coated with the broken bone shards, and Lyrith was forced to laboriously sweep it aside with his tail just to be able to walk across safely. Ancestors, Savron had done all this by himself? The chamber was the size of a classroom, and yet Savron had coated the entire thing in bones!

The next chamber beyond, and the next after that were similarly ravaged. Though not only bones lay broken on the floor, but fragments of the walls, and shattered crystal tombstones now blocked their way as well. The air was silent, and opaque with bone-dust, and Lyrith had to squint and hold his breath so that it would not sting his eyes or lungs.

As they followed the trail of broken corpses through the offshoot chambers Lyrith began to feel a crawl lurk up his scales. He tried to shrug it off, but it never quite went away. Was this even a good idea, coming here now to scold Savron? Look at what he had done, just to blow off some steam. After the fourth of such chambers, Lyrith's paw steps grew hesitant.

Then a vast chamber opened up before them, and they found themselves standing before an enormous crystalline statue. It towered over them, the height of five fully grown dragons. All around the brightly lit crystal chamber were hundreds of tombs both on the ground, and engraved onto the smooth walls, each facing the statue, or rather what was left of the statue.

Lyrith wished he had seen it before Savron had gotten to it. It still stood mighty and tall, but all of its features had been blasted off, and now lay scattered about the floor in shimmering shards. Had it been deliberate? There were signs of a battle here, with many bones tossed about just like in the previous chambers. Yet the scale of the destruction didn't seem like an accident. Lyrith sighed. Either way, it was a disappointment.

Behind him, Lyrith heard Igneous let out a broken sigh, his breath catching in his throat. A frown creased Lyrith's face, and he turned to face Igneous. Lyrith sucked in a breath, his red eyes going wide at the sight of tears forming.

"Oh Savron…"

Lyrith tore his gaze away from the statue, and looked to Igneous with a raised eyeridge. "Why are you surprised?"

The red drake snapped his gaze to Lyrith, his brow furrowing. A sneer crawled its way along Lyrith's muzzle as the red dragon remained silent and gave that face. It took all of Lyrith's strength not to reach over and slap him across his snout. He looked exactly like Torch had when Lyrith had first run into him. Who knew Igneous, the boy-scout, had it in him?

"Savron isn't like this… not usually. Of course I'm surprised."

Lyrith snorted. Ancestors, he really was thick, wasn't he? "Oh yes, and I'm sure that breaking all the things in his chamber was just an accident! Ancestors, Igneous, you cleaned it up for him!"

The red dragon was before Lyrith faster than he could blink, and a yelp escaped the white's muzzle before he could stop himself. Igneous snorted out smoke, and Lyrith forced himself out of his crouch, to try and save as much of his dignity as possible.

"You of all dragons should know what it is like to be going through a tough time, Lyr. You know what it's like to have everyone turned against you! How do you think Savron feels, huh?" Igneous leaned forward and shoved Lyrith, pushing him back against the wall. The white dragon jumped as the red moved forward, his whole body stumbling back from the force of the push. He looked up into Igneous's eyes, and found them glistening with tears. "All the Guardians expect him to fail! He has gotten nothing but disapproval from them! All the other students refuse to be near him! Even his parents are disappointed! Then you all abandon him! And worse still he's locked up in his own room! How can you not know what it's like, Lyr, to have everyone look down at you, even the people who are supposed to support you?"

Igneous shoved Lyrith again, his voice now a shout. The white's chest clenched, his whole body freezing. He remembered the looks back at the orphanage, the snide glances, the sneers, and their words, whispered behind his back but always loud enough to just barely be heard. His claws gripped the crystal, and he felt it start to crack. He clenched his fangs, looked up into Igneous's eyes and spat.

"How can you still defend him after what he's done? Yeah, he's under pressure, so what? He pushed us away, not the other way around."

Igneous snorted again. "You know what, I was wrong. Of course you wouldn't understand. You never cared about us anyway. You were never really part of us."

A snarl rumbled in Lyrith's throat. "What's not to understand, Iggy?" he said, his voice growing with force so as to stop his limbs from trembling and his claws from cracking the crystal. "Savron decided to act like an ass, so we left his adventure to let him cool down! Then he decided to go crazy instead! Unlike you and Sav, I actually came to the defense of my friends when one of my other friends decided to be a bastard! I can take a stand for their benefit. You just refuse to admit when Sav's wrong because you can't stand up for yourself without him holding the strings!"

All of Lyrith's breath was driven out of him from one hard swing of Igneous's paw straight to his flank. Lyrith was flung a meter away, landing in a roll as he sucked in breath.

Igneous spat, and then spoke, his voice trembling. "Don't you dare pretend you understand us, you… you jerk! You don't know what it's like, growing up alone with only one friend! How lonely it is just having the two of us, in the big empty Temple, no other kids around to play with us. Our lives dedicated to training, to living up to our parent's legacies, with nothing to blunt the boredom but each other!"

Igneous turned away, to stalk a short distance before rounding back on Lyrith. The white hauled himself to his paws, but his eyes were cast downwards, something in his chest twisting as he listened to Igneous's voice break.

"You've grown up alone, so you don't know what it's like to have a brother. We only had each other to rely on. And you want me to just leave him? I've known him all my life! He was my friend since before I knew how to talk!" Tears splattered on Igneous's claws, and he sniffed hard.

A face, a familiar face appeared before Lyrith's eyes, for just a moment. Her autumn eyes smiling that wily smirk, and her laugh ringing on his ears. His chest twisted into a knot, and for the first time in a while the weight of loneliness pressed down on his shoulders. How long had it been since he had seen her? Since he had spoken with her? It must have been almost eight years now. What would they have been like, if she were still around? Would they be the same?

"You can't imagine how ecstatic we were when we heard the Temple was becoming an academy," Igneous said after a few moments of sniffling. The buffoon looked so stupid crying like that. Lyrith made sure his own eyes were dry, just in case. "Until then we only had brief visitors, usually Khole or Blaze on their visits with Pyron. But now we could have real, full-time friends. We wouldn't be alone anymore." Igneous looked up to meet Lyrith's gaze, his jaw set firmly. "I'm not like you. You who have only been here for a short time. Was what Savron said wrong? Yes. But abandoning him won't solve anything. I'm not going to leave him."

Lyrith took a long, shuddering breath, forcing the memories past away, though with reluctance. He felt his fangs clamp tightly together, and he could taste a bit of blood well up from the force. He looked up at Igneous, who stood panting a short distance away from him, everything spent. The white sucked in another breath, and spoke, his voice low.

