Spyro approached the portal that was closed the previous time. This time, it shined with life.

"It's on now," Zoe noticed.

"Yeah. Got some power now, but why?" the purple child wondered.

"I don't know."

Sparx supposed that something was done since they checked the first time.

Spyro gazed back and asked, "You think that Flame is going to be okay?"

"Don't worry. My spell will avoid the eyes of those evil thieves. The Sorceress won't find him if she doesn't know he's there," the fairy reassured him.

"Good," he approached the portal when a voice stopped him.

"Stop right here!" a voice said. A light came towards him and when it went away, it showed it was the thief that the dragon failed to torch, "Looks like you managed to come here somehow little dragon."

"Little?" Spyro frowned as he grunted, "You guys stole my siblings! I'm their big brother and I will being all of them home!"

"We need them," she replied.

"What? You just stole my family and you think I'll let you evil thief get away with it because you 'need' them?"

Sparx nodded in agreement with his friend.

The thief wanted to give a nasty reply, but she had nothing, "Listen to me dragon and listen well. You better turned back to the hole you came from and never return to this realm. This is your only warning. If I find out that you are still bringing those eggs back to your realm, I will get angry and you will not like it when I'm angry," after the thief gave her warning, she used her magic to disappear from the group.

The purple dragon frowned as he turned his gaze at them, "Looks like the thieves will be after us now," he grunted, "And I don't like her."

"Why would they need the eggs anyway?" Zoe asked.

"It doesn't matter. It's must be for evil reason," Spyro replied before he jumped into the portal, ready to save more eggs.


Chapter 28: The Long Return

Back in the Dragon Realm, the dragons were watching at the three new eggs who returned to their home. Two of them already hatched and the dragons who wouldn't take the portal were busy taking care of them and the others soon to come.

Titan gazed at the one with short purple hair and the little horn on his snout. He could tell it was his own child, except for the pale gold scale the baby dragon had. He grabbed the little boy and said, "I know we've just met my blood son, but I got to go now," he hugged him and nuzzle the baby dragon. He put the child on the ground. His future warrior would have to wait.

The dragons assembled as the group was formed. The ten dragons stood side by side and they were ready to go through the portal.

Gunnar was one of the Peace Keepers picked for the mission. He was a tall muscular dragon with pale green scales, yellow underbelly, black spikes on his head, going down his spine to the end middle of his tail and black spikes like beard on his jaw. He wore an eye patch over his left eye while his right one shined in pale blue color, a silver necklace with a blue gem in the middle and two brown belts. He spread his purple head as he prepared himself for the fight.

The second Peace Keeper was Halvor. He was a pale purple dragon with pinkish underbelly, brown eyes. He looked at his leader with confidence. He had a black horn on his snout and a few pointing towards the back of his head. He leaned against his battering ram while he adjusted his brown battle skirt. He checked on his leather bracelet and nodded as everything was ready for saving the eggs.

Trondo was the last one picked as warriors to the Forgotten Realm. He was checking his knives.

Bruno, leader of the Beast Makers readied his wooden staff as he checked the others with his yellow eyes. He was a gray dragon with a few yellow circles marked on his scales, white underbelly while his purple wings were closed on his back. He adjusted his big brown had as it almost felt from his head. His tooth necklace bounced on his chest as the creepy eye on it seemed to stare at the other dragons.

The Magic Crafter picked to support them with his magic was Zantor. He was a slender yellow dragon with gray underbelly, purple eyes, a pair of white horns coming out of his purple wizard hat. He wore a purple cloth around his waist held up by a brown rope, a bound up purple cape and a necklace. He was playing with his cards that flew in the air thanks to his magic.

The Magic Crafters and the Dream Weavers were sitting around a circle that had been painted on the ground with some special paint that could be used to increase the power of an incantation. The group crossed their legs and slowly breathe.

Nestor was a little anxious. The chance of success of the spell wasn't guarantee. It was the first time they would open a portal like that. He gazed at the other dragons and they were also nervous for different reasons. He could see that Titan played with his axe for a while, "Nervous?"

