"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" Malefor roared.
Rune could scarcely believe his eyes. F.. Father?
The black behemoth didn't respond to Malefor's fury. Instead, the beast remained stone-faced as he levitated into the air. By the black behemoth's power, The Nexus was harmlessly shifted out of the way of his massive form. Hundreds of dark dragons all throughout the city gaped in awe as the gigantic black dragon loomed overhead.
"ANSWER ME!" Malefor hissed in rage. "HOW DID YOU GAIN SUCH POWER?!"
Eventually Bane opened his maw, but in answer. Instead, a blast of Convexity blasted through the air and struck Malefor across the face. Malefor flinched from the blow, but stayed standing. Rune, meanwhile, cried out as the blast struck him across the left cheek. Rune clutched his face and shivered.
Oh, no… Rune sucked in a quick breath. If I could feel, that, then…
The purple behemoth spread his limbs out in a feral stance, his landing causing shockwaves to ring out across the ground. Malefor hissed in fury as Bane flapped his wings. When spoke, his voice rippled through the air with an intensity that rivaled Malefor's.
"I will give you one and only chance, Malefor." The black king said. "I won't let you destroy my people. Surrender, or die."
Malefor's response was to channel convexity all across his body and growl. "You may have gained newfound power, but I am Eternal! There will be no surrendering, and no mercy!"
"Then we will settle this, once and for all…" Bane extended his talons. "Who is the REAL Master of Darkness?"
He's going to kill us! Rune cried out in hororr.
Silence, you… The behemoth growled internally.
Malefor parted his jaws and unleashed a fierce blast of Convexity. The black behemoth retaliated with a convexity blast of his own. The two beams collided in the air, casting shades of purple across the sky. The beams fought violently against each other, moving back and forth as the two behemoths charged forward.
While Malefor was occupied, Bane held his right forepaw out to his side. A massive pool of darkness formed upon the ground, out of which came the hilt of his sword. With Bane's enormous surge of power, he willed the sword to grow many times its original size; it towered over several buildings, leaving many dragons frightened. But instead of grasping the handle, Bane commanded the sword to levitate into the sky. He then turned the blade toward the purple behemoth and sent it flying forward like a blade-tipped battering ram.
Malefor saw this coming, of course, and instinctively dodged out of the way. This allowed the convexity chain to break, and Bane's blast traveled forward and grazed Malefor across the side. The purple behemoth growled in aggravation, while Rune howled in pain in the purple's mind.
Bane used the distraction to slash at Malefor's face. However, Malefor dodged out of the way once again, and slashed the black behemoth's shoulder with his talons. Bane countered by attacking with convexity again. As the purple behemoth dodged this blow as well, Bane surrounded himself with a massive layer of purple lightning and mist. It took a great deal of concentration, but the black behemoth was able to vanish before Malefor's eyes.
"WHAT?!" Malefor's eyes.
Seconds later, an explosion of magic rang out behind Malefor. Bane had reappeared in another cloud of mist and struck the ground harshly. Malefor quickly whirled around and growled in fury.
Bane growled internally; it took a lot of effort to teleport his massive form so far; there would be no teleporting all the way to his final destination with the purple behemoth. He had to take his time… and let the convexity rebuild itself naturally. Flight was difficult as well; he had to rely on his gravity magic to keep himself afloat.
For a long while, the two giants battled each other: Claws tearing flesh, roars echoing across the outskirts, and Convexity blasting allover the place. Bane gradually backed up to head north, leading Malefor further and further away from Warfang. Bane needed to get Malefor all the way back to the Well of Souls. There was nowhere else to complete his plan.
"Hmm…" Malefor gave a growl. "Since you're so powerful, let's see how you deal with an army!"
Malefor inhaled quickly and struck the ground with a geyser of convexity from his maw. A great pool of the purple energy spread across the land, draining all life from it. Bane watched as a multitude of beasts broke apart from the dirt and rose upward… Grublins.
The tiny creatures swarmed around Bane like enraged, mutated hornets. The black behemoth did his best to blast them into ashes to focus on Malefor. But Malefor took this time to cup his forepaws together and create a purple aura around them. The purple behemoth then struck the ground, creating the biggest quake he'd ever done. Bane lost his balance and fell onto the ground. Malefor laughed manically as he slashed and clawed at the black behemoth's sides.
As Bane withstood a multitude of slashes, he channeled his magic once again. He exploded in a cloud of purple mist like before, and emerged several dozen feet away. He then called upon more of his convexity to fire several concussive blasts in Malefor's direction. The purple behemoth took to the sky, flying over the attacks and charging straight for Bane. He slashed at the black behemoth's face as he flew past, leaving a long gash along the side of Bane's lips. Bane growled and spat blood on the ground, but he wasn't about to let that get the better of him. Malefor landed with a massive thud a short distance up ahead. Bane spat more blood as he spread his wings and chased after the purple behemoth.
He's practically leading the way at this point.
~~…~~
Cyrus had been brought into one of the lower bedchambers of the fortress. He's clambered over to the windowsill and gazed outside to watch the ensuing chaos. The prince couldn't believe his eyes when he first beheld Bane's newly-heightened state.
"Unbelievable…" Cyrus rubbed his eyes and flapped his wings. "Was that really dad?"
Gathered in the room with him were Urobos, Wraith, Albanion and Elza. They took the time to peer out of the windows to watch as the two behemoths did battle.
"It's incredible." Albanion said. "So, that was Baneth's plan to defeat Malefor the whole time?"
"Fight monstrosity with monstrosity…" Urobos shuddered quietly.
"But how did he pull it off?" Wraith asked as he scratched behind his ear frill. "After all my years of studying magic, I've never heard of a spell to turn oneself into a giant. Not without becoming corrupted, I guess."
"Didn't you see that surge of magic from across the city?" Elza asked. "It seems to me like the source of the newfound power is obvious."
"Gaining power is more complicated than that." Wraith wracked his forepaws in the stone. "There needs to be proper channeling, conduits, a measurement of skill…"
"Maybe he got a little help from Lord Spyro." Albanion said. "It's possible that he gave Bane a bit of his power for the fight."
"Is Lord Spyro really that powerful?" Wraith asked.
"I wouldn't put it past him…" Urobos sighed.
Cyrus sighed as well. With en eye cast toward his companions to make sure they weren't watching, the black dragon prince carefully opened his windowsill… Before it was promptly slammed shut by a gust of wind.
