For the longest time, Rune was asleep.
And yet, he didn't dream of anything. He was surrounded by absolute darkness. But stirred in the depths; no nightmares of past tragedies. No horrible images of those sinister yellow eyes bearing down on him. No… this darkness had a warmth to it; a serene, comforting blanket, like the kinds that helped him sleep when he was little.
Rune was calm. He felt as if a great burden had been stricken from his back. Malefor was nowhere to be found in his mind, nor were there any lingering doubts or fears. It was the best sleep he'd gotten in ages.
But it wasn't to last forever.
"Rune?" A voice asked somewhere overhead. He didn't respond to it; he rolled over so he could stay asleep.
"Come on, kiddo. You can't sleep forever."
Kiddo? Rune blinked. Whose voice was that? It sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember for the life of him who it was.
All at once, realization dawned on the black dragon. HE suddenly remembered everything that had happened to him… going all the way back to his early childhood. His time in The Hive, through to its destruction. His life in Glenhaven, up until he fled from those who would imprison him. His adventure across the realms, which culminated in the resurrection of Malefor. And all the way through to the final battle between Malefor and Rune's father. All of the evil things he was forced to witness replayed in his mind. Rune curled up in a ball and shivered in fear.
"Alright, that's enough of that." The voice said with a snort.
Suddenly a warm light descended from above the black dragon. It banished all of the horrid images from his mind and cast them down into his memories. Once again, Rune was willed with peace and serenity.
"Th… Thank you…" Rune said dubiously.
"You can thank me by finally getting up, kiddo." The voice chuckled. "My back's killing me."
Rune was curious about what the voice meant. He decided to finally open up his eyes and looked around…
Rune wasn't prepared for what he saw. The youngling had been lying atop the back of an elderly dragoness. She had midnight-black scales, and deep red wing membranes and talons. She was a bit rotund, but stood on all fours like Rune's weight was nothing. Various silver horns crowned her head, and elaborate jewelry decorated her neck and wrists.
Rune's eyes widened in trepidation; something about this dragoness looked so familiar. Like someone he saw in old portraits, and images in textbooks, and of statues decorated around various-
Cynder! It was Cynder!
"Good morning, Sunshine." The dragoness smiled.
Rune yelped in fright and quickly scrambled off of Cynder's back and onto the floor. He backed up away from the dragoness and crouched down in fear.
"Hey, don't be like that." Cynder lowered her head and titled it slightly; she appraised Rune with her emerald eyes. "What's got you so spooked?"
"L… Lady Cynder…" Rune said worriedly. He covered his eyes and shook his tail with worry.
"Rune, take it easy." The black dragoness said as she stepped a bit closer. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"But… I…" Rune couldn't look at her. "I caused the deaths of so many people. I brought back Malefor… and I willingly became his apprentice. Then he used my body in an attempt to destroy the dragon realms!" Tears welled up in his eyes. "I've been horrible!"
Cynder sighed. Rune heard the dragoness take careful steps forward toward him. But what Rune didn't expect was for the dragoness to sit down beside him and drape a wing over his back.
"Nobody blames you, Rune." She said tenderly. "Especially not me."
"Wh… What?" He lowered his paws to gaze up at Cynder. "But… But I served Malefor, and-"
Cynder placed a forepaw over Rune's muzzle and clicked her tongue. She then scrunched up one eye as she looked him over.
"Don't you think I know a thing or two about serving Malefor while drunk on power?" She asked cheekily. She carefully lifted up a talon. Rune flinched back, but relaxed as the dragoness gently nudged his forehead.
"Wh-What are you doing?" Rune asked.
"I want to show you something, Sunshine…" Cynder smirked.
A white light shined from Cynder's talon. Rune's eyes began to glow white as well. And a moment later, images started appearing in his mind…
Rune and Cynder were standing in the middle of a battlefield. Off in the distance, two armies were clashing from the east and west. TO the east were a great multitude of dragons of various colors. And to the west, an army of hideous, hairy apes was charging forward. And leading that army of apes was a black dragons; slender, large, and terrifying to behold.
Everything felt so real: The grass crumpled under Rune's talons. The air was filled with harsh winds as they carried battle-cries to and fro. And even the sunlight beat down on Rune's vision. When the dragons and apes charged at him, he gasped and shielded himself with a wing while the ground shook. But the battling dragons just phased right through his body like ghostly visages.
"Tell me something, Sunshine…" Cynder grasped Rune's head and delicately tilted it up toward the sky. "Do you know who that is?"
The fierce black dragoness gave a thundering roar as dragons rose up to face her in battle. She flew fast as cyclones propelled her forward, slashing and biting and making short work of all who challenged her.
Realization dawned quickly on Rune. "That's… you."
"Correct." Cynder nodded. "I wasn't always the fair and wise matriarch of the dark dragons." She motioned with her talons. "Long ago, I was the monster you see there, raging a war against my own kind."
The younger Cynder gave a terrifying roar once again, scattering her enemies with a wail of Fear. The older Cynder just sighed at this.
"I was a minion of Malefor, just like you were." Cynder wracked her talons on the ground. "I led his armies all across the realms, slaughtering hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives."
"But that wasn't your fault." Rune said cautiously. "You were captured as an egg and corrupted at an early age, weren't you?"
"Correct…" Cynder nodded.
All at once, the battlefield faded away, along with an echoing roar from the Terror of the Skies. The colors of the light swirled around Rune and Cynder for a time, before they finally stopped to take on a new shape. Rune found himself atop a floating platform, which was one of many within an ethereal abyss. The roar from before carried over into this strange new realm, as the younger Cynder swirled around in the abyss and came to a landing before a strange stone altar.