"Yeah. We can only count on them. As a warrior, I rather believe in what I can do in a fight," he grumbled. He sighed, "But it is the only way. Still," he pointed at Astor, "You sure we have to accept a dead weight like him?" He was hit on the skull and painfully grumbled.

"Who are you calling a dead weight? I survive worse than you stupid punk! I lived in the Dragon Kingdom before you we born!" the mauve dragon hit him another time.

The three baby dragons were giggling.

The leader of the Peace Keeper whined, "Come on son. Don't take his-" he winced at the third attack, "-Side."

Astor huffed with a satisfied smile and walked away.

The other warriors were giggling as an old dragon shut his mouth.

"And he closes to 2 000 years," Argus commented.

"We are almost ready. You should come in the middle of the circle, so we can open the portal to send you there. You can continue your little small talk there," Cosmos declared.

"And don't forget to bring the stones, so you can communicate with us with your dreams," Lateef reminded them. He raised his finger and added, "And remember to tell us if anything is wrong. And keep them with you, if the Sorceress sent you anywhere in the world with her magic, we can find you with this."

The group nodded as they went in the middle of the circle.

"I hate waiting," Trondo grumbled as he took out his knife and checked if it was still sharp enough to cut a few of those thieves.

"The more we wait, the more eggs are in danger," Bruno replied as he hit the ground with his staff.

Titan scratched his chin, "Astor, do you know why we had to move here, if the Forgotten Realm was our kingdom long ago?"

"Your father never told you about it… It's…" he scratched his head and grumbled, "I got it on the tip of my tongue."

Oswin replied, "From the old record we have, we left the Dragon Kingdom around a thousand years ago. The Sorceress cursed our kind. Because of it, we could never return to the Forgotten Realm, until now. Maybe even when we got many eggs… Even if only Spyro remained."

"Is it really possible a curse breaks out like that?" Nestor asked, just in case they might be wrong.

"A curse is something that is meant to last for a lifetime, however, a life is really a general term. We can live for thousands of years while some, like humans, almost never live more than a century, without the use of dangerous magic," Cosmos replied as he shared his knowledge, "Maybe it is the lifetime of the Sorceress."

"Is she dead?" Bruno asked.

"I don't believe so," Lateef replied. He raised his finger, "I believe she is the same and not her descendant."

"And what I said is a theory. It cannot be a Hex since there is no nothing to end it and those don't last for a long period of time," the leader of the Magic Crafter concluded.

"From the other things we have in the records, it used to be a large and splendid kingdom. It lived with a long prosperity until a few things happened. I don't know what. Those records are too damaged or missing," Oswin concluded.

"In other words, we have to beware of the Sorceress. She might not be like an old grandma then," Bubba grumbled.

Gunnar nodded as he hit his hands, "Doesn't matter. We save the eggs and if we have the chance, she will regret everything she had done to us and our ancestors!"

"We need to find Spyro too. I dread to imagine that he is challenging the Sorceress on his own if he knows what she did to our ancestors," Nestor reminded them.

The dragons were quiet and nodded.

"We are done with the preparations. Now, just wait for us to open the portal," Cosmos declared.

"Not a word or the portal might open out at the wrong place," another Magic Crafter warned them.

The dragons who began casting the spell began to chant it. It sounded like the Magic Crafters and Dream Weavers were singing a song in an unknown language. The group who weren't familiar with this type of magic gazed at Zantor who put his finger over his mouth. He was quietly telling them to let them concentrate.

The symbol on the ground began to shine. Once it completely began to shine the portal began to take form. There was something unexpected that happened as the portal seemed unstable. The gate didn't open to the other realm. It seemed to take some kind of form, but nothing else.

"Something is going on," Zantor whispered. He saw the casters frowning and grumbled in their chant. He knew that the spell asked a lot out of them and this might be too much for them.