"Cyrus, what are you doing?" Elza demanded.
"I need to follow after them." Cyrus declared. As he expected, the four adult dragons recoiled in surprise.
"What?!" Wraith exclaimed.
"You most certainly are NOT!" Elza snapped.
"Yes I am!" Cyrus shouted.
"Haven't you done ENOUGH traipsing around unprotected for one lifetime?" Albanion scolded. "You're staying where we can watch you!"
"I don't want Rune getting killed!" Cyrus shouted. "Malefor may have possessed him, but that's still Rune in that body! I need to stop Dad before he kills my brother, and I'm not letting any of you stop me!"
"Cyrus, no!" Urobos snapped.
"Your father told you that it's too dangerous!" Wraith yelled.
"I DON'T CARE!" The Prince exclaimed.
"PRINCE CYRUS!" Elza screamed. "IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU-!"
Before any of the adults could say or do anything else, the world turned blue and froze in place; Cyrus had called upon his Time element. Thanks to the boost in power, it was now much easier to keep it going. Cyrus looked between the faces of the three Deep Shadows. Wraith and Albanion were furious, while Elza looked just a bit heartbroken. Urobos was downright heartbroken by Cyrus's desires. Cyrus didn't like having to leave them behind… but he had to get going. He turned around, opened the window, spread his wings, and took off into the sky.
By the time the spell wore off, Cyrus was long gone.
"-DON'T CARE!" Elza finished screaming. She then gasped in surprise when she found that the prince had vanished.
"Where'd he go?" Urobos exclaimed.
Albanion groaned and brought a forepaw to his face. "Time magic."
"Oh, damnit…" Wraith scowled.
Elza ran forward to leap through the window, but Albanion suddenly gripped her shoulder. "Wait!"
"What?!" Elza looked at Albanion incredulously. "We can't just let him fly off into danger!"
"I know…" Albanion sighed. "But it's dangerous for you, too."
"But she is the fastest among all of us." Urobos said. "Here, let me lend you a paw…"
The old black dragon stepped forward and placed a forepaw atop Elza's. Urobos shut his eyes, and allowed the font of his dark energy to flow across their bodies. Elza stiffened as she felt herself filled with newfound power. When Urobos let go, the dragoness stepped back and flapped her wings; gusts of wind were summoned forth in their wake.
"Thank you, Lord Urobos." She said with a smile. "I can definitely catch the prince now."
"Elza…" Albanion pulled Elza close and planted a kiss on her muzzle. Elza's eyes widened, but she soon relaxed and kissed him back. Wraith watched the two dragons embrace each other, while Urobos just sighed.
"Please… come back to me." Albanion whispered into her ear frill. "Don't get yourself killed."
"I'll be fine… I promise." Elza whispered back. "And so will Bane and Cyrus."
Albanion mournfully let go of the wind dragoness, who spread her wings and took off into the sky. She flew off through the air at incredible speed as she chased after the two distant behemoths.
"Good luck, Elza." Wraith said uneasily.
~~…~~
Elenar and the Deep Shadows watched in awe as Bane led Malefor further and further away from Warfang. Even as they went further and further north, Elenar couldn't help but watch with dread.
"The king's become nigh-unstoppable!" Grail declared. "The day is as good as his!"
"I'm afraid that it isn't that simple, General." Said the ethereal voice of Spyro from behind. The others turned to watch as the purple spirit wracked his talons on the glyphs around him.
"Baneth is still mortal; his flesh and blood may now be permeated with magic, but the wounds will linger on his normal body when it sends." Spyro rumbled. "And if he fails… then Malefor will have a new source of power to feast on."
Elenar flinched. It couldn't end like that… it shouldn't end like that.
"Then what can we do?" Rose asked worriedly.
"…What do you think?" Elenar asked in a commanding voice. All eyes were on the queen as she turned around and took a regal stance. "We rally all the people of Warfang to rebuild and regroup, just in case Malefor launches another attack."
"But my queen, every dragon in the dark army is already pulling double-time." Grail said.
Elenar sneered. "I said ALL the dragons of Warfang, General."
Grail balked. Aegis and Lilith exchanged curious glances. Rose grimaced, and Dona stood at the very back, like always.
"Am I being too vague?" Elenar demanded. "All of the beings who were imprisoned are to be set free, so they can begin strengthening Warfang's defense. That means light dragons AND non-dragons."
"Even the Order of Culmubrae?" Grail snapped. "Even the dragons who KILLED YOU?"
Elenar's muzzle twitched, and she turned to snarl at the General. Grail's eye widened at the fury in the shadowy dragoness's gaze.
"Fine, keep the Order in chains." She said. "But everyone else, even the dragons who hate us for what's been done to Warfang… they are to go FREE." She stamped her paw. "By order of the Queen!"
"Y-Yes, my Queen." Grail sheepishly nodded. He backed up and looked toward the other Deep Shadows. "Well, y-you heard her. Let's gather up the high-ranking officers and head to the cells to release the… prisoners."
Aegis, Lilith and Rose were slightly amused as they stepped forward to take off from the balcony. Grail left after them, while Elenar sat back and sighed in relief; that was one less issue to worry about.
The sound of a throat clearing behind the queen made her gasp. She turned around and was shocked to see Dona approach with a sneer. Elenar became acutely aware that the seven years that Elenar had missed, had given this shadowy dragoness increased height.
"Dona…" Elenar said with a soft expression. "I should have known you'd remain behind." She put on her more regal expression. "Why haven't you gone with the others to free the prisoners?"
"Hmph." Dona looked down her muzzle at the queen. "I can shadow-jump after them when I feel like it." She lowered her head to give the queen a glare. "You and I have some unfinished business."
"This isn't the time, Dona." Elenar snapped. "Don't you realize that we need to restore Warfang?"
"Oh, of course I do…" Dona snorted. "But I have a score to settle…" She stretched out her limbs and used her muzzle to point down to her sides, which were covered by her dark robes. But Elenar knew exactly what Dona was pointing at.
"You and I have a power struggle to deal with in due time, Queenie-poo." Dona gave a scowl.
Elenar's muzzle twitched. She was about to get into some fiery words… only for Spyro to abruptly clear his throat, catching the attention of both dragonesses.