Rune heard someone jumping around. He gasped when he saw a young purple dragon rushing from platform to platform to make his way to the center.
"Is that… Lord Spyro as a youngling?" He asked.
"Cute, wasn't he?" Cynder snickered. She sat back on her haunches and watched as the young Spyro confronted her sinister self in the center of the platforms. There was a fierce clash of magic against magic as the two did battle. Rune shivered and stepped back a bit from the fight.
The battle came to a climatic end when Spyro unleashed a might bust of Convexity upon Cynder. Several purple dragon heads erupted from his maw and exploded against her. The blast sent shockwaves through the platform, causing Rune to fall off his feet. He almost fell into the abyss, but Cynder caught him with her tail.
"Easy, there." She scolded. Rune blushed and turned his attention back toward the battle.
The Terror of the Skies collapsed forward onto the floor. Magic erupted from her scales as her body steadily shrank down in size. Soon, she was barely much bigger than Spyro.
"Here we have the moment when Spyro finally freed me from Malefor's control." Cynder smiled. "After this, he'd dive into that portal there to save my body and carry me back to the mortal world."
Just as Cynder described the events, they took place right before Rune's eyes. Everything shook again as magic erupted from the altar. But just before Rune could suspect that they were in danger, the colors of the world melted into each other once again. Rune stepped back against Cynder as they were whisked off to the next vision.
"You returned to normal after that battle, right?" He asked.
"Correct again." Cynder smiled. "Your grandfather always liked that part of my story."
The world took form once again; this time Rune found himself at the foot of the ancient Dragon Temple when it loomed over the Mushroom Forest. Across the way, the child Cynder fled from the temple with her head held low. Rune could swear he could hear her crying. He almost wanted to go after her, but the elderly Cynder stopped him with a wing.
"Sure, Spyro had freed me from Malefor, but I still felt guilty for what I'd done." Cynder frowned. "Even though Spyro told me it wasn't my fault, I still feared that others would come after me for revenge. So, I ran away." She lowered her head down to Rune. "Any of this sounding familiar?"
"Kind of…" Rune scratched behind his ear frill with a wing-thumb.
The colors started to mix around the world again. There came a series of images showing Cynder as she journeyed across the dragon realms. The black dragoness had gone from place to place, seeking shelter from the few dragons who survived Malefor's campaign. From there, Cynder was captured by pirates. A more detailed image showed Cynder and Spyro circling around each other, in the middle of a massive arena on an even larger pirate ship.
"I don't remember hearing about this from Grandpa's stories." Rune scrunched up his muzzle.
"Heh. You've missed out." Cynder chuckled.
Spyro and Cynder pretended to lash out at each other… only to suddenly turn on their captors. Chaos ensued as Spyro and Cynder were separated once again. As the visage of the pirate ship faded away, newer, more sinister images took its place. Cynder was locked in chains as a sinister green eye glared down at her from above.
"Furious dragons weren't the only ones trying to pursue me." Cynder said. "I was also chased down by Gaul the Ape King." She gave a slight growl. "He was responsible for the raid on the dragon temple, and also the one who had a hand in corrupting my body. Yet despite all that he did, the cretin had nerve to be furious when I turned traitor."
The silhouette of Gaul drew two katanas from their hilts as Cynder was dragged off toward the east.
"Eventually I was tracked down, and Gaul's forces dragged me off to the Mountain of Malefor." Cynder snorted. "Gaul intended to hand me over to Malefor on a silver platter once he was resurrected."
"But Spyro came to save you." Rune wagged his tail.
"Yeah… he did." Cynder sighed.
A new image appeared; Gaul's throne room. An ominous purple geyser of light erupted from the center of the chamber. And up above, the twin moons were almost in alignment; The Night of Eternal Darkness was almost here.
Spyro struggled to put up a valiant fight against the ape king despite losing most of his magic. Gaul swung his katanas left and right, and struck the ground to send out shockwaves. Spyro's one saving grace, time and again, was the time element. And all the while, a young Cynder lay nearby, nearly unconscious.
"Unfortunately, Spyro almost failed." Cynder grimaced.
But after striking the ground near the center of the chamber, Gaul caused the floor to collapse. He and Spyro fell down to the chamber below… just as the moons finally became engulfed in darkness. A scepter fell down and shattered, scattering the remnants of Malefor's power through the air… and into Spyro's body as he fell into the geyser.
An overwhelming force of power filled Spyro, and he emerged from the geyser with pitch-black scales and frightening white eyes.
Rune fell backward in fright as the darkened Spyro rushed forward. "Wh-What happened to him?"
"Spyro became temporarily corrupted by Malefor." Cynder grimaced. "Malefor used Spyro to kill Gaul. And then…"
The entire mountain shook as Spyro obliterated Gaul into stone fragments. Spyro then flew upward through the geyser, absorbing more of the latent power from the moons. He then came to a stop and glared down at Cynder, who called out to him. Spyro writhed and growled as he struggled to regain control of himself.
"Convexity is… intoxicating." The elderly Cynder said. "It takes away your personal inhibitions, and makes you act on basic instinct. You lose what society imposes upon you; your conscience and your rational thought. And all that's left… is the unending selfishness that sleeps within us all."