"You're right. Maybe I don't know what it's like to have had a friend for all my life. But it shouldn't matter. If your friend acts like an idiot, you tell them they're an idiot. That way the can fix themselves."

Malicina's voice echoed in his ears, her tone exasperated after he had gotten into yet another fight alone. He had tried to cover his ears with a pillow, but she had just taken it away.

"I may not have had many friends, but I was always under the impression that you're supposed to trust them. That's what sets them apart from everyone else who you can't trust. And I have not seen any trust from Savron, and after what he said, I don't trust him either. So I don't care about your 'brotherhood bond,' or what it means to only have each other. If you actually trusted one another, then you wouldn't be afraid to criticize him for when he made a stupid mistake. Go shove your self-righteous apeshit back where it belongs."

Malicina and Lyrith lay in a corner of the orphanage, nursing their wounds. Malicina wouldn't shut up about how badly Lyrith had screwed them over that fight with his ridiculous stunt attacks. Lyrith lay right back into her about how she couldn't put up a good fight because she wouldn't stop admiring one of the dragon's rears.

Lyrith strode towards the exit into the next chamber, leaving Igneous behind. He heard the red dragon sucking in deep breaths, but did not look back to see his expression. It didn't matter.

Igneous's voice rang throughout the chamber, strained to the breaking point.

"What does Tirren see in you?"

The white dragon stopped, and shut his eyes. This again. Lyrith turned to Igneous, his fangs revealed in a taught sneer. "I didn't sleep with her."

The red dragon huffed, shooting hot ash at the wall. "And yet I see the two of you hanging out! Why? Why you of all drakes?"

Red eyes furrowed, Lyrith turned to face Igneous, his shoulders straight. Igneous stomped forward, though his body shook from the force of his clenched fangs and the fire that raged within him.

"You're a jerk! You're arrogant! You sneer and laugh at us and you insult us constantly! Yet Tirren likes you! I've seen the two of you studying in the library together, or in your study rooms, alone! I've seen you two walking together, talking! Even if she didn't sleep with you she clearly likes you!" Igneous turned away, and lashed out, scattering the bones at his paws. "It isn't fair! I tried all my life to be nice, to do the right thing for everyone and to be friendly! Then the one time I act like a jerk she leaves, saying she won't forgive me! Then she starts hanging out with the guy who has done nothing but act like a jerk!" Igneous sniffed loudly, his breathing harsh.

Lyrith paused, and tilted his head. Wasn't it obvious? "Because I'm an ass to people who deserve it, Iggy. You just acted like a prick. I also can listen and take hints, mister-couldn't-tell-Tirren-had-a-crush-on-him, and unlike you I actually talk to her. Though really it's because I'm probably a better friend to her than you ever were." A grin spread across Lyrith's face as Igneous flinched back. When he opened his eyes Lyrith flinched back, his smirk melting under the acidic loathing in his eyes.

"Vash was right about you. You really do think you're better than us. I really tried to like you, I even defended you from Torch, but you really aren't much better than any of the other bullies he hung out with. I hope Tirren sees that one day before she does something she regrets."

Igneous stomped over and Lyrith crouched, only for the red to move with blinding speed, grabbing Lyrith and throwing him to the side. The white landed with a snarl, whirled around to face Igneous, only to see the red storming past him. He strode into the next hall now that Lyrith was out of his way, not once glancing back.

The white stared after him for a long moment, his body quivering with the urge to rush after him and knock some sense into the dense fool. Could he really not see what he did wrong, or why Tirren had left him? How did the Temple have so many stupid, self-important pricks? Ancestors it was a pain having to stomp them all back down to size and make them…

A frown creased Lyrith's brow as Igneous's words echoed around the chamber, to resound in Lyrith's ears. His white shoulders slumped. What an idiot. How could Lyrith ever think he was better than everybody? It was absurd. Did he not realize who he was talking to? Igneous needed a good ass kicking to remind him of that fact and knock his tiny brain back into alignment.

Lyrith paused mid-step forward, and then groaned. He covered his face with his wings. Ancestors, it was no wonder he struggled to keep friends, or even make any. How did anyone, especially gentle Typhous and no-nonsense Tirren tolerate him?

With a snort Lyrith strode after Igneous, though let him take the lead. Best that their individual storm clouds not crash together to create another twister over their heads.

The trail of bones grew less thick and more scattered as they made their way through the Crystal Graves. At least there was a definite trail. Lyrith found his eyes wandering over the countless bones, and wondered how Savron possibly had this much energy. Even with friends Lyrith doubted he could have fought through four of these rooms before needing a break. He could have fought through even less if he were just by himself.

The crystal graves stopped, the hallway widening into a large but empty chamber, devoid of crystal and filled with rubble. There were no exits or entrances besides the one they came in, though through the piles of rock Lyrith could just make out what might have once been a tunnel, now collapsed. Though that was not what drew Lyrith's eye.

Savron stood by the collapsed tunnel, panting for breath, large chunks of the rock having been pulled away by earth magic around him. He glowered at the two as they entered, his narrowed eyes focusing on Lyrith for just a moment. A chill ran across the white dragon's scales and for just a second Lyrith was certain Savron would attack right then. Only Savron's eyes turned away, to fix on Igneous with a sneer. A surge of relief washed over Lyrith. He didn't envy Igneous, who shifted from paw to paw beneath the glare.

"I thought this was supposed to be a trip just for us, Iggy. I didn't know you snuck in company to spy on me."

A groan escaped Lyrith's muzzle before he could stop himself. This again. So the day out really hadn't helped Sav's disposition.

Igneous flinched beside Lyrith, and then shook his head as he rushed forward to stand before Savron. "I didn't bring him! He snuck along after us! Why would I help spy on you, Sav?"

Lyrith rolled his eyes. Of course Igneous would sell him out without a second thought. Ass.

Savron's harsh laugh jolted Lyrith from his thoughts, and he blinked to focus his vision back on the purple. The violet, armoured dragon stood with a stretch and a yawn, only to roll his eyes with such exaggeration that Lyrith thought for a moment they'd pop out of his skull.

"Yes, he followed us. And just so happened to know exactly where we were. He appeared alongside you, just after you 'happened' to fall behind for almost half an hour. Doing… what? Idling? Lazing about? Waiting for someone to catch up? Can I expect my parents to arrive soon too?"

