Once everyone was in the temple, Drago, Aurora and Nina headed back to the rooms.
"I would like to know what they will talk about this time" Nina said to her friends.
"I don't know, but like last time, it is of utmost importance," said Aurora.
"I forgot to ask" Drago said to his sister, "When did you learn that technique? You know, the one you beat the Wyverns with that… ice storm"
"Oh, Mom showed it to me a few days ago. What did you think?"
"I would say you left them frozen with fright" Nina laughed.
The trio laughed. After the laughter, Nina got up and walked to the door.
"Hey Nina" Drago asked, where are you going? "
"To spy on the meeting" she replied.
Drago and Aurora looked at her friend with a puzzled face.
"Excuse, but are you crazy?" Aurora said, "We shouldn't spy on senior meetings, it's not right"
"Look, I have a weird feeling," Nina explained, "I don't know how to explain it, but something really bad is going on. Well, if you don't want to help me, I understand. "
Nina was already on her way to the meeting room, but Drago stopped her.
"Please Drago, don't bother me now" she said, "I already told you something could be wrong and ..."
"It's not that," he replied, "If you get a little closer to the door to the meeting room, it will open, letting everyone know you are there. But there is another way "
"How do you know?"
"Aurora and I have lived here since we were born: we know all the secret passages in the temple and some places to hide. Come on, let's go"
"And Aurora?"
"She doesn't want to get in trouble, but she said she would stay to cover us"
Drago guided Nina towards the meeting room, once outside, they took flight up to the ceiling, where there was a hole small enough for a young dragon of their age to enter.
"They didn't notice this when they built the temple," Drago explained, "Aurora found it while we were playing hide and seek once"
Drago entered the hole and Nina followed him. Inside, it was dark and smelled of dust, but it looked like a path through the ceiling; looking forward, you could see some light protruding from between two stones. Fortunately, it was strong enough to withstand the weight.
"Here," Drago whispered, pointing to the light. They both put their eyes in holes: what they could see is the meeting room from a higher angle. Inside the adult dragons had a conversation with Hunter.
"…These strange happenings occur in all parts of the world: Skycity, Cavescity, LunaVillage ... even High Plains" said Ray, " The Aklaba are not a people that closes down, but the attack by pirates has left them on alert, they do not send or receive messages from others"
"And I thought Kane's attitude had changed a long time ago," Spyro said, "We would have sent someone if only we had known. Now, it turns out that they almost captured him and his people "
"Fortunately, they are safe" Edel clarified, "But what did they want them for? So that they would fight in his coliseum? "
"No, they are not looking for warriors, but workers" explained Hunter, "Workers for collecting dark energy crystals."
"These dark crystals ... where did they come from?" Thorr asked, "Hadn't they been destroyed during the last war?"
"We thought so" said Spyro, "Cynder and I destroyed all the crystals of the deep golem and the Destroyer"
"Each black crystal is like an essence of Malefor's energy" Cynder said, "And its remains grow like weeds. The fact that they appear again is that he is still trying to return"
"It can't be possible ... you defeated him at the end of the previous era" said Edel, "And all together we defeated his last minion more than ten years ago, now who is helping him?"
"We believe that pirates" said Jhonny, "Look at the map"
The guardian unfolded a map on the floor, one showing all of the dragon realms.
"These are the areas where the pirates have been seen," said Hunter, indicating with a claw different points on the map, "And, these are the same areas where there has been growth of the dark crystals. There is no coincidence. Also, on their last boarding, I could see that they were carrying fragments of dark crystals "
"I wonder why the pirates agreed to work for Malefor" Thorr said.
"Pirates are equal to apes," said Cynder, "Once, the hermit from Avalar Valley told us that apes did not serve Malefor out of loyalty but out of lust and thirst for power. And looking at them from that point of view, they don't seem so different"
"That's true" Spyro said, "Also, as Cynder said, the dark crystals are like the essence of Malefor. Years ago, after the attack on the city, Malefor contacted us with his dark crystals, warning us about the Destroyer's attack. Possibly, he also contacted the pirates as soon as they found one "
"A day that cannot be forgotten" said Hunter, "And a message that had terrified everyone"
"But, to send a message from prison he would need energy" said Edel, "And, according to Ignitus, he was very weakened after his confinement"
There was a minute of silence, everyone was trying to think.
"Simian" Jhonny suddenly whispered.
"The ape in impenetrable armor?" Thorr asked, remembered that enemy.
"Yes, when we threw him into the prison portal, it still had pieces of his armor on it. Furthermore, one of Galu's swords, which also entered, was rebuilt with dark crystals and that was the source of his power"
"There may also be something else" Cynder continued, "Simian himself: Malefor condemned the apes to live in darkness… which made them skeleton-ghosts. Surely stealing their magical energy"
"If that's the case," Hunter said, "Malefor will have taken all his energy, probably from having failed him the previous time. And, with that energy, he has waited all this time to get stronger "
"So" Ray said, "It is clear that Malefor is looking for energy to escape. And now, what plan does he have in mind? "
"Perhaps he will repeat the story: he will capture the guardians and steal their magical energy"
The four guardians saw each other very worried; they knew exactly what happened to their predecessors in the previous war.
"We must stop it before that" Edel said, "And this time forever."
"I completely agree with Edel" said Jhonny, "If we don't stop him forever, he will try to come back again and destroying everything we love"
"So, I think we all agree on a frontal attack" suggested Thorr, "But we cannot leave the temple and the city unprotected ... and we don't know where they are hiding either."
"I think I know where it is," explained Hunter, pointing to the map again, "Every time they collected dark crystals, they went in these directions."
By marking the directions on the map, everyone could see that he was pointing the direction towards a huge, ancient and sinister mountain.
"The Mountain of Malefor!" they all exclaimed. Nina made a dull noise that surprised Drago. She remembered that, in her dream, it was that mountain from which that sinister energy came.
"That explains the dream that Nina had" said Spyro, "But, it doesn't make sense: the moons are not aligned as they were that night"
"It is not necessary that they are aligned ..." said Jhonny, "That place is a direct portal to his prison"
They all looked at the dragon. In his hiding place, Drago contemplated that scene.
"How do you know?" asked Thorr, "I thought you didn't have much knowledge about it."
Jhonny sighed before giving an answer:
"Ignitus told me"