The young Cynder leaped through the geyser and talked Spyro in the air. They landed on the ground across the way. Spyro's scales were back to normal. The power he felt was gone… and in its place was sorrow and regret. The mountain began to crumbled around the two dragons as they huddled together. And then, all at once, time stopped. A crystal barrier formed around the two dragons, and everything else froze in place. A great, golden light filled the area; Rune winced and covered his eyes. He felt Cynder pull him close to her side with a wing.
"I'm sure you can figure out what happened after this, right?" She smirked.
"Spyro used his Time Fury to save you two." Rune said. "But… it also held you prisoner for three years."
The golden light faded away, revealing that the place had changed yet again. Spyro and Cynder, now slightly older, were fighting against strange monsters in an ancient set of catacombs. The two dragons wore strange green necklaces that resembled snakes. An ethereal chain appeared between the two necklaces whenever Spyro and Cynder moved too far apart.
"After we escaped, Spyro and I encountered many more beings that were under attack by Malefor's new forces: the grublins." Cynder said. "Plenty of them showered praise upon Spyro, but they spat insults and hatred at me again and again." The dragoness leaned down and winked at Rune. "I recall you once saying that this wasn't fair."
Rune blushed. "Yeah…"
"But despite everyone giving me hostility left and right, I still did my best to help those people." Cynder sighed. The images around the two dragons shifted again and again, showing the various battlegrounds and dungeons that the young Spyro and Cynder ventured through. There was even a brief instance of the two dragons flying after a behemoth-like monstrosity made of stone and lava.
Eventually images settled on Spyro and Cynder walking through the ruined front gates of the old Dragon Temple, as it hung ominously in a blood-red sky. Rune and the elderly Cynder followed the pair through the doorway, where the confrontation with Malefor commenced.
"Malefor was always one for mind games." Cynder gave a slight growl. "Like here… he manipulated my latent guilt and worries into making me believe that I tricked Spyro into going to the Well of Souls."
The younger Cynder became engulfed in darkness, making the older counterpart sigh. "For a brief moment, I doubted myself…"
The corrupted Cynder lashed out against Spyro, forcing him back further and further. Rune shuddered as the Dark Master laughed evilly in the back of the chamber. "This is horrible."
"But despite my assault, Spyro wouldn't defend himself." Cynder said. "And in Spyro's eyes…" She smiled. "I finally saw how he truly felt for me."
The younger Cynder became freed of her corruption, and she was soon fighting at Spyro's side once again. A climatic battle commenced against Malefor; first they fought in the sky, and soon battled their way downward, deep into the new crevice that Malefor has split in the land.
"Down we went into the Crystal core of the world." Cynder clicked her tongue. "That's where the ancient spirits sealed that rotten corpse of a dragon away, once and for all…" She snorted. "Or so we thought."
Rune shuddered as he heard the furious roars of Malefor as he was pulled down into the crystal. Once again Cynder hugged him with her wing. All around them, the fragments of the world split apart, causing untold chaos and mayhem to spread through the realms.
"So much happened in so little time." Cynder sighed. "I finally apologized to Spyro for all that I did in the past, and he forgave me. Shortly afterward… well, this happened."
Spyro lifted up into the air as a newfound power filled his being. Purple bursts of magic exploded from his body, casting everything in a blinding white light. And through it all, three words hung in the air from a young Cynder's mouth.
"…I love you…"
The elderly Cynder gave a sigh as those words echoed across her and Rune; she even shed a few tears.
"After that, the world put itself back together again." Cynder said.
"And the countless dragons that were killed by Malefor were brought back to life, right?" Rune asked.
"Yep." The elderly dragoness moved her wing from Rune's back. "Even some breeds that had died off came back: Poison, Wind, Shadow and Fear."
"The dark elements…"
"Right again." Cynder smiled. "And hoo boy, did they make some changes on the world…"
A brand new image appeared before Rune. He found himself in the middle of a strange city; the buildings resembled that of Warfang at first, but there were many geographical differences that made it clear that this wasn't the holy capital; especially that huge river that flowed right through from the northeast to the southwest. A half-finished palace sat in the center of the strange city. An adult Cynder, similar in shape to her form as the Terror of the Skies, emerged from a pair of double-doors. She looked upon a large crowd of dark dragons that filled the streets. They all bowed their heads in reverence to Cynder, who looked back and awkwardly waved.
"What is this?" Rune asked.
"This is many years later, in the newly-completed city of Aeroshard." Cynder grinned. "The old home of the wind dragons, as I'm sure your history teacher could tell you."
"Okay…" Rune grimaced. "But why you showing me this?"
"This was a big day for me." Cynder sighed. "The dark dragons of the realms saw me as their black-hided savior for the part I played in reviving the dark elements. I earned the title of Lady Cynder: The Great Shadow." She snickered at the title. "I thought it was unfitting, but there were so many who took a liking to calling me that, so I just let it stick."
The younger Cynder continued to wave to the crowd as she sat on her haunches; she wore a strange set of robes and a new set of jewelry. She kept a forepaw on her belly, which was partially swollen and tender.
"So, where was Spyro during all of this?" Rune asked.
"His was in Warfang at the time." The elderly Cynder said. "He had to organize the light dragons together, just as I was doing here. We were traveling from city to city, getting the new homes for all of this dragons up and running; we hadn't seen each other in weeks."
"Didn't you miss him?"
"Of course I missed him; he was my husband now." Cynder snorted. "But I was also quite happy; we were going to have another egg soon."
"Another?" Rune repeated.