"Save whatever this is for later." Spyro said. "There's work to be done, Elenar."
"Yes, of course…" Elenar stepped away from Dona and spread her wings to take off. "Come, we have to-"
"Wait!" Called the voice of Urobos, much to the trio's surprise. The aged black dragon burst onto the balcony and panted heavily. Elenar quickly rushed to Urobos's side, while Dona looked down her muzzle at him.
"Urobos?" Spyro asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"Prince Cyrus…" The aged dragon panted heavily as Elenar helped him up. "Has run off after Baneth."
"What?!" Elenar exclaimed, eyes flying wide.
"Oh, blast it all…" Spyro rumbled irritably. "Why didn't you stop him, Urobos?"
"The boy has gained newfound power with time." Urobos grimaced. "I gave a boost of energy to Elza to chase after him, but I fear that that she won't be enough to ensure his safety."
No, no, no… Elenar wracked her talons, and a chill ran up and down her spine. How could he do this? How could he..?
That's when a familiar presence came to Elenar's mind. She took a deep breath and sat back on her haunches. When she exhaled, a pool of darkness formed under her paws. Dona and Urobos looked upon the queen curiously.
"Elenar?" Spyro asked curiously. "Going somewhere?"
"…Don't worry about Cyrus." Elenar said. "I will assist Elza."
"But you can't fly fast enough to keep up; not without wind magic." Urobos said. "And we've all exhausted our fonts of power."
"…Not all of us." Elenar gave the aged dragon a wink. "One more player has joined the game."
And with that said, Elenar sank down into her shadow. The pool quickly sealed itself up after her, and she was gone. Urobos fell back onto his haunches in bewilderment.
"One more player…" Urobos glanced suspiciously at Spyro, who gave him a knowing look. Urobos just sighed and stood up to head back inside.
"Cynder."
~~…~~
Bane and Malefor clashed for what felt like hours as they made their way north.
The purple behemoth crashed upon the shore of the frozen landscape; Bane had just blasted him across the waters. He delivered several more blasts to frustrate his enemy, as he lunged forward to drift over the mountain range. Malefor roared furiously as he chased after him, purple flames engulfing his wings.
When Bane made an attempt to slash upwards across Malefor's chest, the purple Behemoth dodged to the side. He flew underneath and around Bane, before grabbing his tale in a forepaw and one of his wings in the other. Malefor stabbed through Bane's wing membrane with his talons, tracing wide tears and scattering black-tipped blood upon the snow. As Bane roared in anger, Malefor tossed him downward toward the mountains below.
Bane crashed violently into the sides of several mountains, causing them to rumble and crack. As the purple behemoth closed in to attack again, Bane held his forepaws out to channel his convexity. This power than surged outward at the landscape in all directions. Right as Malefor got close, part of one of the nearby mountains broke free and collided with the side of his face. Several more chunks of the mountains burst forth and pummeled the beast repeatedly.
Malefor hissed in anger as blood spilled from his damaged muzzle. While the behemoth was distracted, Bane sprang into action. He grabbed Malefor's horns and slammed the beast's face into the side of a mountain. Bane then slammed Malefor's face against another mountain a short distance away, and then the first one again. Malefor managed to break free by blasting Bane's underbelly with a convexity beam. He then grabbed part of a mountain, ripped it off, and smashed it against the Bane's snout. Now the both of them were bloody-faced.
As the battle ensued, Cyrus watched it take place from afar.
The prince had never flown so fast in his life. His wind element was near-limitless as he sped across the skies. And whenever he fell too far behind the behemoths, he switched to freezing time to give himself room to catch up. Unfortunately, all that time magic meant he'd lost all sense of time. The moons never budging in the heavens didn't help matters either. What time was it?
He didn't have long to think about that, as he watched the two behemoths slash and claw at each other on their way north.
Incredible... The young dragon's jaw fell open in awe. I've never seen a battle like this!
Bane continued leading Malefor north. The purple behemoth was always close behind, trying to blast the black beast with convexity.
Bane flew left and right, doing his best to dodge the blasts as he led Malefor to Mount Erebus. Unfortunately, one of the blasts managed to blast a hole in one of Bane's wings, throwing him off balance. Bane hissed as he struggled to keep his balance. Malefor used this opportunity to blast Bane in the back of the head with another Convexity beam, sending him crashing into the ground a second time.
"No!" Cyrus shouted.
Bane crashed onto the snow; the back of his mane stained with blood. However, the black behemoth was still conscious. But while he was distracted, Malefor landed on top of him and grabbed the base of the Bane's right wing between his fangs. He proceeded to tear at in an attempt to rip it off. Bane roared in anger as blood pooled around Malefor's mouth.
"Come on, Dad!" The Prince pleaded. "Don't let him beat you!"
Thinking quickly, Bane called upon his magic. A great pool of darkness emerged in the sky, out of which flew his sword. The sword flew through the air and stabbed Malefor in the side. The purple behemoth howled in pain, letting go of Bane's wing in the process. summoned his sword, and used it stab Malefor in the side. The White Behemoth roared in pain, letting go of Bane's wing in the process. Bane then struck Malefor's belly and pushed him off.
"Alright!" Cyrus cheered. "Way to go, Dad!"
The Prince's father didn't hear a word of this: He was too far away.
Now free again, Bane rolled over onto feet, shaking the ground in the process. He faced Malefor, who lay on his back. In a split second, Bane grabbed the beast's neck with both forepaws, lifted his head, and slammed it down against the side of a mountain. He then lifted the purple behemoth's head again and repeated the motion multiple times. Several of Malefor's nine horns cracked in the process. One of them, the horn second from the right, had broken in half. However, Malefor saw this as an opportunity. He grabbed the horn shard off the ground and immediately blasted Bane with convexity in the belly. While the black behemoth was stunned, Malefor drove the pointed edge of the horn shard into Bane's left eye. Bane howled in pain as purple light spurted from the wound.
"You cheater!" The young dragon screamed in anger.
Malefor slashed the black behemoth across the face, knocking him to the side. The purple behemoth followed this up by blasting Bane with convexity yet again, sending him reeling backwards several dozen yards. The black behemoth opened his one good eye and saw Malefor charging at him. Bane summoned his sword yet again. He sent it flying towards the purple behemoth while firing a blast of convexity at him at the same time. As the two attacks charged at Malefor, he jumped into the path of the Convexity and fired his own blast at it. This created another bridge between them. Unbeknownst to Malefor, Bane's sword curved upwards, flying high into the air.
