Chapter 21: Climax in Convexity

Convexity

This alternate dimension was something of a mystery, even to the most experienced and learned of Dragons. Some said it was a kind of gateway to other realms - a sort of 'in-between' world. Others said it was where the power of Aether itself originated.

What was known for certain was that Malefor's essence had been sealed here; and that the rules of time and space were not as they knew.

As Spyro, Elora and Sparx entered the realm, they saw all kinds of strange creatures; giant jellyfish and what looked like giant fish, swimming in mid-air.

"Whoa! Now I've seen everything..." Sparx said.

"Yeah, and we may see more if we don't stop Cynder from reawakening Malefor!" Elora pointed out.

"Right, of course! But how do we stop her?" Sparx asked.

"We'll have to think of something... I suggest we try talking to her," Spyro ventured. "If that doesn't work, I'll draw her attention. Elora, try to hit her in the joints, but don't aim to kill."

"Got it," Elora acknowledged.

"What about me?" Sparx asked. "I want to do something!"

"You try and stay out of the way," Spyro answered simply.

"Pfft, typical!" Sparx grumbled.

As they flew on, Spyro reflected on everything that happened over the last few days: his and Elora's parents being kidnapped, learning that he was a Purple Dragon, discovering his true family in Ignitus and Flame, coming so close to death so many times... It seemed utterly miraculous that just a week ago, Spyro was playing hide and seek with his brother and sister in the Swamp.

The trio touched down on a floating platform, and gazed around at the floating rocks surrounding them. Whale sounds echoed across the vast space. It was all so eerie.

"Whoa, you feel creeped out in here?" Sparx asked nervously.

"All three of us are, Sparx," Elora acknowledged. "But we need to keep going."

"Lora, you don't have to do this just for me, you know," Spyro offered. "I mean, you can back out if you..."

"Let me stop you right there, Spy!" Elora interrupted. "I WANT to do this with you; as I said, we're siblings and we stick together!"

Spyro sighed. "Okay; let's go!"

They flew on, their eyes peeled for any sign of Cynder. Despite the gravity of the situation, there was a strange beauty to Convexity. Spyro felt as if... as if he belonged here, somehow. Even though he'd never been here before, it felt familiar to him.

Just then, up ahead, they saw a small island with a swirling vortex above and below. In the middle of the island was a raised structure with an archway on top. And there, standing with one claw on the plinth, was Cynder!

Panicking, Spyro sped up. He'd come too far to fail now!

As soon as he was close enough, he shot a Fireball at Cynder. But it missed, though it got the attention of the black Dragoness as she placed the orb on the plinth before turning to face them.

"Hmph, so you managed to follow me all the way here. Persistent little fellows, aren't you?" Cynder hissed. "But it won't matter! You're too late to stop me!"

"It has to stop, Cynder! Stand down; let us help us!" Spyro offered.

"Fools! I don't need helping! My one and only purpose is to ensure my Master's return!"

"It isn't true, Cynder! This is wrong and you know it. Surely, a part of you doesn't want this!" Elora pleaded.

"SILENCE!" Cynder shrieked. "This is where it really ends!"

Spyro realised that talking wasn't going to stop Cynder now. Fighting was the only option they had left. He braced himself. "Bring it!"

"No mercy this time!" Cynder declared.

"Like you were showing any last time!" Elora retorted, drawing her bow.

As Spyro readied for the fight, he suddenly heard voices in his head, and felt a surge of power course through him, like never before.

"W-what is this?!"

'Calm yourself, young Dragon. It is us, the Guardians.'

'Ignitus? What is this?'

'No time to explain, Spyro. Just trust that we are here with you in mind and spirit.'

Spyro knew better than to argue at this point. 'Okay then.'

He was thankful he didn't question the presence of the Guardians in his mind, because at that moment, Cynder charged. The trio dodged out of the way just in time. Spyro retorted with a burst of Fire, that was more powerful than any he'd unleashed so far. Cynder cried out in pain, before lashing out with a retaliatory blast of Shadow Fire. Spyro swooped about it, and spiralled towards Cynder with an Electric Spin, with arcs of Lightning flashing everywhere. Cynder caught Spyro and threw him away from her.

"You think your little light show can stop me!" Cynder taunted.

"I'm just getting started!" Spyro retorted as he righted himself. Just then, Elora fired an arrow at Cynder aiming at the wing membrane, which was more vulnerable than her scales. Cynder hissed in pain. She then sent a stream of Poison-laden Fire at Elora, who dived for cover behind the plinth. However, this served its purpose as a distraction. The next thing that Cynder knew, she was hit by a stream of Plasma that sent shocks through her whole body.

"How's that for a light show?" Spyro growled.

"Alright," Cynder snarled, "let's take this to the air!" Spreading her wings, she took off in the air, and Spyro followed. Extending a paw, Cynder used a burst of Magic to seize a floating rock and hurl it at Spyro.

'Allow me and Volteer, young Dragon!' said Cyril's voice in his head.

Spyro dodged the flying rock. His paw then moved independently of his own thoughts. The rock froze in the hold of telekinesis, amplified with both Ice and Electricity. Snarling with effort, Spryo flung it back towards Cynder.

Cynder only narrowly missed being pulverised, but the rock did graze her size and leave a shocking ice burn. She hissed furiously.