Lyrith's jaw clenched and he glanced over to Igneous, to examine his face. Iggy was about as mortified as Lyrith suspected he'd be. His eyes were wide, his jaw slack and he was stuttering for words. Pretty much what every other friend of his had been like after Savron's transformation to… this bastard. It had only been a matter of time before Iggy got it too. Maybe now he would realize how it felt.

Igneous whimpered pathetically. "Sav, I… I don't understand! Why would I do something like that? I just want to have fun too! So why would I tell on you, on us? Why don't you believe me?"

Savron's sneer grew wider, and Lyrith's urge to rush up and slap sense into him only grew. "Why should I believe a Guardian's pet? Iggy? You lot have already proven yourself untrustworthy. Willing to do anything to get into their favour so that you can get power for yourself. Why wouldn't you take the easy job of monitoring me and tattling every detail I shared with you?"

This time Igneous had no words, and it wasn't because he didn't want to speak. Lyrith could see Igneous's eyes widen and his throat move, but only a squeak came out. He stared up at Savron, incredulous. Lyrith had to resist snickering, and it wasn't because of how silly Igneous had looked. For all of the red dragon's faults, how could Savron actually believe what he just said? Igneous was loyal to a fault, that's why he was so obnoxious!

Finally, the red dragon found his words and sputtered out a response. "I never would tattle on you! And I don't care enough about the Guardian studies to do something like that! Plus Inferna and the others already like me, I don't need her favour, Sav!"

"You wouldn't tattle?" Savron's chuckle resounded around the partially collapsed chamber. "Really? You mean like all the times we snuck out, were caught, and I lied to my parents to try and get us out of trouble, only for you to tell them the truth anyway? How you'd tell them what we actually did just to undermine me? You were always their favourite, Iggy, because you could never say no. You couldn't say a lie even if 'lie' was the only word in your vocabulary! You certainly are bad at lying, since I can see right through your attempts right now! You wouldn't tattle, hah!"

Igneous retreated a step, his eyes liquid as he stared up at Savron uncomprehendingly. With a grunt Lyrith stepped forward, giving Igneous a light push as he walked.

"Ah give the dork a break, Sav," Lyrith said with a laugh. "I'll vouch for him. I snuck in after you guys myself. I saw you two flying through the clouds to try and keep your cover. And no, I didn't tell anyone where you are either. I flew off after you to make sure you wouldn't do anything stupid. I even lied to Deran to throw him off our trail. We're alone here."

Savron huffed and glanced back at Lyrith out of the corner of his eye. "You've already lied to me once, milky, I'm not going to believe you just because you say it's true."

Lyrith's jaw tightened and he snorted. He wouldn't respond to that.

Igneous spoke up again, his voice growing taught. "But it is true!"

"Really? Then why did you vanish on me? Why weren't you up here having fun with me? Why did you abandon me to fight all of these skeletons by myself?"

Igneous froze and Lyrith turned to face him, his blood red eyes narrowing. The red dragon shivered, his jaw having locked up. Words clearly struggled to form in his muzzle, but never emerged as he bit them back. His shoulders were hunched over and he looked up at Savron incredulously, his eyes searching Savron's twisted face for something that was no longer there.

Savron snorted after a long pause. "Lost for words again, Iggy? Figures."

"I didn't abandon you!"

"Then what do you call leaving me to face danger on my own, Iggy?"

Igneous screamed. "WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

Lyrith's posture straightened and he looked to Igneous with a broad grin. So he did have backbone after all.

Savron started, his eyes going wide. The spiteful smirk was wiped, for just a moment, from his face – Thank the Ancestors for that! – and was replaced with actual shock.

Igneous continued, his voice growing with resolve, until it rang about the chamber like sword blows. "You left me behind! You ran on ahead to fight, and didn't even look back to see if I was keeping up! You didn't even help defend me during the fights when I was falling behind! You just went your own way!" Igneous met Savron's eyes, tears now flowing freely. "I nearly died when I got to the trap rooms, Sav! One of the blades hit my leg and I was about to bleed out, and yet you just left me behind! If Lyrith didn't come along I wouldn't be here! I didn't abandon you, Sav, you abandoned me!"

For a moment Savron faltered. His face untwisted, and his eyes widened. For that brief moment Savron stood before them once more, his muzzle half open in shock and concern. Lyrith's chest clenched, heart rising into his throat. Could Savron finally be starting to see reason? Then the purple dragon's brow furrowed and he ducked his head, his voice a guttural mutter.

"That can't be right… I would never abandon my friends, I'm not that stupid. Right. I'd have noticed him falling behind, so it couldn't be me... Exactly! And Igneous wouldn't be so dense and incompetent to be able to fall behind even on his own…" Savron's eyes flickered up to them, a sneer crawling once more over his snout. Lyrith's heart fell back down into its chest, and hit the bottom of his stomach with a thud. "No, you're wrong Iggy, I didn't abandon you. I can't have. It's impossible. I'm Savron, the greatest adventurer ever born! Are you really saying I'd be that careless?"

Igneous's face crumbled, all the confidence faded away. He opened his muzzle to speak, but all that came out was a wheeze. With a frown Lyrith glanced to Igneous, wondering why he was struggling for words. Why was he panting? He hadn't shouted that loudly.

Seeing Igneous seemingly at a loss for words, Savron snorted and stalked forward with a slow, loping gait.

"I knew it. I've hit the mark, didn't I? You don't have any more excuses left." Savron chuckled, his head bowed as he stopped a short distance away, his expression filled with sorrow. "I really thought I could trust you, Iggy. But you are just as bad as everyone else." A long sigh escaped Savron and his shoulder sagged. "Looks like I don't have any reason to stay."

Lyrith felt his breath leave him in a rush and his body tense. This would not end well, for any of them. Beside him Igneous stepped forward as well, a wheeze escaping him as he tried to speak.

Savron began to turn, but Lyrith stepped forward, a snort leaving him. The white rushed forward, to stand right before Savron, forcing him to turn back to Lyrith.

"You can't leave, Sav," Lyrith said, his voice firm.

Igneous rushed forward as well, having finally gotten his voice back. "Please Sav, don't go! We still care about you, I still care about you! Your family would be crushed! The Guardians too! They still care about you!"

Savron rolled his eyes and looked back to them, his sneer having twisted into a snarl. "And do you think you can stop me?"