"The first child that Spyro and I had was a girl: a purple dragoness we named Chrisala…" Cynder sighed, and then suddenly shook her head. "The second one we had was a boy; the black dragon we'd name Nexius."
"He's the one who would eventually become the first high king of Warfang." Rune declared.
"Right again." Cynder said. The images began to fade away. Soon, the world shifted to take on the appearance of a circular chamber with a Pool of Visions at the center. Torches filled the room with warm light, and the stars shined through the windows.
"Where are we now?" Rune asked as he looked around.
"I just thought I'd give you a pleasant place to rest, now that the images are done." Cynder got down on all fours and gave her wings a few flaps. "It can get tiring messing about with your dreamscape."
"Dreamscape?" Rune repeated. "You mean I've been sleeping this whole time?"
"More accurately, you're lucid dreaming." Cynder smirked. "It's one of the only ways I could come visit you in your time of need."
"So, if I'm dreaming, then where am I in the waking world?" Rune asked.
"Oh, you'll find out when you wake up." The dragoness gave a snort. "As for now… do you understand why I showed you all of those images?"
"Not really." Rune grimaced.
"I just wanted to show you that you're not all that different than how I was as a child." Cynder said. "You're blaming yourself for things that were beyond your control."
"But, I still made the choice to listen to what The Chronicler told me." Rune wracked his talons on the ground. "He tricked me into traveling all the way to the Well of Souls. And I wasn't consumed by his spirit or by convexity yet; I… I acted of my own accord."
Cynder pursed her lips. "Rune, why did you want to perform the Revival Ritual?"
"To bring back my mother." Rune sighed. "I… I've missed her. Even during the time when I forgot who she was, I felt a longing for her to come back. That's why I wanted to help Cyrus bring her back."
"Well, little one…" Cynder brought her head in closer. "There's something you don't know about your mother. But it's not my place to tell you what she did; she's wanted to admit it to you herself."
"Herself?" Rune blinked. He looked up at Cynder with wide eyes. "Does… does that mean she's back?"
"Yes, Sunshine." Cynder grinned. "And you don't have to worry about Malefor messing around with you or your family; he's back in the crystal core of the world."
"Wha… how?" Rune tilted his head.
"Oh, you have your father to thank for that…" Cynder sighed again. She rose up to her full height and hugged Rune with a wing again. "Now listen up, Sunshine. You may have been corrupted by Malefor's power. And you may still feel a bit of guilt for the destruction he wrought through your possession. But don't forget that there were many who wanted to save you. Because they love you, kiddo."
Rune saw images of all the dragons he'd known over the years: His adoptive family of light dragons, his friends Roxanne and Emerald, the teachers who cared for him. His aunt and uncle who still smiled down at him like when he was a youngling. The dark dragons that, while he didn't know them very well, he had a feeling that they cared for him.
And most importantly, Rune saw an image of his family: His grandpa Urobos, his brother Cyrus, and even his parents Baneth and Elenar. They all sat together and looked down at Rune with warm eyes and wings outstretched for loving embraces. Rune welled up with warmth, and he wiped his eyes of a few tears.
Though as he stepped toward the images of his family, they began to fade away one by one. Rune drooped his head sadly, but Cynder clicked his tongue again.
"Those are just images, Sunshine." She snorted. "Your REAL family is waiting in the waking world. So why don't you go see them?"
"Okay…" Rune turned back around as the image of his mother faded with the others. Though as the shadowy dragoness vanished, Rune could have sworn he saw someone standing behind her far in the back; another, much younger dragoness, with strikingly familiar features. They lingered in Rune's peripheral vision, but they were gone when he looked back. With a shrug, Rune turned back toward Cynder to approach her.
A bed materialized beside Cynder, which she gestured for him to climb up onto. He curled up on it, and shifted in surprise when the dragoness draped a cloth blanket over his form. "What are you doing?"
"Tucking you in, of course." She snorted. She then backed up and sat down on her haunches. "If, in the future, you ever want to talk to me or Spyro about convexity, ask your grandfather. Urobos can show you the way."
"Okay, Cynder…" Rune turned to face the other way to relax.
"Oh, and one last thing…" She brought her head down to whisper. "I know you weren't around to hear this, but it's important that you tell your family… Despite what Spyro said, I never really lost hope that Baneth would turn himself around." She sighed. "I was just… worried. Just like I worry about all my family members."
Rune sighed; there was unease in her voice at the end. But he didn't have long to dwell on this, as his mind suddenly became very sleepy…
~~…~~
The next thing Rune realized, he was lying in bed with a blanket over his form. But the room was different. He rubbed his eyes and looked around; he was in an infirmary wing. Most of the other beds were empty. The walls were a sparkling white, and the floor was clear. There was a window at the far end of the wing, which showed a pitch-black night devoid of stars.
Is this Warfang? Rune wondered. He took the blanket off his form and made to stand up. As soon as his paws his the ground, the young dragon winced in pain. Aches sprang to life all across his body, and he collapsed against the wide of the bed.
As he struggled to compose himself, Rune heard the sound of snoring on the other side of his bed. The youngling turned around… and gasped in surprise at the sight of his mother.
Elenar was curled up on the floor beside Rune's bed, and she snored lightly. Rune could scarcely believe his eyes; the revival ritual had worked. Here his mother was, alive and well, albeit asleep. Even as Cynder's words repeated in his mind, Rune still couldn't believe it. He pinched his foreleg, just to make sure he wasn't still dreaming; he wasn't.