"Who?" Titan whispered when he noticed someone coming towards the dragons, wearing a brown cloak with the hood hiding his feature.

"Looks like you need more magic for it to succeed," the newcomers commented as he put his wooden staff with a dark purple hem at the top. He joined the Magic Crafters and the Dream Weavers around the circle.

Those in the circle didn't trust the stranger at all. They couldn't end it now or they might have to wait for a long time before trying that again. Even when he perfectly joined their chant without trouble, they doubt him. It was as if he already knew the spell.

Nestor frowned as he tapped his mallet on his palm, waiting for anything to go wrong. He carefully watched the stranger. He noticed the dragon tail, but didn't trust the stranger. He just couldn't do anything. The others with him were also quietly agreeing with him.

Zantor was nervously playing with his cards and ready to use it if anything happened.

The portal began to open and from the other side, they could see a land.

"It's open," Astor said as he watched the Forgotten Realm. Seeing the realm where he was born made him drop a few tears as he walked towards it.

"Astor," Nestor noticed it.

"Go!" Cosmos yelled, "We got this!"

"Let's go," the Carpenter ordered as he went with Astor who just passed at the other side.

The others hesitated for a few seconds as they watched the stranger. They decided to do as it was said when they saw Galvin standing behind the stranger with other dragons who wouldn't come with them.

The group jumped in the portal.

Once they saw them passed, Cosmos was about to order to stop the spell when he saw a flash of dark purple suddenly appearing near it. The leader of the Magic Crafters recognised Malefor who went through the portal. Confusion was in his mind when the dragon appeared out of nowhere as if he teleported near the portal.

The dark purple dragon jumped into the portal.

After a few seconds, the dark green dragon grunted, "Stop!"

They stopped the chanting and the portal closed up. The dragons who used their magic panted as they rested on the ground.

"Damn. That was a lot of magic just to send them," one of the Magic Crafter commented.

Cosmos didn't focus on them, but on the stranger.

The newcomers who appeared out of nowhere was restrained by Galvin and the other dragons.

The dark green dragon approached him and asked, "Who are you? Answer now!"

"I came because it seemed that you needed some help to save the eggs," the one who's face was still hidden in the hood revealed.

Lateef put his hand on the shoulder of the Magic Crafter and said, "Stay calm."

Cosmos grumbled as he approached him, "I will stay calm when I can see his ugly-" he stopped when he took off the hood and the cloak felt off with it.

It was a red dragon with yellow underbelly, yellow eyes, a pair of large purple horns and small purple spikes that went down his back. He wore a pair of golden bracelets around his wrist and a necklace with a purple gem on it, "It has been a while Cosmos."

"Mast- Red," the ruler of the Magic Crafters whispered. He was shaken at the sight of the old red dragon. It turned into anger as he grunted, "What are you doing here? You do know that the Council wants your head!"

"They sure would want my head. I mean, I have a few knowledges they are afraid I let it spit out of it," he played with his fingers as he said his last word. He grumbled when Galvin put him on the ground in case, he was planning something suspicious.

"Knowledge?" one Peace Keeper dragon asked as he never met that dragon.

"Who's that dragon?" Tomas asked.

Lateef shared the news, "This is Red, the previous Fire Guardian."

One of the Peace Keeper put his hand on the neck of Red, "And something is telling me that he is a criminal on the loose."

"Is saying that they want my head a giveaway?" the dragon in question snickered as he smirked. He winced when the other dragon pressed harder on his neck.

Cosmos grabbed his staff and casted something, "Since you are here. You can finally answer some questions I had for a long time Red," he showed his fangs as he said that.

The leader of the Dream Weavers grumbled, "Cosmos. You have to avoid anger. It will cloud your judgement."

The other dragon ignored his warning, despite hearing it. He summoned something on the palm of his hand, "I've been studying something for a long time. Since his attack on our kind. Something you forgot to destroy like the others," he showed a fragment of a green gem.