Oh Ancestors, that wasn't good. Lyrith took a step back, but Savron had turned fully to face them, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"You know, I've had it with all of you, but I'm also not finished with you. You ruined my adventure, and since there are no other monsters here to vent on, I guess I'll have to improvise."

Before Lyrith could open his muzzle to respond Savron's paw struck him right across the face. The white stumbled back, his vision flashing, only for the purple blur in front of him to rush forward and ram his head right into Lyrith's chest.

Lyrith didn't remember taking off, or how he had managed to start flying without flapping his wings, but the landing brought him back to his senses. With sucking breaths Lyrith curled up on the ground, giving his head just a second to stop the spinning. A moment later there was an 'umf' and a thud beside Lyrith, and he looked up to see Igneous had landed beside him, on the complete opposite side of the chamber from Savron. No wonder Lyrith's chest hurt.

Savron bounced on his paws, grinning widely as smoke drizzled from his snout. "Come on! Get up and fight! You have no idea how long I've wanted to beat some respect into you, Lyrith. And I haven't had a proper duel with Igneous in ages! Let's settle this once and for all!"

The white dragon pulled himself to his paws and looked over at Igneous, who got up a few seconds later.

"Ancestors dammit," Lyrith said with a groan. "This is not how I imagined my day would turn out," Lyrith glanced back over to Savron, his eyes narrowed. This certainly was not how Lyrith had imagined he'd one day get to duel Savron.

Beside him Igneous swallowed and panted out another plea. "Savron, we don't want to fight!"

"Don't think he's going to give us a choice," Lyrith said with a huff, as he crouched down low.

Savon laughed. "Damn right I'm not! Now get over here and fight, or I will come over there myself and give you the beat-down you two rightfully deserve!"

Lyrith grimaced, and beside him Igneous flinched. The red eyed white glanced over to the fire drake with a wry grin. "So, mister top-student-in-the-Temple, I know you don't exactly like me, but it seems we're stuck in this together. Think we can take him?"

Igneous looked up into Lyrith's eyes, and all hope drained from Lyrith's chest at his expression. "We're so dead."

Savron's voice cut Lyrith off. "Looks like I'm coming to you then."

The white whirled to face Savron, his eyes wide and his heart hammering, only for the purple dragon to disappear and emerge from Lyrith's shadow, the purple's head ramming straight into Lyrith's chin. The world spun as Lyrith was flipped onto his back, to land with a roar of pain. His eyes watered as pain lanced through his muzzle, and he felt his jaw get forcibly set back into place. Ancestors, Sav hit like a runaway wagon!

Igneous let out a cry, shouting that he didn't want to hurt Sav, but the purple dragon just rushed him, laughing. There was a flash of fire as Igneous let loose a bellow, but Savron just conjured water right on top of it and charged right through the cloud of steam that formed. From within Igneous let out a cry of pain as there was an audible 'whap!' that sounded through the chamber.

Lyrith clenched his fangs, his jaw back in place, and flipped back up to his paws. A fire had lit in his chest, and it had become a furnace that sent waves of heat through his body. Time to return the favour, Savron.

The white dragon turned and rushed into the fading mist, letting the rage seethe in him, rather than bellowing it all out at once. With careful strides he circled about the whimpering of Igneous, until through the steam he saw the purple shadow of Savron looming. The white sneered and lunged, aiming to take the purple drake's neck in his jaws.

Savron turned to face him with a grin and fell into his own shadow, vanishing from sight. Lyrith hit the ground at a roll, just barely avoiding landing on Igneous. He leapt to his paws, turned, and promptly got a face full of fire.

Lyrith stumbled back with a howl, blinded by the light and searing pain. With a shake of his head he smothered the fire with his paws, hissing as it burnt his paws, and then looked around. Savron sat on the other end of the chamber, grinning as fire built up in his throat again. He paused for a moment, yawning out a cloud of smoke, and then looked back to Lyrith with a wink.

"Come on, baby, get on over here so I can give you a good fucking!" Then his expression fell. "Oh, wait, it's just you Lyrith. I thought you were a hot Albino draken. Damn. Guess I'll just have to make you hot and fuck you up in an entirely different way." With a roar he let loose a massive blast of blue tinged fire, which swept towards them in a concentrated ball.

Lyrith snarled, glaring at Savron. Bastard had to use that insult, didn't he? Then the white leapt forward, over Igneous, and called upon his power. The rush of vitality flooded through him, and for but a moment that glorious sense of invincibility filled him. With a roar of defiance Lyrith leapt straight into the fireball, which dissolved around him without exploding. The glowing, tendril covered white dragon landed with a smirk, and let his power fade. No point in using it more than he had to.

Behind him Igneous stood up and gave Lyrith a glance of gratitude – about time – and across the chamber Savron let out a laugh.

"Finally! Let's get this going! I thought you were just going to let me use you as a punching bag, Lyrith, and as relaxing as that was, I'm looking for a real fight."

Lyrith turned his gaze away from Savron and eyed Igneous. "We need to take him on at the same time. We flank, alright?"

Igneous shook his head fervently. "No! I don't want to fight him! Fighting won't bring him back!"

"It's either that or be beaten into a bloody pulp, Igneous. Plus, if we manage to take him down we can get him back home before there's any real trouble."

Igneous hesitated, and then reluctantly nodded. Good, Lyrith wouldn't be able to do this alone. The white fixed his gaze onto Savron, and crouched low. "Now, you go right!"

Lyrith bolted forward before Igneous could respond and rushed straight towards Savron along the left wall. It had the shortest distance to Savron so Lyrith could close the distance easier, and would cut off Savron's escape. Igneous meanwhile would have plenty of room to maneuver and attack from afar with his fire magic to distract the wild purple.

The amethyst drake grinned, crouched and rushed forward to meet Lyrith, his body glowing a faint green. Lyrith clenched his fangs and let out a roar of challenge, and then lunged.

They clashed with a series of snarls and swipes of their paws. Lyrith's struck first, his claws catching Savron across the shoulder, only to hook into his chain mail and falter. Savron's paw rushed towards Lyrith and he ducked out of the way, though not quite fast enough as it clipped him across the horns. Lyrith staggered from the force of the blow and inwardly thanked himself escaping the worst of the blow.

The second blow came faster than Lyrith had thought possible, as Savron's follow up swing struck Lyrith right along the head once more, his claws grated across Lyrith's helm. The white cried out and took several steps back to gain distance. Savron did not let him and stepped forward with Lyrith with a lunging bite and a swing of his claws once more.