Rune's little yip of pain shook Elenar. The dragoness rumbled as she slowly woke up. Rune covered his muzzle and sat back on his haunches as he watched Elenar rose up to her paws.
"…Rune?" She asked, her voice just as soothing as it was in his memories. She rubbed her eyes, and gasped as she saw the prince standing before her. "R… Rune."
"Mother…" Rune replied.
Rune and Elenar looked at each other for a moment, each one thinking the other might be some mirage or a cruel trick. But soon, a choking sensation welled up in Rune's chest. He struggled to keep himself composed as he stepped forward. But Rune couldn't keep it together, and neither could Elenar.
Elenar wrapped her forelegs about Rune and hugged her close. She draped her wings around Rune as he cried and nuzzled her chest.
"I missed you…" Rune said; his vision blurred as he struggled to look up at his mother.
"Oh, my boy…" Elenar gave a low mewl as she lowered her head atop his. "I'm so sorry for what I put you through."
"Wh-What do you mean?" Rune asked as he wiped his eyes.
"It's… It's my fault that Malefor had a hold on your." Elenar said miserably. She let go of Rune and backed up a bit. "Years ago, I offered myself up to Malefor so that you could live." She looked her son in the eyes. "I spent years dreading the day that he'd make you into his puppet. Rune, I'm so sorry."
Rune tensed up; this must have been what Cynder was alluding to. But he didn't care if Elenar was responsible for what Malefor did, or not. He just brushed his head against her chest to hug her again.
"I… I forgive you." Rune said with a sniffle. "Whatever Malefor did… it's HIS fault. I… I'm just glad to have you back." He looked up at Elenar and smiled. "I love you, Mother."
Elenar gave a little gasp. Her own eyes teared up as she smiled and nuzzled Rune's head. "I love you too, Rune."
Once the two of them had finally calmed down, they rose up onto their feet and stepped into the aisle of beds. The queen looked down at her son with a light smile as she led the way forward.
"You've been asleep for days." She said. "Everyone's been worried about you."
"They have?" Rune asked as he trotted after her.
"Of course." Elenar pushed the doors open. "Especially your brother and Grandfather… Come on." She motioned with her snout out toward the hallway.
Rune nodded and made to follower her outside… but passed by a mirror on his way. He came to a stop and looked himself over with a nervous twitch. Rune hadn't escaped his time under Malefor's possession unscathed. His body was covered to the brim with scars and steadily-healing wounds. His chest looked like his heart had been ripped out. A large scar ran along his underbelly between his legs. A series of bandages ran down his neck, along his spine, and even ended on his mostly-bandaged tail. It was so much to take in: Rune nearly fell back on his haunches. Even his eyes were…
"Rune?" Elenar asked cautiously. Rune looked up to see his mother frowned in the doorway. "Are you okay?"
"I…" Rune shook his head and stood up to follow Elenar. "I'm fine, Mother."
~~…~~
Elenar led Rune through the hallways and corridors of the building. A number of dragons gasped and stepped out of the way as they saw the two dark dragons coming. Rune's eyes lit up; they were light dragons.
"Mother, where are we?" Rune asked.
"We're in the Dragon Spire." Elenar said to him. "Every dragon you see here was imprisoned by your father…" Her face drooped a bit, but then she took on a regal stance. "But I've set them free, and let them return to their old jobs."
"Okay…" Rune shrunk down sheepishly as a pair of fire dragons appraised him from afar. "And, are you sure they won't turn on us."
"I'm sure…" Elenar said. "Thanks to the truce with King Horus."
"I… I've missed a lot these last few days, haven't I?" Rune grimaced. Elenar gave a light chuckle and continued leading the way.
Not all of the beings in the Dragon Spire were light dragons. Some where cheetahs, moles, and canines, who were hard at work rebuilding the damage left by the dark army. And most surprisingly, dark dragons were helping them along; some of them were perfectly fine with it, while others seemed indignant about it. But whatever the case, all of the dark dragons bowed their heads in allegiance to Elenar as she passed by them. Rune wasn't sure what to make of them.
"Where are the Deep Shadows?" Rune asked.
"Well, most of them have been dispatched with platoons of dark soldiers across the realms." Elenar said. "Their job is to get rid of any remaining swarms of crepsculi that are roaming the countryside. But a few have chosen to say, whom you might be happy to see."
Eventually Elenar and Rune arrived at a pair of doors he recognized as the entrance to the grand library. It was guarded on either side by Argos and Icarox, who looke ddown at the prince warmly despite his trepidation.
"Ah, it's good to see that the young prince is alive and well." Argos said. "We were wondering if…"
"…You would ever wake up again." Icarox finished.
"Uh, it's nice to see you two again, too." Rune said awkwardly. The twin dragons lightly nudged the doors open and gestured for Elenar and Rune to step on through, which they did straightaway.
Rune had almost forgotten about the destruction he'd brought to the library during his confrontation with Bane. But seeing how much of the space was empty and devoid on the ground floor brought those memories back pretty quickly; much of the floor was still being repaired by moles and canines when they strode in. But a large group of dragons were sitting around one of the few unburned tables off to the side of the library. And right away, Rune recognized many familiar faces: Albanion, Elza, Cyrus, Urobos, Hontus, Seraph, Blankridge, Nellie, Emerald, and Roxanne. Rune came to a stop and shuddered as all eyes were soon on him.
"Uh… h-hi, everyone." Rune said with a slight blush.
"RUNE!" The younglings all yelled.
Rune was nearly knocked off his paws as his friends rushing toward him. The first one to reach him was Cyrus, who was overjoyed as he grasped Rune in a tight hug.
