Chapter 44

My focus was set on the cheetah in front of me, Venor. I felt the rage and bloodlust still coursing through my veins, but I was able to point it all towards him. We had already shared blows, my arm bleeding from a cut he had landed with his scythe, and a bit of blood trickling down his jaw from the blow I got on his jaw. All around us, a fierce battle had been waged, dragons and grublins clashing in the air and on the ground, fighting for the fate of this world. Volteer himself had been fighting a larger grublin, I had managed to see him get a few good hits on the beast, and figured he would be able to handle it.

Venor scowled at me, standing tall. "You fight well for a boy," he hissed.

I snorted in response, grinning slightly. "You fight well for a cat."

His eyes narrowed, before he suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I had seen this move before, and a warning jolt in the back of my spine gave me enough time to duck as his scythe slashed the air above me. One of my tendrils lashed out, and I felt it grip Venor's throat. The large cheetah let out a grunt at this, before I whirled around and punched him in the gut, my tendril releasing his throat as he flew backwards and tumbled on the ground. He quickly stood up however, before his eyes glowed a dark purple and he swung his weapon forward, unleashing a wave of sparking purple energy. I was surprised at this, trying to sidestep the attack, but I was a tad too late. Two of the bolts struck me, making me grunt in pain as the energy coursed through my body, seeming to burn my insides and make my joints lock up for a moment. A jolt went off in the back of my head, and I did my best to lean back as Venor suddenly dashed forward and swung his scythe, part of it grazing my clothing as my eyes widened. Venor kicked my right shin, making me grunt as I fell to one knee, before I quickly brought my arm up to block another one of his swipes with his weapon.

A shield formed around my arm, it now locked in the corner of his scythe. Venor was taken aback by this and I too my chance. I yanked my arm back, pulling the scythe out of his grasp and sending it flying through the air behind me, making Venor lose his footing. I brought my free hand back, balling it into a fist and planting a punch square in the cheetah's chest. He gave out a grunt of pain as he was flung backwards from the force, hurtling through the air once more as he tumbled to a stop a ways away from me.

It was my turn to go on the offensive, a cloud of smoke filled my vision, before I found myself behind Venor. My tendrils wrapped around his throat and his entire body, lifting him into air as he gagged and gasped for air, struggling in my grip. I was about to strike him square in the spine, before my sense suddenly went off. I didn't have enough time to react however, as Venor suddenly gave out a cry of rage as his body sparked with dark energy, creating a small shockwave that struck me head on. I was forced to let go of him as I was pushed to the ground by the wave, holding my head in pain as my body once again locked up due to the searing pain of the dark energy burning my insides.

"You are an arrogant boy!" Venor spat. I looked up to see his eyes glowing a dark purple as the energy kept sparking off his body. "Using your power so recklessly! Throwing it all away in a feeble attempt to save this pathetic realm!"

I gritted my teeth in anger, but kept my mouth shut. Now wasn't the time for talk, there was a fight I had to win. I found myself in a cloud of smoke once more, before I was suddenly behind Venor again, except this time I was a decent way away from him. I reached behind my back, feeling the dragon scaled bow Malefor had given me form in my hands. I brought it forward and quickly pulled on the string, an arrow forming in my grip as my vision focused dead on Venor's head. The cheetah seemed confused, his head whipping around the area until his eyes landed upon me, and widened. I fired the arrow, it hurtling towards him with alarming speed. Venor scowled before his scythe suddenly formed in his grip out of a cloud of purple smoke, and he used it to quickly swat my arrow aside. This surprised me for a moment, since I hadn't realized just how fast he was. I scowled and quickly fired another arrow, but the cheetah easily swiped it aside as well.