As the Convexities pulsed back and forth, Malefor stomped forward; he intended to shorten the distance between the two beams. Meanwhile, Bane made his sword swing in an arc, fly downwards, and land in front of Malefor's beam. He started walking forwards towards Bane, intending to shorten the distance between the two beams. Meanwhile, Bane made his sword swing in an arc, fly downwards, and land in front of Malefor's beam. The silver blade acted as a mirror as Bane flew up and away from the purple behemoth. Once Malefor realized what had happened, he angrily smacked the sword to the side: it vanished into dark energy as it fell. Malefor got up and chased after Bane, who left a trail of blood in his wake.
"Hey, wait up!" Cyrus shouted, shooting forwards with his wind element again.
Bane led Malefor closer and closer to Mount Erebus, with the Prince tagging along in hot pursuit. And far in last place, Elza was racing forward at high speed. She panted as she struggled to keep control of her wind magic.
~~…~~
Pain. Horrible, unending Pain. Rune never imagined this kind of torment existed.
Everything that happened to Malefor in the battle, Rune was forced to suffer in turn. The difference was that Malefor used his magic to heal himself, while Rune was left to feel everything. Every cut, burn, slash, scrape, bleeding wound, head trauma… It just wouldn't end.
He felt as though the bones in his face were horribly mangled. He could feel the metal-tasting blood pouring into his mouth, and allover his body. Every muscle ached. He was too tired to stand, or even sit up. He just lied on the floor of the void in agony, a river of tears flowing from his eyes. Why was his father doing this to him? Did Bane even KNOW that Rune was suffering?
Make it stop... He whimpered.
What are you crying about? Malefor demanded. His demonic eyes appeared overhead in Rune's mind.
Make it stop... please...
The purple dragon sneered in disgust.
No.
Why…?
Crying and begging for mercy seem to be the only things you're good at. Malefor scowled. I might as well leave you to do it.
But...
Your suffering will be all over soon anyway. Malefor added.
What do you mean?
It won't be long before you fade away into my power. Consider it an act of mercy; you won't feel yourself ever again.
And with that, Malefor left Rune alone in his agony. Rune curled up in a ball as more wounds sprang up along his body.
Father… I know you can't hear me right now… Rune shut his eyes and cried. But please… let it end. Even if I have to die… I just want the pain to end.
~~…~~
Mount Erebus was now only about a few hundred yards away.
Bane had almost lead Malefor to the mountain. Along the way, he had managed to weaken the purple behemoth, forcing him to use part of his magic to heal himself. The black behemoth healed himself as well, although not to peak health. He still ached all over, and his eye was still stabbed through with a chunk of Malefor's horn. But that didn't matter. All he had to do was get Malefor close enough...
As the two massive dragons dueled, Cyrus watched the spectacle from high above in the sky. The Prince shivered in the cold mountain atmosphere.
"Damnit..." He complained, rubbing his forelegs allover his hind ones. "I really wish I had the fire element right about now..."
While Bane was distracted, Malefor managed to get close enough to grab hold of the black behemoth's tale with both forepaws, sinking his talons into his flesh. As Bane roared in annoyance, the White Behemoth started spinning clockwise in midair, using Bane's own weight against him to gain speed. Malefor used his magic to go even faster, spinning the black behemoth through the air like a gigantic top. He then suddenly stopped and let go, sending Bane hurtling across the air, towards Mount Erebus. Bane wasn't able to stop himself.
Bane violently crashed into the side of a mountain, causing it and the mountains around it to crack, and the ground to shake for a great distance around the crash site. Bane had landed on his back: The bones in his wings were broken. He withheld the urge to roar in pain.
"By the Ancestors!" Cyrus shouted, still shivering.
Suddenly, Malefor crashed down on top of Bane, the purple behemoth using his legs to pin down Bane's limbs and breaking the upper parts of each one, rendering them useless. Bane gritted his fangs in rage. Malefor then backed up a short distance, and then grabbed Bane's chest, lifting the black behemoth into the air above him. Bane's limbs dangled helplessly as Malefor hefted him up and knelt back as far as he could without dropping him. The purple behemoth charged up a bit of energy in his forelegs, and tossed Bane towards the mountains at record speed. Bane crashed right through them, like a boulder smashing through grass.
"NO!" The Prince cried out in horror.
Bane landed on his back before the very mountain he wanted to bring Malefor to: Mount Erebus. Despite his and Malefor's monstrous sizes, the mountain was still a towering monolith before him.
I'm here… Bane thought as he numbed his pain. Now I only need to subdue Malefor..
Bane heard the purple behemoth charging forwards, so he started building up a blast of Convexity in his mouth, waiting for the time to strike. Malefor tried jumping upon Bane again, but the black behemoth opened his maw as soon as Malefor's face got within range. The purple behemoth was struck point-blank with a burst of convexity. Malefor roared as he fell atop Bane. Malefor fell atop Bane, who used his magic to mend his bones. Once they were healed, the black behemoth pushed his opponent off to the side.
Bane quickly got to his paws, spread his wings, and lifted off into the air. He held his right forepaw out and summoned his sword once again. This time, he charged it with convexity, causing the blade to glow deep purple. The sword also started to grow longer and wider: what was once a simple one-handed blade and transformed into a two-handed broadsword.
"Wow..." The young dragon was dumbstruck. "I didn't know he could do that!"
The black behemoth turned and faced Mount Erebus. He held the blade flat, parallel to the ground, and drove it into the side of the mountain. The sword went deep into the mountain, so that only the hilt was still sticking out. At about this time, Malefor had healed the damage to his face and had gotten back onto his feet, snarling with rage. Bane abandoned his sword and turned to fight the purple behemoth back. He needed no distraction if he was going to destroy the mountain.
~~…~~
Bane and Malefor were locked in combat, clawing and biting at each other. Now that the black behemoth had gotten started on destroying the mountain, he needed to reserve his magic. So, he relied on his physical strength and prowess to render Malefor unable to fight, for as much time as possible.
At one point, Bane landed a lucky blow against Malefor's neck. As the purple behemoth gagged, the Black Giant grabbed his face with a paw and slammed it against the side of a mountain. He then struck Malefor in the back of the neck, where it met his head. Malefor howled and went limp for a moment.