"I never gave on you!" Cyrus exclaimed as they rocked back and forth.
"Cy, take it easy!" Rune protested.
Cyrus sheepishly let go of Rune and blushed as well. "S-Sorry about that."
But as Cyrus backed up, he was soon replaced by Blankridge, who had no qualms about doing the exact same hug. Rune just sighed and let the orange dragon shake him around.
"No more running off on your own, you hear me?" Blankridge declared. "Bad things happen when we're not adventuring together."
"Uh…" Rune grimaced as his head got dizzy. "I'll try to keep that in mind, Blank."
When Blankridge finally let Rune go, the prince held his head with a wing. He looked up to see Nellie, Emerald and Roxanne surround him.
"We've been worried sick about you." Nellie frowned.
Roxanne brought her head low to brush it against the underside of Rune's chin, making him blush. "We… we thought you were going to be Malefor's servant forever."
Rune sighed and hugged Roxanne, hoping that would make her feel better. "I… I'm sorry, guys."
"Well, at least you're yourself now." Emerald said with a sigh. The scar on Emerald's face had healed a little, though a scar ran along her left eye. But she also wore a new pair of spectacles, which meant that she could see again… at least, Rune hoped.
"So, have you guys all been okay?" Rune asked as Roxanne backed away from him. "What's it been like in Warfang."
"Dreadful." Blankridge grimaced. "None of the adults will let us out of their line of sight."
"For good reason." Emerald nudged Rune in the side. "He's tried running off at least once a day to explore the city."
"Can you blame me? We're in WARFANG." Blankridge extended his wings. "Lord Spyro's home for over a century! Who wouldn't want to give it a look around?!"
"Well, that rain hasn't exactly been the most inviting." Emerald flapped her wings. "And need I remind you of the eclipse sapping our magic?"
"Oh, it's small potatoes…" Blankridge rolled his eyes.
"Well, I'm fine being right here, honestly." Roxanne smiled and gave Rune a quick hug. "I'm happy wherever Rune is."
Rune blushed again and sighed; same old Roxanne. He stood up on all fours and looked around at his friends.
"Guys, I'm really sorry for what I said and did under Malefor's influence." He said solemnly. "You can all blame Malefor if you want, but I still feel like it came from me. I never want to be that person ever again." He lowered his head. "Can you ever forg-?"
Nellie practically tackled Rune to the ground as she hugged him. "Of course we forgive you!"
Blankridge, Cyrus, Emerald, and Roxanne all quickly joined in a big hug around Rune. The prince gasped and blushed, especially when he heard the amused chuckling of the adults across the way. Rune shut his eyes and accepted the hug; it felt good to be so accepted by his friends and family again.
Eventually Rune decided he needed to continue speaking with the others. So, he politely nudged past his friends and made his way toward Urobos, Albanion and Elza.
"It's good to see that you're yourself again." Elza smiled. She pulled him close in a hug, which Rune allowed without protest. He glanced up at Albanion, who cautiously tugged at his sleeve.
"Rune… I came close to believing that you'd be lost to us again." Albanion frowned. "I… I'm sorry, little one."
Rune's lip quivered. He leaned over to nudge the side of Albanion's foreleg. The poison dragon shifted to place a wing down on Rune's back, much Elza's delight. As his aunt and uncle held onto Rune, he turned to look up at Urobos, who tugged at his beard the whole time.
"Grandpa…" Rune said nervously. "I'm sorry that I ran away from Glenhaven. None of this would have happened if I'd listened to you."
Urobos sighed sadly, and then leaned down to look warmly into his grandson's eyes. "You're forgiven, little one. I'm just glad to see you back to your normal self again." A smile tugged at his muzzle. "And I must admit; at least the Ritual worked, and we have your mother back in our lives again. I'm content with that."
When his aunt and uncle finally let go, Rune stepped up to Urobos and hugged his foreleg. The aged black dragon leaned down to nuzzle the top of his grandson's head. With that done, the prince took a nervous breath and turned toward the last people he had to speak with; Hontus and Seraph. His foster parents sat back on their haunches and cautiously appraised the black dragon as he approached them.
"Uh…. H-hey there." Rune said. He sheepishly rubbed one foreleg with the other.
The first one to act was Seraph. She brought her head down low and nudged the top of Rune's head as she cried.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed. "I was horrible to you! I never should have made you felt like you weren't welcome with us anymore!"
"Uh…" Rune blushed a bit as the dragoness hugged him close. She was soon joined by Hontus, who was crying a bit himself.
"You'll always be our son." The Guardian said as he ruffled Rune's mane. "We love you."
Rune flinched, and sniffled a bit. He tried to keep from crying as he embraced his foster parents. "I… I love you both just as much."
By the time Rune had calmed down again, he heard someone approaching. Elenar stepped up to Hontus and Seraph, with Cyrus following her close behind.
"I don't think we've had proper time to sit down and… talk." Elenar said as she sat back on her haunches. "You two have my eternal gratitude."
"For what?" Seraph asked.
"For looking after my child while I was… unable to." Elenar gulped nervously.
"Oh… you're most welcome…" Hontus bowed his head in servitude. "Your Highness."
"Please, just call me Elenar." She gave a soft smile. "You've earned that."
"Alright then…" Seraph gave a smile of her own as she hugged Rune's back. "You're welcome, Elenar."
There came a growl of slight irritation from across the way; Elza was scowling at the light dragons.