Lyith barely ducked out of the way, cursing. Ancestors, he had forgotten how fast Savron was! Lyrith had just barely beat him in a race way back when he had first entered the Temple, and it seemed Savron's speed wasn't just in racing. The white winced as he took another claw blow to his leg, and somehow managed to keep his balance. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't hit like an earth dragon too!

A blast of fire knocked Savron away from Lyrith, giving him a much needed respite. The purple turned with a snarl to find Igneous charging up another blast of fire, which he spat into a dozen projectiles that streaked towards Savron.

With a snort and a leap, Savron lunged forward and twirled in the air, conjuring a gale of icy wind around him. The flames were snuffed out long before they reached him, and Savron landed on the ground a short distance away with a smirk.

"Thanks for letting me practice my ice magic, Iggy. Cyril always said I needed to work on it. This should be a good chance to do so!"

Lyrith landed on Savron's back, his claws sinking into his sides and his fangs digging into the back of Savron's neck. The purple let out a howl and bucked, but Lyrith did not let go as he tried to bite through the plate of steel around Savron's neck. If he could just choke him into unconsciousness….

Hot pain flared up all throughout Lyrith's stomach and chest, causing his eyes to water. Savron bucked again, and another flash of unbearable pain pulsed through Lyrith. It was too much, and with a snort Lyrith let go and pulled himself off of Savron, to stumble away. Savron's back was covered in Lyrith's blood, which sizzled on the molted red stone spikes that now covered Savron's body. Lyrith hissed and looked down at his chest, where the spikes had punched through the gaps in the chain. Ancestors, if Lyrith didn't have the power to heal, he'd never get rid of those scars.

Savron started forward, lightning crackling across his fangs, only for Igneous to come to the rescue, tackling Savron in the side, and forcing him to the ground. Lyrith stepped forward with a wince, pulling on his life force just a little to make his wounds heal faster. He was really going to be forced to use it, wasn't he?

The purple hauled himself up and charged Igneous, their fire clashing in a bright streak of molten sprays that showered the area in sparks and flame. Lyrith pulled back and raced around, picking up speed as his wounds closed up. He lunged for Savron's back once more, only for the purple to fall into his shadow once more, quitting the conflagration with Igneous before Igneous had. Lyrith yelped and ducked as Igneous's fire streaked towards him, and grimaced as he felt the flame nearly scorch his back.

"Dammit! Watch what you're doing Iggy!"

Igneous flinched. "Sorry, I-" he was cut off as Savron appeared behind him and swung his tail at his legs, a blade of ice and lightning forming around it. Igneous let out a yelp and jumped into the air to avoid it, only for Savron to continue spinning, conjuring a mace of glowing green energy from his muzzle to slam right into the airborne Igneous's face. The red dragon fell to the ground in a heap, clutching at his face, and Savron grabbed hold of him. Bindings of earth formed around Igneous, taking hold of his limbs and pulling him down and locking him in place. Igneous flinched, looked up and began struggling, only for Savron to drive his head into Igneous's gut. The red dragon wheezed, and Savron grabbed hold of his muzzle and with a flash of ice sealed it shut.

"Stay there, Iggy," Savron said with a snort as he turned to Lyrith. "I'll deal with you later. I want some alone time with milky over here."

Igneous only groaned into the ice in response.

Lyrith crouched low, his eyes focused on Savron. Well, shit. There went his only real advantage.

Savron smirked, clearly knowing what Lyrith was thinking. Then he ducked his head, flames wreathing his skull as he charged forwards like a meteor. Lyrith grimaced and lowered himself to brace for impact.

Lyrith crouched, ready to jump out of the way as Savron approached, now only paces away. Then the purple dragon let the fire fade away and dove headfirst into the shadow in front of him. Lyrith started and looked around, wondering where the next attack would come from.

He didn't have time to realize it was from above. Savron hurled out of the shadows of the roof, from out of an area the crystals did not reach and landed right on top of Lyrith with a deafening crash. Lyrith let out a shriek of agony as the stone covered, armour clad dragon landed atop him with all the momentum of his charge. An explosion of fire rocked the area, Savron channeling all the fire he had built up right into Lyrith with a bellowing roar.

Lyrith howled under Savron, curled up into as tight a ball as he could, blood dribbling from his muzzle and the fire licking at his scorched scales. At least the armour absorbed most of it…

Savron let out a satisfied sigh and stepped off of Lyrith's body, only to turn and kick him right in the stomach. Lyrith coughed up another muzzleful of blood.

"Thanks for letting me test that technique, Lyr!" Savron said with a laugh. "I've always wanted to test it. I call it Star-Fall Strike. Even dad hasn't done it before!" Savron sighed and then shook his head with a long, drawn out yawn. "But I've got to say, I thought you were tougher than this! I'm actually getting a bit sleepy, like with midnight stretches. I suppose I should thank you though, I haven't slept in three days! Keep this up and I might actually get to snooze!" Savron yawned again, for emphasis.

Sucking in a long breath Lyrith pulled himself to his paws and glared up at Savron. He could feel a few of his cracked bones pull themselves into place. He really didn't have a choice now. The white shut his eyes and reached down into his core, bringing on the change he had practiced so many times.

When he opened his eyes he found Savron beaming at him. Lyrith did not speak, he acted. With a snarl he lunged forward, going straight for Savron's throat, not bothering to duck or weave.

Savron bellowed and launched a scorching stream of lightning from his muzzle. Lyrith's instincts told him to shy away, but he kept rushing forward, the lightning passing over him as though it was not even there. Savron took a step back and swept the ground with a layer of liquid ice. Lyrith slowed for a moment as he reached it, but as his paw touched the ice it evaporated in a puff of mist, and Lyrith pushed forward with nothing to impede him.

His roar echoed around the chamber as he pounced, claws extended towards Savron. The purple dragon's grin never faded. The purple became a blur as he ducked out of the way of Lyrith's swing and spun about to ram his tail into Lyrith's side. There was a flash of green energy shone across his body for just a second, right before the impact. Lyrith winced but as the tail struck him there was a burst of mist and the green energy faltered. The white felt his body shift slightly, but there was no pain. The impact hadn't been that bad. The white dragon grinned and swung himself at the purple, only for him to duck away once more, Lyrith's claws only just nicking his armour.

Savron laughed in exhilaration as he backed away once more, his eyes wide. "You really are practically immune to magic, aren't you?"