I frowned as I had the bow in my hand disappear into a cloud of smoke, knowing it wouldn't be much help in this fight. The sword from before suddenly formed in my grip, though this time it appeared to be out of some sort of black flame. I didn't pay much mind to it though, I simply leapt forward, a cloud of smoke forming as I was warped in front of Venor. I brought my sword down on him, but he managed to block it with his weapon, his eyes wide in surprise. I growled as I kept pressing my sword against his scythe, trying to overpower him as we were both locked in a battle of might. We seemed evenly matched, but I had other plans. My tendrils suddenly reared back, before all four of them hurtled towards Venor, aiming to restrain him. Venor must have been prepared for this however, as he gave out a roar of rage and his body erupted in purple electricity, making me stumble back a bit as they shocked my tendrils, forcing them back. Venor overpowered me, shoving me back as I fell to the ground in a grunt, hissing in pain. Venor swiftly lifted his scythe before plummeting it downwards, aiming to cleave me in two. I quickly brought my sword up to block his attack, just barely able to hold him off as the metal of our weapons clashed. He looked down at me with an icy stare of cold-hearted hatred, trying to push the scythe further down, our positions now switched.

My eyes were wide in fear, the tip of his scythe nearly pressing into my face. I soon felt a jolt of power course through me however, my face of fear turning to one of rage. My tendrils lashed out again, this time trying to at least touch him. Dark energy formed around him again, shocking me as my tendrils approached, I pushed through the pain, until one of my tendrils touched his side. My world was engulfed in black smoke again, before the both of us were warped a couple feet into the air, Venor not expecting this as he brought his scythe back and flailed about. I used this opportunity to kick him in the stomach, sending him flying sideways and slamming into the ground hard. I managed to land on one knee, before I quickly brought myself up to my full height. Venor also stood, spitting out blood as he gave me a fierce glare. He whipped his hand forward and shot a bolt of purple energy at me, making me flinch as I quickly ducked, just barely able to dodge the attack. However it struck the sword in my hand, sending it flying out of my grip.

Venor gritted his teeth, before raising his hand up, dark crystals bursting from the ground and surrounding him, their energy coursing into his veins. He gave out a mighty roar as I saw his muscles twitch and his body convulse. His eyes lit up with the dark purple energy, a bit of smoke forming around him. He raised his scythe high, many bolts of power shooting off of it, striking the ground and random beings around use. I brought my hand up, a shield forming in front of me as the bolts bounced off of it, making me fall to one knee from the force of the energy. My vision was clouded by the intensity of the bolts, and I felt a sudden twitch in the back of my head. My eyes widened as I saw Venor charging straight for me at blinding speed. I tried to back up, but was too late as he struck my shield with his empowered scythe. My shield broke before my eyes, before a blast of dark energy flung me backwards, making me tumble and roll on the ground as I grunted in pain. I flinched once more, before I instinctively pushed myself up off the ground. Venor's scythe landed where I once was bolts of energy sparking off of it, one striking me in the chest. I cringed in pain, before a wave of rage rushed over me. I was getting tired of his little bolts, and thought it was about time to try and force the bastard to drop his weapon again.

I brought my fist back, and thrust it forward, aiming for his face. He managed to bring his hand up to block it though, the energy still coursing through him. The bolts sent waves of pain shooting through me as they struck, but I held out, grabbing his arm and attempting to strike him once more. He brought his other arm up to block it, the scythe still in his hand. I grabbed his other arm, the both of us locked in a battle of strength once again as I pushed against him, trying to knock him down. He gritted his teeth, using his power to assault me with an onslaught of dark energy. I grunted in pain, but it only seemed to fuel me further. The agony coursing through my body made me tense up, feeling rage and power begin to rise deep within my bones.

I attempted to strike at him with my tendrils, however his bolts of energy kept sparking them, forcing them back as I let out another hiss of pain. He was really starting to get on my nerves, and I hadn't noticed the rage building in me. I became focused on the cheetah in front of me, only feeling rage and the urge to destroy him. Before I even realized it, I gave out a cry of anger. The same dark energy coming from Venor coursed through me. The energy erupted from me, knocking Venor back a ways as he slammed into the ground hard. I didn't give him a chance to breath, rushing forward, poised to tear him apart. I brought my fist down, the cheetah just barely able to block it with the hilt of his weapon. I struck again, he held steady. But I hit again, and again, and again, each blow stronger than the last. The pure anger sent me into a frenzy, Venor only able to shakily hold up his weapon against my relentless assault. Until, there was a loud "SNAP" that echoed around us. Venor's weapon had been broken in two, the pieces falling to the ground on either side of him.