"Are you sure you want to be so buddy-buddy with the likes of HER?" Elza asked with growing hostility.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Seraph snapped.
"Elza, Seraph, PLEASE!" Elenar pleaded, her wings outstretched. "This isn't the time to be picking fights."
Elza harrumphed and leaned down her muzzle, while Albanion and Urobos exchanged uneasy glances.
"This should be behind you by now, Elza." Urobos scolded.
"Whose side are you on?" Elza demanded.
"We're all on the same side." Albanion said with a snort. "What kind of question is that?"
Elza just snorted with a light flush. "You're a real idiot sometimes, Albanion."
"Well, perhaps you'd prefer a different question…" Albanion stood up tall and looked Elza in the eyes. "Will you marry me?"
"This isn't the time for…" Elza's eyes widened as the words bounced around in her head. She fell back onto her haunches and blushed. "Wh-What?"
"We never officially got together, you know." Albanion gave a slight smile. "We were always too busy in The Hive, and then under King Bane's reign. But peacetime is finally here." He gave a warm smile. "So… what do you say, Elza?"
The wind dragoness's blush spread wider and wider. She stood up on all fours and quietly turned toward the doors to leave. Albanion was at first confused by her reaction… until he saw the particular way the dragoness wagged her tail as she left. After clearing his throat and adjusting the collar of his robes, he turned toward Elenar and bowed his head.
"Permission to leave, Your Majesty?"
Elenar almost broke into laughter, but she sucked in a breath and kept her regal stance. "Permission granted…" A smile spread across her muzzle. "I'll be expecting nieces and nephews soon."
Albanion quickly chased after Elza. Cyrus and Blankridge started to laugh at the formally-stoic dragon's demeanor, but each boy's mother glared at him to get them to stop.
Elenar sighed and looked back at Seraph. "I hope my sister hasn't caused you too much trouble lately."
"It's alright." Seraph nodded. "I was wrong. There are a lot more good people among the dark dragons than I was led to believe in my youth by my father."
"Hmm, I'll take that a compliment." Elenar smiled. She glanced down at Rune, who sat back on his haunches. "Now that you're awake, little one, there's something I wish to talk about with you and your foster parents."
"There is?" Rune tilted his head. Hontus and Seraph exchanged uneasy glances. Elenar lowered her head to look him in the eyes.
"Rune, if you want to, you may go back to Glenhaven to live with your foster family."
"What?" Rune asked. "I can go back to Glenhaven?"
"Yes, if you want to." Seraph smiled.
"It's also okay if you want to stay with you real family in Warfang, Rune." Hontus added. "You're free to choose what you want."
That brought Blankridge and Nellie running up a good distance. The orange drake put on the warmest, friendliest smile he could to entice Rune to pick his family. Then Cyrus did the same thing, extended a wing to block Blankridge's face. The orange youngling protested and pushed it out of the way. Rune had to admit; seeing his brothers fight over him was oddly amusing. And the sad expression on Nellie's face made him want to make her happy.
But the real deciding factor was his parents. Rune was finally happy to have Elenar back again, and he'd be more than happy to go back to being a prince. Maybe he could even learn about magic openly with his grandfather. But on the other hand, he still loved his foster family, and didn't want to just forget about them.
"Maybe it was too soon to ask him to choose…" Seraph grimaced. "Maybe we should have given him more time."
"Wait." Rune exclaimed. He looked up at Elenar. "Can I spend part of the year living with you, and part of the year living in Glenhaven?"
The adults gasped, but then they all smiled.
"That sounds reasonable to me." Elenar said. "Hontus, Seraph, do you agree?"
"If that's what Rune wants, then it's okay with us." Hontus said happily.
"I'm sure the Elders of Glenhaven will agree." Seraph said. "But, uh… there might be an issue when King Saul voices HIS opinion on the matter."
Rune gulped; he'd completely forgotten about the earth king. Saul had attempted to find and capture the black dragon prince, and the conflict only escalated from there.
"Don't worry about King Saul, little one." Elenar hugged his back. "I can deal with him later." She leaned down to look him in the eyes. "While your foster parents and I discuss the arrangements, why don't you go up to the upper levels of the library and spend time with your friends?"
"Okay…" Rune hugged his mother one more time before turning toward the other younglings. They'd all spread their wings in anticipation of taking off. Rune smiled and spread his own wings; it felt good to finally just enjoy being a kid again.
~~…~~
Rune, Cyrus, and all of their friends spent a good half an hour exploring the upper levels of the library. They talked up a storm, telling each other about all of the places they explored on their respective adventures.
For a while, Rune was happy. He had his blood-brother, his foster-brother and sister, and two of his best friends with him.
Things got rather interesting when they arrived at one of the upper floors of the library. There was a small clearing with several tables near the center, with a young dragoness sitting and reading from a bunch of textbooks with a bored face. When Rune and the others approached, she looked up and grinned at them: it was Tina.
"I was wondering when you'd all get up here." She snorted. "It sucks being alone."
"Oh, uh, sorry about that, Tina." Cyrus grimaced. "I guess they just wanted the gathering to be for people who had the closest connection to my bro."
"Right, right…" She shook her head up and down.
Blankridge, Nellie, Emerald, and Roxanne made to walk around the table to get seated to enjoy some of the books. But as Rune approached, Tina locked eyes with him and grinned. Rune balked as the dragoness suddenly leaped onto all fours and scratched the floor with her talons, as if ready to charge.
"Uh…" He stepped back. "What are you-?"