Lyrith snorted and turned to advance.

"Though I wonder how far that extends?" With a grin Savron stomped on the earth, another flash of green rippling through him, into the ground. A large chunk of rock shot up into the air, and Savron let out a roar. A gale of wind exploded from his muzzle, catching the stone and hurling it towards him.

Lyrith advanced, only for the stone to slam right into his face, knocking him back. There was no pain, but a loud crunch told Lyrith that had he not been using his powers the impact would have been excruciating. Through a bloody snout Lyrith snarled and leapt forward to swing at Savron, who caught the blow on his shoulder so that he could swing back with his own claw. The spikes of molten stone on Savron's body evaporated at Lyrith's touch, but his claws were still halted by the plates of armour beneath it. Lyrith in turn shifted to try and blunt Savron's attack on his own shoulder – no point in wasting more of his life healing worse injuries – only for the impact to stagger him to the side once more.

The two exchanged blows for a minute, snarling and spitting at one another. Lyrith swore under his breath the entire time, as his claws never found purchase on Savron, the purple always shifting so that his armor absorbed most of the blow, or so that Lyrith's claws missed all together. And for each strike Lyrith made, Savron hit back with greater force. His body flashed green every hit, but it was never the entirety of his body, but rather specific parts. Bits of his legs and tail which he swung, that never made direct contact with Lyrith, but which amplified his strength regardless. Blow by blow Lyrith was pushed back, despite not feeling any pain, until finally Lyrith felt his rump touch a wall.

With a roar of triumph Savron slammed his paws into the ground, and from the wall exploded a shower of stones, that hammered down on Lyrith's back.

Dull pain flashed through Lyrith momentarily, and he roared as he pulled harder upon his core. He wouldn't be able to hold onto it much longer.

The white drake struggled to shrug off the rocks that had piled onto him, only for Savron's claws to slam into his face over, and over, and over again. Lyrith clenched his fangs as pain started to come through more intensely, and he shut his eyes as he tried to pull himself free.

Fire scorched the ground around Savron's paws, causing him to jump back with a ferocious glare. He turned to Igneous, who had finally broken free from his bonds. Ancestors, what took him so long?

Savron turned his back on Lyrith with a sneer. "Yeah, it's about time I got to you, right Iggy? I don't think Lyr will be able to amuse me much longer anyway."

Igneous stood firm, smoke pouring from his mouth and snout. Tears still ran down the baby's face, but he no longer had that stupid look of anguish. Then he actually snarled at Savron.

"Sav, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to hold back this time."

"Good, I was worried you really had become as pathetic as you claimed you were."

Lyrith let his power fall away, and groaned as pain lanced through him. He took a moment to rest, and catch his breath, his eyes fixed on Igneous. He'd launch a surprise attack when he found the right time. Until then… oh Ancestors, he needed a moment to heal.

Savron and Igneous met with a blaze of elements. Igneous hurling flame, smoke and intense heat at the purple, who countered it all with earth, ice, and water. The white watched with widening eyes as they exchanged a flurry of claw swipes and bites, only to disengage and resume blasting with elements.

But the fight did not last long. Igneous began panting, huffing, just like he had before. His movements slowed and fire weakened and Savron began to push him back.

With a snarl Savron slammed Igneous across the head with his gauntleted paw and drove him to the ground. The purple dragon, only moderately out of breath let out a giddy laugh and swirled around in a short dance of triumph.

"Is that really all you two have? Ancestors, you two always looked so much more impressive than you actually were in combat! And so much for going all out, Iggy. You still were holding back. I didn't, of course, but-"

Savron was cut off as Igneous let out a roar and lunged upwards, his claws blazing with heat as he slammed it right into Savron's face. The purple let out a shriek of pain as the fire scorched his scales, and he stumbled back, his wings covering his face. Lyrith winced, and saw Igneous's own eyes fly wide.

"Oh Sav! I'm… I'm sorry I didn't mean!" Igneous began, stepping forward.

Savron's howl cut him off, and the purple dragon pulled his wings back, to reveal shadows flickering over his body, swelling up over him until it covered the burn on his face.

"That's it Iggy! You're fucking dead!"

With another roar Savron let loose a blast of lightning which struck Igneous right on the horns. The red dragon collapsed, twitching and writhing in agony as the lightning surged through him. Savron took a breath, blasted Igneous again, and then slammed his claws into the ground. Across the chamber a wall of stone appeared, covered in spikes. With a snort Savron sprayed liquid ice all along the floor towards that wall, between him and Igneous.

Lyrith's eyes widened and he finally pulled himself up from the stones.

"Savron, no!" he cried, charging forward as fast as he could.

With a howl Savron let loose a gale of wind upon Igneous, pushing him onto the slick ice and hurtling him towards the wall of spikes. Igneous tried to pull himself up, or roll away, but the force of the wind pushed him too far, too fast on the ice, which was too slick for his claws.

Lyrith lunged past Savron, letting the vitality surge through him again, pushing him to speeds that likely would have begun tearing his muscles apart. He didn't make it in time.

Igneous slammed into the wall of spikes. The red dragon's head shot up, his muzzle agape as he tried to scream in agony, but nothing came out. His body arched against the wall, his legs twitching, but he did not move, held in place by the spikes. Blood began to pour from his muzzle, staining the ice red.

Lyrith skidded to a halt beside the red dragon, his eyes wide at the sight of the smashed wall and bloody spikes. Igneous fell still against the wall, his eyes falling shut. The white dragon hesitated only a moment, before he reached forward and placed the pad of his paw, the only part of his gauntlet not covered, and pressed it to Igneous's neck. A pulse. He'd only fainted. Well no shit he fainted. Lyrith would have too if he'd been impaled like that.

But what could he do? Igneous had used up all his crystals healing before, and Lyrith didn't bring anymore. And if there had been dragon crystals in this chamber, the fight with Savron would have already destroyed them all.

Lyrith shut his eyes. What could he do? The spikes weren't big, only a little more than claw length, but they'd be enough to kill Iggy from blood loss alone. At least the shock of the impact and pain hadn't slain him outright.

The white cast a glare to Savron, who stood a distance away, panting for breath the shadows still flickering over his body. Lyrith didn't have time for that bastard now. As much of an idiot as Igneous could be, as badly he had hurt Tirren, he needed saving.

Now seemed like the best time to begin experimenting. It was his only chance.

Lyrith took hold of Igneous and leaned in to whisper into his ear, to apologize for what he was about to do. He was unconscious, but still, it seemed like the right thing to do.