"Don't forget, Malefor!" Bane roared. "No matter how much you've twisted and corrupted it, you still possess the body of a CHILD!"
Bane then turned around and grabbed the sword hilt, magic charged into his forepaws at the same time. Once Bane grabbed the hilt, he unleashed the magic. The power charged up the sword, and a beam of convexity exploded out from the tip. The convexity ripped through the mountain and blasted a hole through the other side. Everything rumbled and shook, and the mountain groaned. Bane gripped the hilt tightly and pulled it forward across the side of the mountain. The hole on the other side was made wider and wider, and the ground shook even more.
"What in the world is he doing?" Cyrus wondered.
After a moment of doing this, Bane heard Malefor get back onto his feet; he'd recovered quickly, and was none too pleased. Bane stopped what he was doing and turned to face his enemy once again. Malefor fired another blast of convexity at Bane, who dodged to the side. The purple beam continued on its path and struck the side of the mountain, creating a large crater. As this happened, Bane charged forwards and tackled Malefor, sending the two dragons flying forwards, away from the mountain several dozen yards
"You wretched dog!" Malefor hissed.
Bane grabbed Malefor and smashed his head into the ground, breaking a few more of his horns. To keep him down longer, the black behemoth grabbed the purple's head again and smashed it against the ground a few more times, causing the formation of a small creator. He then let go of the behemoth and galloped back to the mountain.
Bane grabbed the hilt and repeated what he did before, cutting a wider hole across the midsection of the mountain. Once he made it about two-thirds across, the mountain started to shake and rumble.
The mountain is becoming unstable. Soon, the giant, hollow pillar of stone will fall off of the top.
In the meantime, Cyrus became more and more shocked and amazed by what his father was doing. His increasing excitement caused his body heat to rise.
"He's destroying the mountain?!" The young dragon cupped his forepaws over his maw.
Bane stopped what he was doing and turned to face Malefor again. He wasn't fully recovered yet, but Bane didn't want to take any chances. The black behemoth charged at his opponent and beat him down relentlessly. Slash after slash, head butt after head butt. Malefor's eyes shut, and he went limp. At first, he thought he had knocked his enemy unconscious. But then, a brilliant purple aura surrounded Malefor's body. The beast snarled malevolently as Bane leaped back.
Malefor was calling upon a fury!
No, not now! Bane gasped. He summoned up his own convexity in the hopes of shielding himself behind a Paling.
High above, Cyrus realized what was about to happen as well. The prince immediately swerved around and flew away from the battle to avoid getting killed in the blast.
In the meantime, the purple behemoth got to his feet, completely healed. He turned and glared at Bane maliciously.
"Feel the wrath of the DARK MASTER!" He bellowed.
Bane ran back to the mountainside and started tearing at the upper part of the slot he had made in the mountain with his sword. He did anything he could to cause the mountain to fall forwards. Malefor took fierce stomps toward the black behemoth, the fury in his scales ready to burst forth.
Bane grabbed his sword and did his best to finish the cut through the mountain. Suddenly, Malefor shoved the black behemoth hard against the mountainside, cracking it greatly. Malefor then pinned Bane to the ground before the mountain. The white behemoth glared into Bane's eye, his own ones filled with evil intent.
"Did you really think pulling me back here was a good distraction?" Malefor taunted. He drove his talons into Bane's flesh, making him scream in agony. "You foolish little king. No amount of bided time can prepare the dragons of Warfang." He leaned down to snap at Bane's ear frill, tearing pieces of it away. "Once I'm done with you, I'll go right back to starting my RAMPAGE!"
Suddenly, a great rumbling noise filled the area. The damage that was dealt to the mountain was finally too much for it to bear. The Mountain started falling forwards towards the two behemoths.
"WHAT!?" Malefor's eyes widened.
The purple beast got off of Bane and pressed his paws against the gigantic slab, trying to stop its descent. Now free, Bane got to his feet and pulled his sword free of the mountain. He slid the blade from stone and tossed it to the side, before backing away and leaving Malefor to deal with the mountain himself.
Seeing no other way to escape, Malefor charged up his convexity once again. He gave a powerful howl as his body glowed a brilliant shimmer of purple. Bane had to shield his eyes as he fled the immediate area.
A powerful explosion deafened the king as Malefor unleashed his Convexity Fury.
A gigantic purple sphere of energy erupted out of Malefor's body and exploded outwards. The force of the blast was so great that Bane was knocked off his paws and sent rolling away. The falling Mountain slab was engulfed in the energy, dissolving into nothingness upon impact. The side of the base of the Mountain was greatly damaged as well, and a good number of surrounding Mountains were completely destroyed.
~~…~~
Once Malefor's Convexity Fury had ended, Bane looked around.
The clouds above them had vanished. Snow was replaced by dirt all around. The Mountains around the area were completely obliterated. The only mountain that remained was Mount Erebus, and it was reduced to a fraction of its original size. Its top was now a flat surface, wide enough for both behemoths to stand on, in theory. However, the hole in the center that was part of the Great Chasm still remained.
Cyrus had managed to fly far out of harm's way. He then turned to head back to the area to see what became of the two behemoths. He saw that both behemoths were still alive.
Thank the ancestors... He sighed in relief.
Bane glanced at Malefor, and gasped. He had expected the purple behemoth to be lying on the ground, tired. Instead, he was quickly charging up energy with that same sardonic grin.
"Did you think that I would use ALL of my power for that attack?" He laughed. Bane didn't respond.
Malefor was still powerful, but he was weakened. All that was left was to get him in place...
Bane charged his energy, giving a show to Malefor to prove that the king wasn't through fighting either. He then summoned his sword, which was still in its purple broadsword form, and flew forwards at his enemy. Malefor fired a barrage of convexity blasts at Bane. The black behemoth used his sword as a mirror yet again, redirecting each blast in a different direction away from either of them. Bane then tackled Malefor, sending the two flying forwards against Mount Erebus's side.
In the meantime, Cyrus realized what his father was about to do, and started flying closer in. "I've got to stop him!"
The Prince used his wind element to augment his speed yet again, moving as fast as he could.
Bane grabbed Malefor and tossed him on top Mount Erebus. Bane jumped into the air and started blasting the purple behemoth repeatedly with a volley of convexity blasts, hitting him multiple times on various parts of his body. Bane then lifted his sword up for the finishing blow...