And charge she did. Everyone gasped as Tina rammed into Rune's chest and knocked him to the floor. Soon the two of them were rolling around and growling a bit.
"Tina, stop!" Cyrus yelled as he sprang after them. "He's in no condition to rough…"
Tina grunted as she was forced onto her back; Rune pinned her forelegs to the side. He growled and panted as he glared down at Tina, who had quite the surprised face.
"…house?" Cyrus tilted his head and blinked at the sight.
"What was that for?" Rune demanded with a sneer. Tina just looked back at Rune in surprise. A moment later, she gave a hearty laugh, much to Rune's frustration. "Well?"
"Wow, you're a lot tougher than Cyrus." She grinned. "You and I are going to be damn good friends."
Rune just looked down at her in annoyance and confusion. He let go of her forelegs and backed up so she could stand up. "What was that all about?"
"Sorry, Rune." Cyrus grimaced as he sat back on his haunches. "I never got around to telling you about Tina; she likes to play rough."
"Uh-huh…" Rune cautiously walked toward the table, never letting the dark-yellow dragoness out of his peripheral vision. Tina just snorted and trotted off to the side to resume reading her textbook.
"Hey, I can be serious when I want to." Tina said as she grasped a page. "And really, it's cool to have you around now, Prince Rune: maybe now Cy will be a little less lonely."
Cyrus blushed a bit and quickly hid his face with a wing as he sat down at the table. The other younglings just gave light chuckles before looking for books to read. Rune wiped himself off and went to join them.
For a while, things felt like they did back in Glenhaven. Emerald was prim and proper, while Nellie was trying to get Blankridge to focus on one thing at a time. Cyrus and Tina were a new inclusion; the former trying to emulate Blankridge's bravado at points, and the latter struggling to care about what she was reading. And when Rune looked in the direction of Roxanne, he could see her reading a book a romance, just like she always liked to do. When the yellow dragoness saw Rune looking her way, she smiled at him.
Rune had unfinished business with Roxanne. There was something he'd wanted to say to her since their journey began, and he hadn't been able to work up the nerve for ages… But, if he could endure being possessed by Malefor, he could banish the butterflies from his stomach to tell Roxanne the truth.
Rune stood up from the table and walked around to face Roxanne. "Hey, Roxy, could you come with me for a moment?"
The dragoness gasped, and then grinned as she rose to her feet. "What do you need, Rune?"
"I just wanted to talk to you about something…" He glanced around at his friends, who were all watched curiously. "Something private."
"Oh, I know where this is going." Emerald said with a slight huff. She pulled her book up to block her face. "Just go, Roxanne."
"What are you talking about?" Blankridge asked.
"Blank, don't worry about it." Nellie said. When he went to press for more information, she nudged him in the ribs with an elbow. Roxanne giggled at Blank's confusion before rising up to follow after Rune. Cyrus watched the two leave, and briefly smiled at Tina while she wasn't looking.
Rune led Roxanne down a few rows of books and around a corner; he wanted to find the most secluded spot he could. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to listen in on what was likely to happen next. Once Rune was satisfied, he came to a stop and sat down on his haunches by the back wall. Roxanne was quick to sit down beside him, their flanks nearly touching.
"So, what did you want to say to me, Rune?" Roxanne asked with hopeful eyes.
"Roxanne…" Rune took a deep breath. "You know how you've had a crush on me for the last couple of years?"
"Yes…?" She smiled.
"Well…" Rune took another deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "I…"
Roxanne's tail wagged in anticipation.
"I… I tried." Rune finally said. "I tried really hard to feel the same way about you."
Roxanne's wagging stopped, and her ear frills shook. "Wh-What?"
"Roxanne, I'm really grateful that you've thought so highly of me…" Rune frowned. "I even kind of liked a lot of the attention here and there. I… I thought that if I gave it enough time, I could finally feel the same feelings you do."
The dragoness's face drooped, and her eyes widened. "Wh-What do you mean?"
"Roxanne… I only love you as a friend." Rune said. He wracked his talons together. "I'm sorry. I just don't feel that way about you."
The face Roxanne made… Rune would never forget it. She looked so… heartbroken. Betrayed. Devastated. Rune's own heart sank; Maybe there was another way he could have broken the news to her?
"We… we can still be friends." Rune gave a light smile. "I'll be living in Glenhaven for part of the year, so we can-"
Roxanne slapped Rune across the face, making him yelp. He fell back against the wall and placed a forepaw on his red cheek. Rune nervously looked back at Roxanne, who now stood on all fours. She glared at him, limbs trembling, as she struggled not to cry.
"Roxanne…?" Rune asked worriedly.
Roxanne shut her eyes tightly to fight back against tears with all her might. She gnashed her fangs, and turned to run away down the rows of shelves.
"Roxanne, wait!" Rune stepped forward and lifted a forepaw up. "Roxanne!"
But she didn't come back; he just watched her go as tears fell from her eyes. Rune's heart sank even further, and he knelt his head down in shame. There had to have been a better way.
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
Ah, here we've got one of the three after-climax chapters of the story. And this one involves a character I've wanted to properly introduce: My version of Cynder. I like to call her "Grandma Cyn," because she's got a pleasant personality and likes to encourage younglings. Sure, this is her one and only proper scene in Rising Fears… but maybe we'll see more of her in the future?
Say, if you like my chapter, why not give it a review? I love hearing feedback from my fans. Dardarax tells me there's a considerable community, but I just don't know unless I talk to them myself.
Well, until next time!
Tenebra ecce Veritas