Then, with a single heave Lyrith pulled Igneous off of the wall of spikes. He winced as the red dragon made a sickening slurp sound as the spikes pulled free. Well, most of them did, as many remain lodged in Igneous's side and back. Lyrith wasted no time in pressing his paws onto Igneous's back, and called upon what little reserves he had left. He focused on the image of what Igneous had looked like before, in the hopes that would help, and then pushed his life force into the red dragon.

A white glow emanated around his gauntleted paws, and soaked into Igneous's scales, turning a deep red, just like Iggy's scales. Lyrith groaned and shut his eyes tight as he pushed the energy through him, into the red dragon. Oh Ancestors, it felt like he was trying to roll a boulder over with just his paws! It moved, but so very slowly.

Yet, the glow worked its way over Igneous's body, and into the many gaping holes in his back. The blood stopped flowing and, before Lyrith's very eyes the flesh and scales began to knit themselves back together. Lyrith relaxed, only for the healing to falter. His red eyes widened and he forced the image of Igneous's in-tact back into his mind once more, and the wounds began to seal again. No easy cure then, huh?

Across the chamber and out of the corner of his eye Lyrith caught sight of Savron finishing up a couple of life crystals, and then turning to face them with a cocked head.

"What the fuck are you doing, Milky?" he called over, his voice echoing around the chamber. "I don't think giving Iggy a back massage is going to make him feel better!"

Lyrith nearly dug his claws into Igneous's back, but he managed to restrain himself. The white turned his attention to Savron, but did his best to keep the image of Igneous's back in his mind at all times.

The white spoke through clenched fangs. "You know Sav, I always thought of myself as a pretty shitty friend, but I never imagined I'd be better than you," Lyrith said, before he spat upon the ground. "You're a disgrace to your parent's names and Spyro and Cynder deserve so much better than you!"

Savron's eyes narrowed and his growl filled he chamber. "Don't you dare say their names to me! They don't deserve me! I should go over there and throw you into the wall next!"

For the first time Lyrith was glad he had his paws full with healing Igneous. The urge to crush that bastard's snout back into his ugly face was almost overpowering. Lyrith snarled and turned away, not wanting to look at the monster else he be sick all over Igneous's back. He focused his gaze on Igneous once more. Most of the wounds had closed, though they didn't look too healthy; Lyrith's wounds hadn't left any scars no matter how bad they were, but given the way these were healing he wasn't sure he could say the same for Iggy. The ones with the spikes in them he'd probably have to do by paw.

Savron took several steps forward. "What are you doing? Get over here and fight me!"

Even had he wanted to, Lyrith didn't think he could now. His legs felt like they were made of lead and it was becoming difficult to stand without his legs shaking under him. How much more of his life did Igneous need?

With the worst of the injuries out of the way, Lyrith slowed his pushing of life force into the red dragon, and moved his claws to the embedded spikes, to pry them out one by one. "You bastard. You really have changed. You aren't Savron anymore." The white dragon spat upon the ground.

Across the chamber Savron laughed, though it was a hallow laugh. "You don't know me, Lyrith! I haven't changed, you all have!"

Lyrith snarled and pulled himself away from Igneous – his wounds had closed up already, there wasn't much more he could do – and turned to Savron, only to stagger as the world spun about him. Bile rose up in his throat. Ancestors, it was all he could do not to throw up! How much of his life did he just use? There was no way he was going to be able to fight, as his legs felt like they had been molded from the stone he stood upon! Lyrith shook his head. That didn't matter, he had to speak.

"We changed?" The white let out a weak chuckle, tried to take a step forward and then nearly fell face first. Nope, no walking then. The white spoke, haltingly at first, but as he did his voice gained strength, until he was nearly shouting. "As if. Have you looked at yourself Sav? Do you see what you've done?" There, so he could talk at least. "I may not have known you very well, you ass, but I did respect you! You fought against bullies, you came to the aid of the downtrodden and you even asked me to join your gang, even when nobody else trusted me! You keep saying you haven't changed, but what else can you call this?"

It took all of Lyrith's effort to gesture to Igneous with his wing. He didn't have the strength to turn around and look at him.

Savron opened his muzzle to speak, and then he faltered as his eyes follow Lyrith's wing to the broken and bloody Igneous. The tension in the purple's shoulders faded. Lyrith pushed onwards and forced himself to fall another step forward, and catch himself with his paw.

"I get why you attacked me! Who hasn't attacked me? But Igneous? Tirren? TYPHOUS? That's not who you were! You protected us, you didn't try to kill or humiliate us!"

The purple dragon took several steps back, the rage melting away from his face, to be filled with something resembling confusion.

"No, I… he betrayed me, you betrayed me. I… I had to…" Savron shook his head, his voice now a mutter.

Lyrith threw himself another step forward and just barely caught himself again. He met Savron's eyes, his own red gaze narrowed. "He was like a brother to you! You were like a brother to him! Savron, you were a hero, and not just because you were Spyro and Cynder's son, but because you acted like one. You never would have done this. Can you really say you haven't changed when you did this to the person who meant most to you in the world?"

Savron's backside hit the wall and he fell to his haunches, staring at Igneous unblinkingly. "I… I wasn't like this before? No… no I wasn't. I loved hanging out with you guys, adventuring with you and… and helping you all out. I…" Savron shook his head, his gaze finally falling to the ground, his whole body hunched over. "What have I done? I would never attack Igneous, yet…"

Lyrith blinked. Wait, this was working? The clenching in Lyrith's chest faded, as did the tightness upon his brow. His next step came easier as the tiniest spark of light lit up in his red eyes.

"He's still alive, Sav. I don't think he's going to die. But he's in critical condition. If you come back with me now, we can fix this. I don't know what's happened to you, but it's not too late."

Savron met Lyrith's eyes and the white drake's heart jumped, just a tiny bit, at the sight of tears in the purple's eyes. Savron was silent for a moment, staring into Lyrith's gaze with eyes so full of confusion that the white actually felt his stomach clench and his smile waver. Ancestors, how pitiful these two had become.

The purple took a step forward, and then another towards Lyrith, his head starting to nod.

Then Savron screamed.

…

Pain lanced through Savron's head, along with a wave of anger and betrayal. Unable to take the sudden shift the purple crumpled to the ground, clamping his paws over his head. The voice echoed out from the darkness, filled with wrath Savron had never heard in it before.