I only paused for a second, before I began to punch him in the face over and over. His head swung back into the ground with a thud at each strike, his face becoming bloody and bruised as he coughed and sputtered. I was in a blind rage, and it seemed nothing could stop me. Until, something stuck my side, making me stagger as I took a couple steps back and away from my new attacker. I raised my fist, prepared to strike this foe. Before I saw the distressed gaze of Volteer. He was standing on all fours in front of me, in a defensive stance.

"Seth! Stop!" he shouted; eyes full of fear. "Its over! You won!"

I breathed heavily, expecting Psy to fight with the yellow dragon, but he was silent. I stared into Volteer's alarmed, yet concerned gaze, and the anger began to subside. I knew he was right, no need to fight about it, and it seemed Psy had realized the same thing. I let out a small grunt as I lowered my fist, feeling my body relax as I gave Volteer a small nod, though the tendrils had not retracted from my back, and I still felt darker powers within me.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, nearly knocking me on my feet as I struggled to keep balance. Volteer was also wobbling on his feet, before he took to the air in a split second, looking at me in alarm. The ground suddenly began to fall, the island I was now standing on plummeting downwards into the depth of the earth. I glanced upwards to see Volteer cry out my name in distress. It seemed like he was about to swoop down, before a wyvern suddenly slammed into him, biting at his neck. I looked around in a panic, concerned for both me and Volteer as the island continued to fall. It was falling fast, and hell, I was just surprised I was standing on the surface of it rather than being flung up in the air as the ground fell out from beneath me. I felt some sort of force keeping me planted on the island though, which was probably good for me.

My eyes landed upon Venor as the broken cheetah crawled away, seemingly trying to recover from the blows I had inflicted on him earlier. I scowled; I wasn't going to let this bastard get away this time. I marched over to him, before gripping his throat and yanking him up off the ground. Venor coughed and sputtered as I did this, gripping onto my wrist as he glared at me, one of his eyes swollen up.

"What's happening!? Why's the island falling!?" I shouted at him, shaking him slightly.

He coughed in response, chuckling a bit. "The Master is bringing an end to this world, and there is nothing you can do to stop him. You should have joined him when you had the chance."

I growled, punching him in the gut, making him spit up blood. "Tell me what's happening!"

The broken cheetah chuckled once more. "Just end it boy, take my life," he glared at me, his fangs bared. "Or do you not have the spine?"

I snorted, glaring right back at him. "I don't need to kill you, you're all ready beaten to a pulp!"

"Weakling…" Venor spat.

I tossed him onto the ground, not taking his bait this time. I knew I had to keep my anger under control, keep my power in check. I wasn't going to let the madness take control… not anymore.

"You shall not escape the Dark Master's influence!" Venor shouted behind me.

I shook my head in response, starting to walk away. "I already have."

"No!"

I felt a jolt in my spine as I heard movement behind me. I whirled around, but I was too late, Venor had somehow lunged at me, now gripping my throat in both of his claws. His eyes were a dark purple as shadows swirled around him.

"All shall serve him!" the cheetah bellowed.

Before I had a chance to swat him off, purple sparks lurched off of Venor's body and assaulted me, making me cry out in agony. His body was engulfed in smoke and purple energy, dark crystals forming on his fur. He let out a mighty cry as his form was completely enveloped by crystals, until his entire body shattered into bits, creating a massive explosion in front of me. I wasn't knocked back, held by some invisible force as the crystals from his body jutted into the ground and grew at an alarming rate. They seemed to form a cage, still seeping dark energy into me.

'Accept this power… use your rage, let it consume you,' the voice of Malefor spoke in my head.

I gritted my teeth shaking my head as I held it in both hands. "Shut up!"

'Do not be a weakling! Do not let your petty morals get in the way of true power and control over your own life!'

I knelt down, my joints locking up as the pain growled, my head becoming foggy. "Shut up!"

'Do not deny what you deserve! Not for beings that will cast you out as soon as they get the chance! Embrace this power! Show the world what you really are!'

I hissed, "I WON'T BE THIS!"

'But you are, you always have been; you've had this rage, this bit of madness within you that has always wanted control, always wanted to be free! Why not let it free? Why not be what you are meant to be?'

"Get out of my head…"

'You shall never be rid of this, you know this! Embrace it!'