...When a young dragon flew right up to the Black Giant's face.
"STOP!" He screamed. "DON'T KILL RUNE!"
Bane was dumbstruck.
"Cyrus?!" He asked, becoming enraged. "What are you DOING here?!"
This was all the distraction Malefor needed.
The purple behemoth fired a Convexity beam at Bane's chest, sending him reeling backwards and out of the sky. The king roared in pain as he collided with the ground a good distance away, his sword crashing to the ground before Mount Erebus.
"DAD, NO!" Cyrus shouted, horrified.
"Stupid little dragon." Malefor grinned.
Without warning, the white behemoth leapt upwards, snatching the young dragon out of the sky with his right forepaw. He then proceeded to slowly crush the life out of the young dragon. Cyrus screamed in pain as he fought to free himself.
"LET ME GO!" He demanded, tears flowing from the pain. The prince tried sinking his talons and fangs into the side of Malefor's talon, but it was no use.
"Your interference has cost your father greatly, stupid little boy." Malefor laughed again.
Across the way, Bane struggled to get back onto his feet. "PUT MY SON DOWN!"
"I could very easily swallow this little dragon whole..." Malefor replied. "...But I have a much better idea."
The White Behemoth instantly charged forwards, ramming into the weakened Bane at incredible speed. Malefor then rolled the black behemoth onto his back, and forced his mouth open. Bane struggled to break free, but Malefor behemoth struck him in the stomach, wounding him again. Bane couldn't help but roar in pain.
Malefor then held his right forepaw over the black behemoth's open maw, and tossed Cyrus inside. The purple behemoth clasped his enemy's mouth shut immediately afterwards.
"Swallow him!" Malefor declared. "Consume your son!"
Bane, quite horrified with what had just happened, fought with all his might to break out of Malefor's hold and spit Cyrus out, but the purple behemoth used both of his forepaws to cover the king's maw and tilt his neck back, trying to force his enemy to swallow. All the while, the young dragon had grabbed onto Bane's tongue and held on for dear life. Talons dug into Bane's tongue, drawing blood and filling the king's maw with a metallic, disgusting taste. However, the sliminess of the tongue caused Cyrus to lose his grip shortly afterwards, and he tumbled backwards towards the back of the king's throat.
"Please don't eat me!" Cyrus begged.
Bane continued to fight, swinging his forelegs madly about and struggling to twist his body around to break free of Malefor's grip.
But in the end, it was in vain. After a short moment, Malefor managed to force the Bane to swallow his son whole.
"It is done!" Malefor exclaimed. He let go of his enemy and knocked him backward, a triumphant grin on his face.
Horror and disgust wracked Bane's mind. He spread himself out on all fours and tried desperately to self-induce vomiting to rescue Cyrus. He could hear the young dragon thrashing about and screaming in fear within his belly.
Dad, PLEASE, let me out! The young dragon pleaded in his mind. I'm sorry I followed you! Please, don't do this to me!
Bane was horrified; he couldn't even form words to speak. He struck himself in the stomach several times to make himself retch. He tried calling on his magic to reach out to Cyrus, but a blast from Malefor distracted his focus.
"How delightful this turn of events has been." Malefor stated as he charged up his magic yet again. "I have conquered your mate in the afterlife, turned one of your sons into my minion, and forced you to devour your other son. I swore I would exact my vengeance upon you all that time ago, and Oh, how I have!"
Bane had had enough of this wretched creature's taunting. He lifted his head to glare and snarl at the purple behemoth. His entire being became fueled by rage. Malefor would pay! For everything he'd ever done to his entire family!
Fueled by rage, the black behemoth unleashed the mightiest, most ear-splitting roar of his entire life. It was so loud that it stunned Malefor in place.
Without warning, Bane charged forwards, ramming into Malefor and sending him flying backwards. The purple behemoth crashed onto the top of Mount Erebus once again. Bane then started blasting Malefor with a multitude of convexity blasts allover the behemoth's body. Malefor tried to fight back, but Bane's assault was relentless, his every blow fueled by blind fury of both metaphorical AND literal kind.
Then came the final blows. Bane grabbed Malefor's head, jabbing his thumb talon between the purple behemoth's eyes in the process. Bane lifted Malefor's head up, and brought it crashing downwards, shattering the rock beneath the purple behemoth's head, and breaking most of his horns in the process. Malefor tried to grab at Bane, but the king retrieved his sword, lifted it upwards, and used the flat end of the blade to smash the bones in Malefor's upper left foreleg. He then immediately swung the sword and crushed the opposite foreleg. Malefor howled in pain. Lastly, Bane lifted his sword up, levitated into the air, and came crashing down, stabbing the purple behemoth's belly with the sword, running it right through his flesh.
But this wasn't a killing blow: Bane was careful with his sword, running it through in such a way that it slipped right between Malefor's organs and stopped before it damaged the spine.
Blood started pouring all over Malefor's hide, staining his scales and underbelly. He looked up at Bane, confused and angered.
"What do you intend to do?" Malefor asked, still enraged.
"I despise you with every fiber of my being." Bane sneered. "However, I know you are only manipulating my son and acting through him. I will not allow you to possess him any longer, Malefor, nor will I allow you to do any more harm to my family, or any other dragon, ever again."
Bane surrounded himself with an aura of black and purple magic. The same happened to the blade of his sword as well.
"What are you..?" Malefor asked.
Suddenly, the purple behemoth gasped. He started glowing with convexity again. but he wasn't controlling the energy. Malefor's convexity started merging with the energy of the sword, which in turn merged with Bane's aura. The king was using his sword to drain Malefor's convexity into himself.
"STOP!" The White Behemoth demanded.
As Malefor's convexity was drained form him, his entire body began to break down into wild purple energy. The beast screamed in agony as he began to shrink. Meanwhile, Bane started growing larger, and his body started pulsing with energy. The horn in his eye dissolved, and the eye was healed.
"DAAAAAAAMN YOUUUUUUUUUU!" Malefor screamed. And that was the last thing he said.
Soon, Malefor's energy became smaller and smaller as the convexity was drained from him. Eventually, it turned black, and shrunk to the point where it was lying just in front of Bane's sword. As this happened, Bane grew to a new Gargantuan size. He had completely taken over Malefor's convexity. The aura surrounding Bane's eyes dissipated; they had taken on a sickening yellow color with demonic irises.