"Are you really going to listen to him?"

Images flashed through Savron's head of the white lying with Tirren, pressed down over her prone form moaning along with her. Then the image emerged of the white standing before him for judgement, lying about having joined with Tirren when he so obviously had.

Through watering eyes Savron glanced up, to see Lyrith standing across from him. Rage shot through him again, but Savron did not grab hold of it. The white had stumbled forward another step, his eyes wide at the sight of his pitiful state. Another surge of rage swelled in Savron, this time bidden by him. Why did he have to see him like this?

"Sav? Is something wrong?"

"Every word from his muzzle is poison."

Savron clenched his fangs and forced his gaze over to the sight of Iggy. Oh poor Iggy, what had he done to you?

"But… but he's right…" Savron whined as he dug his claws into his own skull. The pain was all he deserved. "I didn't want to hurt Iggy, but I did! This isn't me!"

Lyrith had stopped, his head cocked as he stared at Savron. "Of course I'm right! But what in the Ancestors' name is going on? Who are you talking to…" As he spoke Lyrith's voice grew more and more distant, until the white's words could not be heard over the static in Savron's ears and the booming voice that echoed all around him.

"Don't listen to him, listen to me. A pitiful dragon like him has no right to tell a purple dragon how to act! A true purple has no regrets."

Savron shut his eyes, the weight in his head growing heavier by the moment. Ancestors it hurt. A maelstrom of emotion hammered at him, the twisted faces of his family and his former friends appearing before his eyes. What was going on? This wasn't right! Was he dreaming? This felt like one of his nightmares.

The purple dragon forced his eyes open and looked down at his paws. His purple scales had darkened and shadows darted across him. Shouldn't he feel fear? This wasn't normal. Rage bubbled forth again, and Savron felt that somehow the white was responsible, but he didn't know how, or why. These thoughts didn't make sense, as if they weren't his own.

Savron gasped out his words, fighting through the pain to speak. "What… what are you doing to me?"

Across from him Lyrith spoke, his red eyes having gone wide with panic, but nothing came out. There was only the silence.

"I'm just reminding you what you've forgotten. Are you really so weak willed that a few words from a lying wretch like him will actually break your resolve and make you trust him? You know you can't trust him, so why are you listening to him?"

Chains tightened around Savron's neck and limbs and he felt his breathing grow laboured. The chamber was growing dark, the glowing crystals fading from view. Shadows flickered faster over his scales and all of Savron's pushing only managed to slow it down. The pressure in the back of his mind grew stronger and bit by bit Savron could feel his thoughts giving way, to be replaced by the wave after wave of rage pouring over him. He was right, Savron couldn't trust Lyrith. The bastard deserved nothing more than fangs in his throat for all the manipulation he and the whore had done. Savron's eyes flickered to Igneous and some of the rage gave way. But Igneous… He shouldn't be mad at Igneous. Yet why did he want nothing more than to leave him to die?

"He burnt your face. Is that something a true friend would really do?"

Savron faltered, his brow furrowing. Lyrith had moved steadily towards him, his muzzle moving up and down without noise like a puppet, but Savron didn't focus his eyes on him, but rather on the claws of Igneous. He had burnt his face, hadn't he? Igneous had attacked him with the intention of seriously hurting him! But… hadn't he apologized after? Hadn't it been an accident? The purple dragon groaned and clutched his head, the pressure threatening to burst his eardrums. Why did he hurt so much? Why was the voice making him hurt so badly?

"Stop!" Savron called out, though he could barely hear his own voice. Through Savron's hazy vision Lyrith halted in his tracks, but Savron ignored him. "Whatever you're doing stop! It hurts! Let me go for a moment… I need to think."

"Savron!" came Lyrith's distant voice, almost completely vanished. "Snap out of it! You can…"

"I am just here to help you, Savron" the voice said in a low hiss. "I'm saving your life. Do you really think that after what you've done you'll be able to live a normal life? You nearly killed your friend! If you go back all that will happen will be that you are imprisoned in your cell again, or perhaps worse. And that is assuming Lyrith actually vouches for you. Of course, knowing how much he despises you, I doubt he will."

Savron clenched his fangs. He was right, he'd just end up trapped there again, this time with no friends to hang out with him, and without any hope of escape. He had left once already, and had harmed both Igneous and the bastard Lyrith.

But Igneous was in critical condition. If he didn't get help right now he might not survive! Lyrith wouldn't be able to get help or bring him back safely!

"Sleep, Savron," the voice whispered, the pressure now so great Savron felt his limbs begin to grow numb. "I'll take care of it all. You won't ever have to be afraid of them again."

"No," Savron whispered, as he felt his eyes begin to close. "I don't want to sleep… I…"

The darkness reached up, coiling around him and Savron didn't have the strength to resist any longer. He shut his eyes. It looked like he didn't have much choice now.

"What have you done, Savron?"

The darkness retreated and Savron's eyes snapped open. He turned, Lyrith following his gaze to stare at the two figures that stood by the entrance to the chamber. Cynder and Spyro stood, muzzles agape, eyes misty as they looked upon the blood soaked chamber and the prone form of Igneous. Spyro shook, his whole body quivering as he stared at Savron with shattered eyes. Cynder had her paws to her muzzle, in a failed effort to hide her disappointment.

"Oh Savron, no."

Savron's heart plummeted and struck the ground, breaking into a thousand pieces. Molten rage flowed into its place, filling the gap only to harden into iron. With teeth set and eyes of flint Savron looked to Lyrith, who looked between him and his parents with wide eyes and an agape muzzle. All the proof of guilt Savron needed.

Savron and the voice shouted in unison, Savron in rage, and the voice in glee.

"LIAR!"

Dardarax's Characters

Igneous, Inferna, Lyrith, Savron, Tirren, Typhous, Vash

Sorry for the one day delay! The editing took longer than I thought! I'll try to get it done earlier. =)

I do have good news though, and that's that I am finally participating in National Novel Writing Month, and I'm using this excuse to write as much Dark Legacy as I can, to catch myself up! The challenge has certainly helped keep my writing consistent. With luck this means I'll catch up on a few of the chapters I've fallen behind on. =D It also means that I hopefully will be able to do some of my original writing that I fell behind on! Overall I'm quite excited! I haven't felt inspiration like this for a while.

Chapter 38 will be posted on November 18th! And sorry about not having a disclaimer joke this time. But I can't do them all of the time or else you'll take them for granted. =P