The energy continued to swirl around me, giving me a sense of dread, feeling all of my rage take hold. There was a flash of my parent's bodies in my head, all of the pain jutting forth in that moment. Tears streamed down my cheeks, I wanted it to stop, I wouldn't give in again.

"I know it won't go away…" I whispered, letting my body ease up slightly.

Images of blood on my hands, of dead grublins and dragons laid before me coursed through my mind. All of the pain I had endured, and all of the pain I had inflicted on others.

"But I won't let it control me."

I saw my Aunt, my Uncle, and even Dean popped up.

"I won't hurt the people I care about again."

I saw Cynder, Volteer, Shelia and her sisters, Ember, even Baron and Spyro.

"I won't become, what that bastard wanted me to be so many years ago…"

I opened my eyes, feeling a mass of power flow through my bones. I gritted my teeth as my muscles tensed up, outstretching my arms as I gave out a mighty roar.

"Now get out of my head!"

My whole world flashed purple for a moment, and I felt the dark energy being pushed out of me, exploding out of my very soul. I saw something be thrown forward, a humanoid shape twisted in dark purple aura and smoke, a tail extended from its back and three horns jutting out of its head. It kneeled on the ground, a sinister feeling emanating from it as it clenched its fists. It slowly stood up and turned to me, all that could be seen were sharp yellow eyes, its face distorted in a cloud of purple energy.

"You reject this gift I have given you!?" The horned fiend bellowed. "You deny this power like a fool!?"

I stared at it in awe for a moment, trying to comprehend just what this thing was. I shook my head, getting back to reality. I gritted my teeth as I stood tall, feeling power rushing through my bones.

"No, I'm just finally taking control of my own actions," I growled, "I won't let you use me anymore!"

Its blurred face gained a twisted smile, dark purple energy sparking off of its form as it turned towards me.

"We could have done so much together, we could have built a new world and shaped it in our image!" its tail lashed. "Of course, I had to guide you in some ways, you are a boy who was given the power of gods, you couldn't have hoped to control it on your own."

I growled, my muscles tensing up. "You just wanted to control me! Use my rage and my own power for your gain!"

The entity shook its head. "I showed you what you really wanted! You didn't want these pathetic creatures as your "friends", they would have betrayed you! You didn't give a damn about this world! All the beings in it wanted was to cast you out! I wanted to make you a god! Make you whole!" It chuckled. "But it seems you are too daft to accept this power… so I suppose I'll just have to strike you down and take it from you!"

I glared at the beast, clenching my fists.

'He can certainly try,' Con spoke up in my head.

'We will never be controlled again!' Sane proclaimed.

'Our power is our own!'

I only saw hatred for this thing I had created, this thing that Malefor had wanted me to be, that thing wasn't me, and it never will be me.

'We need to fight together! No more arguing! We need to beat this thing!'

'Let us wipe this imposter off the face of this realm!'

'Let's finally fight as one…'

I felt the power of all three them course through my veins. This was my peak; this is what I truly was. I needed to stop fighting with myself, so I could finally be free of what always tried to control me. My body had changed once more. My arms had gained a metallic shell, my back had grown tendrils, and there was a purple aura emitting from my body.

I was finally ready to be rid of Malefor's influence once and for all.

Suddenly, the twisted creature shot a purple bolt at me. I quickly brought my arms up to cover my face, the bolt striking a purple shield of energy that had formed in front of me. The creature disappeared in a flash of purple, before the jolt in the back of my head went off. I jerked my head to the side as a distorted purple fist whizzed by the side of my face. I swung my fist behind me, managing to strike the distorted form of Malefor across the face. It staggered backwards for a moment, before suddenly letting out a mighty roar and pushing its limbs outward, sending out a wave of energy that slammed into me. I managed to keep my footing as I shielded my face from the blast, wincing in pain. Another jolt went off in my head and I brought my hand up, catching the figures fist in my hand. Malefor's voice growled fiercely at me, his eyes shooting me a glare of rage and hatred. I kept calm, simply giving him a stern look in return as we were locked in battle.

My other consciousnesses were all giving me advice on what to do during that little skirmish. Psy would tell me to strike, Sane would tell me to dodge, and Con would tell me to block. I hardly heard their words, but followed it to a tee, we were all working together without even a hint of argument between us.