~~…~~
Bane shook where he was standing. It was a struggle to remain in control of the power.
He now contained Malefor's spirit within him, along with all of his essence. It was trying to merge with the convexity that Bane already had stored: The evil dragon was trying to take control.
Bane glanced down at the body that Malefor had left behind. It was Rune; the youngling had returned to his true form of a small black dragon. He seemed no more than an ant now, lying unconscious before his gigantic father. Bane sighed in pity; every single wound that Bane had inflicted upon Malefor remained as a hideous scar on Rune.
Deep within the black behemoth, Cyrus was still struggling to keep himself alive. He cried out in pain as Bane's stomach acid burned his hide.
Please let me out, Dad! He screamed. I don't want to die!
The Black Giant shed some tears.
I will release you soon enough, my son. He thought. Just hold on for a short moment.
Bane reached out and grabbed his sword hilt. He then spread his wings and levitated upwards. He lifted the sword up, ready for the killing blow. And then, he swung it down, stabbing himself in the chest, right through his heart and out his back between his wings.
As he crashed downwards onto his hind legs, the magic within him started to break apart. He then fell forwards, his body exploding into purple-and-black magic upon impact. The stone slab that was the roof of Mount Erebus then crumbled inwards. Rune's unconscious form fell through the mountain stone beneath him as it broke into pieces.
As the stomach lining around Cyrus started turning into pure magic, the young dragon suddenly found himself plummeting through the air. He screamed as he fell, unable to right himself and fly to safety.
Bane and his two sons fell downwards into the mountain, landing in the chamber of the Well of Souls.
~~…~~
Bane crashed down onto the southernmost platform in the Pit chamber.
The Well of Souls had remained completely unharmed by the mountain's destruction, although it was now exposed to the elements. His gigantic body had dissolved when he stabbed himself. The only energy that remained within him was Malefor's convexity, which was in a weakened state. Bane's body was still midnight black, but it was pulsing with a purple aura.
Bane's eyes were still yellow and demonic. He could feel Malefor in the corner of his mind trying to take over, but Bane was fighting back. He still had the hole in his chest where he had landed the blow to his heart, though Malefor was using his energy to try and heal the wounds. The purple dragon was fighting to keep from dying, and the black dragon was fighting to force him into submission.
Keep it together… Bane told himself. You are the master, not him…
"Lord Bane!" Cried a familiar voice. With a gasp of surprise, the king turned toward the sky. Elza, of all dragons, spiraled around and came to a rough landing on the surface of the platform. She panted heavily and forced herself to stand up tall.
"Elza, what are you doing here?" Bane demanded.
"I was chasing after…" The dragoness momentarily froze in fright as she looked upon his distorted eyes. She shook her head and focused. "I was coming after Cyrus. I saw the explosion… where is he?"
Bane snorted, and looked over at his sons. Rune's body was still horribly wounded, but Bane had been able to keep him from being crushed in the fall. Off to the side, Cyrus lay unconscious on the stone floor as well, parts of his scales badly damaged and bleeding from being trapped in Bane's stomach.
"By the ancestors…" Elza cupped a wing over her muzzle. "I… I failed again."
"No, you haven't." The king said. He walked forward and sat down before his two sons.
"Oh, my sons..." He said sadly; his voice had returned to normal. "My poor boys..."
Bane cried miserable. He waved his paw, using his magic to heal Rune's and Cyrus's injuries to the best of his ability. The large wound in Rune's belly was fully healed, and the bones in his forelegs were partially mended, but the scars allover his body wouldn't heal. Upon looking at Rune's chest, Bane was surprised to see the remnants of the convexity crystal that Malefor had impaled himself with. On a whim, Bane pried the crystal free, and used his magic to quickly seal the gaping wound left behind. Rune started breathing again, but remained asleep.
Cyrus, on the other hand, was completely healed, and was slowly coming to.
"...Dad...?" The shorter young dragon asked, slightly afraid.
"I am here, Cyrus." Bane replied.
The prince got up onto his feet and looked at his father. He flinched upon looking Bane in the eyes. "What's happened to you?"
"Don't be frightened, my son: I'm still myself." The King stated.
"Okay..." The prince looked around at the platform. Elza walked across the way to lean down over Rune. The wind dragoness knelt down and quietly cried for him. Cyrus cried a bit as well; he wanted to walk over to look at his brother, but Bane suddenly pulled him closer and hugged him tightly.
"W-What're you doing, Dad?" His son protested.
"I'm so sorry, Cyrus." Bane said sadly. "I've never given you or your brother the full attention you deserved when you were little. And after we lost the rest of our family, I ignored you even more. I became lost in my own pain and frustration, and never fully realized how much you have suffered as well." Bane sucked in a deep breath. "Had I only shown you the proper love and care, you never would have desired to run away from home. And none of this would have happened to you. I…" A few tears fell from the king's eyes. "I've failed you."
"Dad..." Cyrus said quietly. He cried a bit, and embraced his father in a tight hug.
When the king finally let go of Cyrus, he stood up to look at Rune. Elza saw the king approach, and backed out of the way for him to sit down beside the downed prince.
"As for you, Rune..." He began, knowing fully well that his son could not hear him.
"I lost you so many years ago, thinking you were dead. When I learned you were alive, I refused to believe it, thinking it was all a lie meant to trick me." He reached down and ran a forepaw through Rune's mane.
"My boy…" He said quietly. "You're as much of a victim as the rest of the dark dragon race. I had a chance to reconnect with you again, and I failed you. If only I'd known that you were alive in Glenhaven…" He wiped his eyes of tears. "I would have come for you in a heartbeat. I would have done everything in my power to free you of Malefor's influence. But you're free now, my son; you can finally live the life you deserve, with that family you hold so dear. As for me…?"
Bane got up and limped to the edge of the crevice.
"Lord Bane?" Elza asked worriedly.
"What're you doing, Dad?" Cyrus grimaced.
"...I must do what I can to keep Malefor from terrorizing the world, Cyrus." He answered solemnly.
The young dragon's eyes lit up in shock. He ran forward, but Elza spread a wing and blocked his path. She then immediately delivered a swift blow to the back of his head.
"Ack!" Cyrus went limp. He tried to stand up fully, but Elza pinned him down. "Elza, why?"