Red smirk was still on his face, "You're right. I was certain of it."

"What is it?" Lindar asked.

"This is a fragment of an enchanted gem made by Red. What does this do? It's turned dragons into crystals," Cosmos answered as he clenched his grip on the fragment, "And I recognised the craft of Red on it. He gave this to Gnastic Gnorc! He tried to get rid of Dragon Kind!"

The dragons were concerned by this revelation.

Lateef lost his calm and he glared at the dragon, "Because of you, Spyro had to put his life in danger to save us. Maybe we should let him have a pay back at you."

"You are right Cosmos. You learned well from my craft," Red chuckled quietly, "However you are wrong on one thing. My plan wasn't to exterminate my kind."

"Oh yeah? What is it then?" he replied to the red dragon.

"It doesn't matter," he blushed off his real intention, "Anyway. You should release me. I have helped you open the portal to save the eggs. I did more than those Guardian Dragons am I right?"

"We didn't ask for their help," Thor replied as his tail 'accidentally' whipped Red face, "So you are wrong."

"I'll insist that you release me. I helped you, so you should let me go you know," Red went on with his release.

"No way," Cosmos harshly said.

"You're saying this because I left you and became a Guardian Dragon three hundred years ago. You aren't a child anymore Cosmos and I taught you everything I knew."

"Shut your mouth right now," the dark green dragon replied.

"Well…" Red grabbed his staff and casted a spell. It sent every dragon away from him.

Cosmos had casted a shield at the last second and was the only one on his feet.

"A duel? How childish. But I enjoy childish things," Red gazed at his claws as he looked around, "But nice reflex. Fine, I'll tell you a little thing."

"What?" the leader of the Magic Crafter asked while the others stood up.

"I gave this gem to Gnastic Gnorc to force my enemies to come out of hiding, but they rather let you into those crystal jails forever," he spun his staff and pointed at Cosmos, "And if you want all the answers. You and me on a duel my ex-apprentice."

"You probably shouldn't do it Cosmos," Oswin commented.

Alvar added, "Even I wouldn't take a risk like that."

"Good thing I'm not you Alvar. Very well Red. I will get everything out of your skull and then I'll let the Guardian Dragons deal with you."

"And if I win, you let me go," the other dragon replied. He took his cloak and walked away.

"This is a bad idea Cosmos," Lateef warned him, even if it was too late.

"There are many things he is planning and not telling. It making my scales shivered," he replied. He knew his master too well.

Red stopped and declared, "This is the perfect spot," he took out a silver gem and let it fall on the ground.

The dragons quickly took their distance as a barrier was forming around Red and Cosmos. It created an area where they could fight without restrain.

"Cosmos. Show me how much you've improved," the red dragon raised his hand while he spun his scepter.

Cosmos clenched his hand on his staff and replied, "I've improved enough to defeat you."


Meanwhile, Nestor and the other dragons reached the other side of the portal. They saw that they were at the top of a tower. They looked around and saw many mountains and towers surrounding them. The clouds were almost at their level. It felt as if they were in the Dream Weaver Realms in a way.

"This is… Where are we?" Titan was interrupted when a flash of dark purple appeared in front of them as the portal closed. In the air, above them, they saw Malefor who flew towards the horizon. He quickly became a small dot in the sky.

"Malefor?" Bruno grunted.

"My son," Astor whispered as he held his staff. He looked around more carefully, "We are in… Cloud Spires. It… barely changed… Except the clouds. There is less than I remember," he concluded.

"Spyro is obviously not here," Magnus grumbled.

"We have to search for him and the eggs now," Bruno grunted.

"Let's go. We are not here to sight see everything," Nestor declared.

The dragons opened their wings and began to search for the eggs in the zone.


AC: This is the end of this chapter.

Next: Sheila, The Prisoner.

After Spyro saved ten eggs, he encountered Moneybags who held Sheila as a prisoner for a crime. Spyro freed her and learned more about The Forgotten Realm and dragon's kind past.