A spark of pain shot through my arm, making me wince. I realized the figure was shooting is dark energy up through my arm, and attempted to bring my hand back. As I did this however, it brought its free hand forward, striking me square in the chest, knocking the wind out of me for a moment. Malefor's image gave out a mighty roar as it shot a wave of energy at me, making me hurtle backwards and slam into the ground hard. I grunted in pain, a bit dazed for a moment, before another jolt went off in the back of my head. I rolled to my side, just barely getting out of the way as the figures foot slammed into the earth where I once was, creating a small crater. I quickly got to my feet, leaning back as the image swung at me, grazing my chin. Its blows were getting faster and stronger, it clearly gaining power slowly over time.

I needed to finish this fast, otherwise it might grow powerful enough to overwhelm me. Suddenly, I felt a huge feeling of dread overwhelm me. Without thinking I quickly made a shield around my entire body and covered my face with my arms. The earth that was falling beneath us suddenly shattered into a million pieces as it finally hit the actual ground. I slammed up against the earth, wincing as I felt a jolt of pain in my side, but luckily the shield around me blocked most of the blow. I grunted as I laid on the rocky earth, slowly rising up as my shield fell, looking around in a daze. I noticed that the temple was gone, and there was a large hole in the earth right behind me, and I had landed in the hellish landscape within the ring of fire once more. I looked down into the gaping hole in the world, seeing the rest of the island falling into the depths at a rapid pace. My heart lurched, knowing the Spyro and Cynder were still in there.

I was about to leap into the hole, before I felt an unseen force grip my body, and hurl me backwards, making me tumble into the dirt. I stopped myself as I nearly fell into a river of flowing lava, quickly scrambling forward to avoid the searing heat.

"You will not interfere with my plans!" Malefor's voice bellowed.

I looked over to see his twisted image glaring at me, its piercing yellow eyes now clearer, as I saw the stern gaze of Malefor. It leapt at me, its yellow distorted teeth bared as it brought its fist back. I leapt to the side, managing to dodge his blow, but he kept swinging at me with blinding speed. I had barely any time to think, or even dodge for that matter. I ducked and weaved away from his strikes, getting shocked by some of the dark energy sparking off of him. I gritted my teeth, before I saw an opening as it prepared to attack once again. I slammed it in the gut, making it cry out in agony. But it suddenly grabbed my arm, and placed a hand on my chest. A large bolt of energy came from its hand before I could react, and I was once again hurled backwards from the force of it.

However, this time I managed to keep my footing, skidding to a halt on my feet before quickly bringing my fists down, slamming them into the ground. The ground shook, and energy of a pure bright white send ripples through the earth, before unleashing into an explosion underneath the figure. Malefor's image was launched into the air at this, and I quickly warped behind it, bringing both of my fists up and hammering down on its back, making it fall into the earth with a loud rumble, creating a small dent in the black rocks below.

I heard it hiss in pain, before it suddenly warped away, I felt a flinch in my head, attempting to warp away as well. However, I was too late, and I felt something coil around my leg. I looked down to see the thing's tail wrapped around my ankle, before I was suddenly hurled to the ground, slamming into it hard. I shook my head, somewhat dazed from the blow, before yet another jolt went off in my spine. I stood up quickly, looking to the skies to see the figured bring its hand back, a powerful bolt crackling between its hands. It fired the energy at me, and I brought my arms up, shielding my face. The bolt struck the shield that formed around me, but it seeped through, shocking my body, making me wince. I felt a cloud of anger and pain race through me, making me fall to one knee. I tried to force back the rage, but the creatures bolt of energy persisted, its power coursing through my veins. I felt the need to destroy it, to lash out, to be rid of anything that stood in my way. I knew it was a trap, and kept pushing it down, but I couldn't keep it under control.

'Aim your anger…' Psy spoke up in my head. 'It's giving us power, and we can use it, we can control it…'

I slowly stood up, still shielding my face as the assault of pain continued, gritting my teeth.

'We control this power…' Sane stated.

I suddenly brought my hands forward, almost able to grapple the sparking bolts of darkness around me, feeling it all run through me.