"No Time magic. Not again." Elza scolded him.
Bane sighed as he listened to his son struggling to break free of Elza's hold. He turned back toward the crevice, and summoned his sword in his forepaw…
"Baneth!" Cried Elenar's voice.
The king's eyes widened. He turned around in time to see a pool of darkness open up across the platform. Elenar emerged from the shadows, and rushed to stand before the black dragon.
"Mom?!" Cyrus exclaimed.
"Elenar!" Elza's eyes widened.
Elenar rushed past Elza and Cyrus and embraced Bane. She cried profusely as she brushed her muzzle against his chin. Bane stood tall and cried with her; he'd enjoy her embrace one last time.
"Where's Rune?" She asked him.
"He's over here, Elenar." Elza gestured to the prince with a wing.
Elenar sucked in a breath. "Is he…?"
"No." Bane answered. "He's very much alive."
Elenar sighed in relief, and then looked Bane in the eyes. The sickly-yellow frightened her at first, but then she sighed and took a regal stance. "Are you in control?"
"Yes, but not for long." Bane turned around again. "I need to finish what I started, before Malefor takes possession of me."
"We can find a way to get him out of you." Elenar insisted. "There's got to be some means to free you from his possessions."
"Maybe… someday." Bane sighed. "Not that it matters; I've wreaked havoc upon the dragon realms, and I must pay for what I've done. I'm sorry, my love."
Elenar's eyes glistened with tears. She tried desperately to think of something; some means to strip the wretched spirit of Malefor from her beloved's body.
"Elza, your king has one final task for you." Bane said as he glanced at her.
"What is it?" Elza stood proud.
"Keep looking after my two sons." The king's face softened. "Raise them as your own children. And tell Albanion…" he paused to take a breath. "…no, tell my brother, that I thank him for being a better father figure for them than I ever was."
"I… I will." Elza bowed her head.
"I just have one final task left…" Bane faced Elenar and brought his hands to his neck, to remove the jade necklace he wore.
"What are you doing, Bane?" She asked.
"Elenar, I no longer need your necklace." He said as he unclipped the lace. He placed it in her forepaw. "What was once my reminder of your love… use it as a reminder of a time when I wasn't the dark lord I became."
Elenar took the necklace and hung it around her own neck. The king planted a kiss upon her forehead, making her cry again. After breaking the kiss, the king turned to look at Cyrus. "Cyrus, come here."
"What is it, Dad?" The prince asked.
"I cannot make up the years I've wasted not looking after you, but I can give you this." Bane held up the convexity crystal. "This contains what little convexity I've left untouched. I pray that you'll make good use of it in the future."
Cyrus cautiously accepted the crystal, and hung it around his neck on the string that formed from it. "Uh... Thanks, Dad."
"And, finally…" Bane held his forepaw out and summoned forth a pool of darkness. He drew the hilt of his sword from it, and had the sword gently float across the air to land at Elenar's feet.
"I want Rune to take my sword, Elenar." The king said. "Find someone to teach him to be a proper sword-master."
"As you wish, my love." Elenar took the sword, albeit unwillingly.
"Now, no more delays…" Bane turned and finally faced the crevice one last time. He took a deep breath and came to a stop at the edge as he lifted his muzzle skyward.
"Lord Spyro… Lady Cynder… I don't know if you can here me…" He said solemnly. "I admit to plotting mass murder against the light dragon race. I take responsibility for freeing Malefor's escape from the underworld." The king spread his wings. "I have taken Malefor into my body, just as I took his title of Dark Master as my own. Let the ancient spirits do what they will to me, to ensure that Malefor never escapes again!"
Bane leaped through the air and cast himself into the crevice.
"Baneth!" Elenar cried out.
The green light of the Well of Souls suddenly returned in full force. The king didn't immediately plummet to his doom, to his initial confusion. Instead, something emerged from the depths to hold him in place. A multitude of ethereal beings materialized out of the Well of Souls, and encircled around the black dragoon's body. The spirits ebbed and flowed throughout his scales, and they shifted him around at will. Bane went limp, and expected some kind of horrible torture to begin…
But something flowed over the black dragon's body; a calm, soothing force. He was slowly engulfed in dark mist as he was lowered into the crevice. A cocoon of shadows began to form about the black king's body. Bane shut his eyes as he cried once again; but this time, they were tears of joy.
"Cynder…" The black dragon smiled.
The cocoon of darkness fully sealed up around Bane's body, and down he vanished into the Well of Souls. And as the green light of the crevice faded away, the spirits carrying him disappeared, leaving no trace they were ever there.
Just like that, the king was gone.
A long, terrible silence filled the air. Elenar dropped the sword to the ground and struggled to stand up tall. It was all she could do to collapse into despair. After all that time, all these years of dreaming to escape the realm of the dead to join her lover in the living world… all that she had accomplished was to switch places with him.
"Elenar…?" Elza asked cautiously to the side.
Elenar looked up in time to see Elza embrace her. She rubbed foreheads with her sister and draped her wings about her.
"Don't cry. You shouldn't be crying." Elza said softly. "You're alive again; I'm the one who should be crying."
"Sister…" Elenar sniffled. She broke apart from the hug to wipe her eyes. "Y-You're right. I shouldn't cry. I need to be stronger than this…"
As Elza hugged Elenar again, the shadow dragoness looked off toward Cyrus. The prince was trying his best to pick his brother up off the ground and onto his back. He failed several times; Rune was slightly heavier than him.
With a sigh, Elenar walked over to her sons and scooped Rune up herself. She draped him across her back and stood up proud and tall. Cyrus hugged her foreleg, which made her smile.
"Is it all over now?" Cyrus asked cautiously.
"Yes, little one." Elenar said softly. "It's over."
"What do we do now?" Elza asked cautiously.
"We return to Warfang…" Elenar said. "And wait for Rune to awaken."
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
Ah, here we go. The climax has come to a close. All that's left of this story is the falling action, spread across the remaining three Act 3 chapters… And the epilogue. :V
This will always be one of my favorite parts of Rising Fears; it's mostly unchanged even from the original version from 2011. The big, incredible clash of two giant dragons, battling from Warfang all the way north to the Well of Souls. Was it flashy and overblown? Maybe. But I don't care. I wrote what I love, with no regrets.
Tenebra ecce Veritas