'And nothing will control us again…' Con proclaimed.

I brought my hands back for a moment, focusing my power, the only thing in my vision right now being Malefor's image as it continued to lash out at me with bolts of power. I let out a cry of rage as I shot my hands forward, bolts of purple energy shooting forth, before they collided with the figure, erupting in an explosion of purple sparks. I saw the creature fall from the smoke, but it managed to land on its feet, kneeling down as I saw its form wavier. But it suddenly looked up at me, rage filling its yellow eyes as it soon stood up, power sparking all around it.

"You reject my gift and my guidance!" Malefor's voice boomed all around me. "If you do not follow your destiny, and do not accept this power…" Its eyes lit up bright yellow as the ground shook around us. "I will destroy you with it!"

It suddenly shot a huge beam of twisted and clouded purple energy at me. My eyes widened and I brought up a shield in front of me, wincing as the energy struck, making me slide backwards just a bit, but I kept my footing. I flinched once more, looking up to see a cloud of purple smoke forming above me, before more sparks of power shot down from it. I raised my hand and created a shield above me, blocking the assault as I fell to one knee. I brought my other hand back, and shot a beam of searing hot energy at the figure. The image easily managed to dodge it, moving faster than I had seen it do so before. It leapt towards me, inhaling deeply, before it unleashed an unholy assault of dark purple flames at me. I brought up both my arms, a green shield forming in front of me and blocking the flames. I gritted my teeth, the flames unrelenting as they licked at my defenses, I was feeling my energy be drained, and I knew I couldn't hold this shield for much longer.

I managed to spot the feet of the creature from behind the flames, seeing it wasn't too far away from me. I brought one of my hands down, feeling energy forming in my arm. The shield nearly broke, but I managed to shoot a beam of white into the ground, making it erupt. My plan worked as the figure was suddenly shot up into the air as energy exploded below it, sending it flying backwards. I quickly stood up and shot my arms into the air, curling my fingers. I saw a green glow form around the creature as I gripped it with my power. I swing my arms downwards, using my power to hurl the figure into the ground, slamming it into the cold hard earth below. I didn't give it a second to breath, lunging forward as I felt power rising in my right leg. I quickly swung my foot forward, striking the creature in the face as it tried to stand up, making it fly backwards once more, hurtling through the air.

A tentacle lashed out from by back, stretching far as it gripped the figure in the air, holding it in place. I let out a cry of rage as I shot my arm forward, sending another beam of light at the figure. The creature let out a distorted cry of pain as the beam pierced right through it, the figure's form blinking in and out of existence for a moment as it fell to the ground in a heap. I saw it reform once again, staggering as it let out cries of rage, the roar of Malefor echoing around us. It stood up, and I knew I needed to continue the assault. I felt the dragon scaled bow form in my hand, before bringing it forward and grabbing the string, an arrow of black smoke forming between my fingers. My vision focused on Malefore's image as it stood to its full height. I let the arrow fly, and it struck the figure directly in the chest. It wailed as the arrow disappeared in a puff of smoke, the figure's yellow eyes glaring at me in pure hatred. It suddenly shot its hand forward at me, a bolt of energy sparking from its finger tips. I warped out of the way in a cloud of smoke, before appearing behind it, gripping my bow string again and shooting another arrow into its back, the arrow disappearing on contact. Another earsplitting howl of pain echoed from the figure, before it swung its arm in my direction, shooting a wave of energy at me. I leapt up and teleported once more, now in the air as I fired yet another arrow, striking it right in the chest. Its mouth opened, but instead of a cry, a large breath of purple fire came out, hurtling in my direction. I once again warped away in a cloud of smoke, behind the creature once more. I gritted my teeth as I pulled back the bow string one final time, two arrows now forming in my grip. I let them fly, both of them hitting their mark, on in the figure's neck, and the other directly planted in its forehead. Its form waivered once again, distorted smoke and dark purple sparks erupting from its core. I almost had it, I just had to keep hitting the damn thing.

Suddenly, it disappeared in a flash of purple, before I felt a jolt go off in my head. I turned around wide eyed, seeing that the creature was right behind me both of its fists raised, prepared to strike me down. I brought my arms up, a green shield forming in front of me as the creature's fists collided with it. Sparks of power bounced off my shield of energy and I fell to one knee from the strength of the blow. I gritted my teeth, seeing the piercing yellow eyes of Malefor staring down at me as the figure attempted to break my shield, pushing down on it harder and harder.

I was beginning to lose this battle, before something clicked in my head as I stared into Malefor's eyes. I remembered what Sanity and Psychotic had taught me, about how to connect with someone else's thoughts. My eyes focused on Malefor's own, and I felt a connection slowly tangle between our minds. I could sense his rage, and his anguish. I felt a twinge of sympathy for him in that moment, but I knew at this point I had to defeat him. My mind lurched for a second as I shot a psychic wave into Malefor's head, overwhelming our connection. The figure's eyes flashed green for a moment, before it let out a grunt of pain and stumbled backwards, holding its head.

I gritted my teeth before shooting my arms forward, my shield of energy shattering, sending a wave of force into the figure. It flew backwards, and I quickly rushed up to it, slamming my fist into its chest, before a burst of green energy erupted from my hand, piercing right through the creature. It staggered, letting out shocked gasps for air as a large hole was made in its chest. The hole began to reform, but I took my chance. I brought my hand back, feeling the heat of fire in my palm as a burst of green flame erupted from my hand. I now clasped the sword I had wielded many times before in my hand, green flames spewing off the blade. I let out a battle cry as I thrust the sword into the hole I had created, stopping the creature from regenerating. The figure howled in pain, gripping onto the sword with one hand its form blinking in and out of existence as it slumped forward. Dark energy rippled off of it, a wave of purple bolts striking my entire body. I held fast though, gritting my teeth as my sword shook in my grip. I was nearly there, I just needed to damage it more, and I was sure it would be wiped off the face of this realm.

The stinging pain of the dark energy coursed through me, I grunted in pain, pushing my sword in as far as it would go. I felt energy rising in my arms, before I let out one more bellow, the flames of my sword turning purple as energy shot out of my hand and into the sword. The energy burst from my blade, shattering it to bits, rupturing the figure from the inside. The figure's limbs locked into place as its form twisted and warped. An unholy cry split into the air, the creature radiating a bright purple glow for a moment, until its entire form exploded, sending my hurting backwards.

I tumbled to the ground, my ears ringing as my vision went white for a moment, dropping the hilt of the shattered weapon. I shook my head, trembling, and it felt as if the very earth was shaking around me. I blinked, before realizing that the ground was in fact rumbling beneath me. I stood up, nearly falling over, panic overcoming me as I though the world was about to finally give out. Before I noticed, across the abyss of nothingness I saw the fragments of the world begin to be pulled back together, slowly but surely. My eyes widened at the sight, watching as the world reformed right before my eyes.

And then, silence. The ground beneath me laid still, the world was whole once again. I stood there in daze, still stunned from what I had seen. I was trying to process all that had happened, everything I had just gone through, it was all so much.

It was over, it was finally over. I glanced over at the shattered crystal remains of Venor, the black pit of ash where the figure had dissipated in, and my shattered weapon next to it. I panted hard, before falling back and sitting down on the rough earth, my head low as I tried to catch my breath. I looked up to the sky, feeling the stress and adrenaline in my body finally begin to fade, my limbs going limp with fatigue. I finally did it, I wouldn't hear his voice anymore, I wouldn't be controlled anymore.

'We are free,' Psy spoke, his voice sounding weary.

'We really beat the shit outta that guy…' Con said with a chuckle.

'And we all fought together, as a team,' Sane said in a stern tone.

I smiled at his statement, watching as the black clouds of ash above began to clear.

'Here's the thing guys…' I thought as I looked down. 'I think I finally get it now,' I looked at my hands seeing my own skin reform as my metallic shell slowly faded. 'You guys aren't just voices in my head, you guys are my own thoughts, my own feelings, you guys are just… me.' I sighed, 'We all aren't different people crowded in the same head, we're one, it just, took me a while to accept it.' My gaze drifted upwards, and I began to hear all of the voices in my head merge together. 'To accept who I am now, and that all of you, are me."

I shut my eyes, all of the voices fading in my mind. I sat still, listening to the wind and the boiling lava around me. It was peaceful, I felt so at ease, and for the first time in a long time I heard the sweet sound of silence and calmness in my own head. I felt complete, I felt like I finally knew who I was, and that the voices-

'So…' Sane spoke up, breaking the silence.

I frowned and opened my eyes, sighing.

'You're not going to get rid of us that easily…' Psy remarked.

I shook my head. 'It was worth a shot…'

'You're stuck with us for a long time there, buddy,'

"Seth!" The familiar voice of Volteer shouted above me interrupting my thoughts.

I looked up to see the yellow dragon swoop down from above, landing in front of me with a relieved look on his face.

"You're all right! Thank the gods!" he said, panting a bit.

I saw he had some wounds on him, and he looked pretty tired. I frowned, looking him over in concern.

"What about you? What happened?" I asked in distress.

Volteer lowered his head, panting. "I am fine – young human. When the world began to reconnect itself, the grublins fled in fear, while most of those under the influence of Malefor broke free of his grasp." He looked up at me, hope and happiness in his eyes. "I believe Spyro and Cynder have done it! They defeated Malefor!"

I felt so much relief from that statement, hearing that Malefor had been defeated, and that the world may very well be saved from destruction.

"What happened to the cheetah you were fighting? Venor?"

I blinked, before looking over to his shattered remains scattered across the earth.

"Well – I beat him – to say the least."

Volteer looked over at the crystals on the ground bowing his head. "You defeated one of Malefor's most powerful allies," his gaze landed on me. "Thank you, Seth."

I shrugged, rubbing the back of my head, feeling the power within me slowly begin to fade. My shoulders sagged as I fell back and sat down on the ground.

"Wasn't the only thing I fought actually…"

Volteer gained a curious look. "What do you mean?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well um… I think I fought an image of Malefor or something? It was a distorted figure that had a body like me, but a head and tail like Malefor."

"Interesting…"

I shrugged. "Yeah, maybe it was just me fighting off his control or something, hell I'd say I might have imagined it if it wasn't for the pain I was feeling right now."

I rolled my right shoulder, wincing in pain from the soreness and achiness.

"Well, whatever it was, I think its finally over now," Volteer said with a smile on his face, looking up at the brightening skies above.

I looked up along with him, once again taking in the view of what seemed to be a peaceful sky. Many thoughts ran through my head though as my gaze hit the floor.

"What now?"

Volteer raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, looking down. "Well, the whole world is saved now, the grublins ran off right? The war's just about over I'd say," I sighed. "So, what should I do now?"

"That is a decision only you can make young human," Volteer replied, a warm smile on his face. "Now, your path is in your own hands."

I felt a pit of dread in my stomach from his words. What do I do with myself? Who am I? Where will I go? Will I go back home? Is there even a way back home? What the hell do I do?

'I think we've got some time to figure that out,' Sane spoke up in my head.

I nodded my gaze drifting back up to Volteer. "For now, I think I just need a ride back to the city."

Volteer bowed his head. "Of course, I am ready when you are."

I nodded, walking over and grabbing the shattered sword on the ground, before heading back to Volteer. He smiled, lowering his body a bit so I could hop on. I gently got on his back, sighing as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Thank you, Volteer..."

The yellow dragon raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

I glanced to the side, before looking back to him. "Everything..."

He smiled warmly once more. "You are welcome, young human..."

I smiled back at him, feeling a wave of hope and excitement rush over me. I was a bit surprised by the feeling, but I decided not to question it. Now it was time to move forward, this chapter of my life was finally over.

And now a new one was beginning.

A/N: Well, there we are – the final battle is over.

Its weird to think I only have one more chapter to go, after all of these years I'm finally almost done with this silly little thing I started back when I was so young. Its been a ride, really, and that ride is almost over.

I hope this battle was worthwhile, and I hope the resolution I have in store for Seth will be worth the wait too.

Thank you all who are still here reading this fic, I know I say it every time, but I really do appreciate it.

I'd say the poll for romance is over, and I think you all know who won eh? I hope to reward you all in the next chapter with a good resolution to that as well.

For now though, have a good day, I can't wait to see you all in the end of this thing.