"You're quite tough for a whelp! Let's see if you can survive more!" Cynder flew to a meteor belt and Spyro pursued. Cynder started to fling more rocks at Spyro, who swooped left and right to avoid them.

Just as Spyro dodged another hurled rock, he suddenly felt the wind pick up. Instinctively, he knew Cynder was applying her Wind powers against him.

"Time to turn this tornado around!" he grimaced. Drawing on the power of Ignitus, Volteer, and Aureole simultaneously, he drew on Cynder's Wind, infused it with Fire and Electricity, turning it into a Plasma storm, and sent it hurling at Cynder. She shrieked in pain. Elora and Sparx watched from the island in awe.

"Whoa, Spyro is doing well!" Sparx complemented, impressed.

"Yeah, but what about stopping Malefor?" Elora wondered. She looked back at the altar. She could hear harsh, whispering voices coming from it.

"You hear that?" Sparx asked, worried.

"The portal! While Spyro deals with Cynder, we need to get the orbs off. That way, this Malefor guy won't escape!"

Sparx nodded. The two of them hurried towards the altar. Elora struggled up the plinth towards the altar, which had streams of energy swirling around it. She wasn't sure what she could do, but she was determined to try. Once at the top, she reached towards the altar, but then, a spasm of pain shot through her body, and she staggered back, almost falling over backwards.

'You're out of your depth, Faun,' a distorted voice hissed. 'You cannot stop the inevitable!' The voice made Elora's fur stand on end and her blood turn cold as ice. But she had to help her brother.

"Let's see how 'inevitable' you are, when I break this altar!" And she began to kick at the altar hard with her hoof.

The distorted voice laughed calmly. 'Try all with your might! It cannot be destroyed!'

Elora kicked the altar again, to no avail, as Cynder noticed it. "Stay away from my master's altar!" She flew down to her, with Spyro in pursuit of her.

"No! Elora! Sparx!"

"INCOMING!" Sparx cried, as Cynder came swooping at him and Elora. In a moment of panic, his light suddenly intensified until he became a blinding pixel of light. This dazzled Cynder, briefly blinding her. She missed the altar and crashed onto the island of rock.

"Whoa, nice move, Sparx!" Elora complimented.

"Yeah, never thought I had it in me," Sparx chuckled, as Cynder struggled to her feet, livid.

"Fools! You're becoming more of a pest! I'm done playing around!"

"Like you'd even begun!" Spyro retorted, swooping at Cynder, whirling himself into an Ice-imbued Twister. Cynder retaliated with a Twister of her own imbued with Poison. The moment the two collided, they merged into a single tornado. Elora and Sparx ran for cover, so as not to get sucked up into it.

Inside the mega Twister, Spyro and Cynder was grappling; claws, tails and wings slashing in all directions. "Cynder, stop this!" Spyro begged. "I don't want to hurt you anymore!"

"That's good! It'll make it easier to do this!" Cynder unleashed another scream, and next moment, Spyro's head was, once again, assaulted by fear and horrific visions. But this time, it wasn't just his fear he experienced. The other Guardians, given how they were sharing their minds with Spyro's, were also affected by Cynder's Fear. Images flashed through Spyro's vision. Ignitus watching the world burn, Volteer losing his voice or his magic. Cyril becoming a beggar. Terrador losing Aureole. The oceans drying up. Cynder being...

'NNNNOOOOOOOOO!' Aureole's voice screamed in Spyro's head.

'Cut the connection!' Cyril advised. 'Quickly!'

The images quickly vanished from Spyro's head, but the surge of power he'd felt when the Guardians had joined minds with him left him too. This left him open to Cynder's follow-up strike. She drove her tail scythe into his torso.

"SPYRO!" Elora and Sparx screamed, as Cynder swatted their brother away from her, and he skidded to the edge of the island, blood seeping from the wound.

"You call yourself a Purple Dragon!" Cynder chuckled mockingly, as she advanced on Spyro. "There's only one true Purple Dragon, and that's my Master!"

"What?" Spyro gasped, dazed by the sudden mental disconnection. The wound was painful, yet it wasn't as painful as Spyro had thought it would be.

As Cynder moved in for the kill, Elora and Sparx suddenly stepped up, the former drawing her sword, which she reserved for close-quarters.

"You stay away from my brother, you witch!" Elora shrieked.

"Your brother?" Cynder taunted. "You're not even related!"

""Like that matters to us!" Sparx cried, unleashing another blinding flash, while Elora made to move in for a strike. Unfortunately, Cynder was ready that time. Using her Shadow powers to shield her eyes, she knocked Elora's blade from her grasp, before seizing both her and Sparx in a vice-like grip.

"I once thought you two weren't worth killing!" she snarled, shadow furling from her maw. "But now, you will share the fate of everyone else who dared to defy my Master's will!"

But Spyro wasn't beaten yet. He had to stop Cynder. He had to free her from Malefor's control. He had to save his brother and sister. He had to stop Malefor's return. He had to save Avalar. And there was only one way to do it. He didn't know how he knew it, but he decided to trust his gut.

'Elora, Sparx, Dads, Flame... Mums... I love you guys'

And so, for the third time, Spyro opened himself to his full Elemental power. All his fears and doubts vanished to be replaced with pristine clarity. He felt the entire realm's essence around him. Every rock. Every fish creature. Every stream of energy. He was the realm itself. And the realm was him.

Spyro the Dragon stood, his eyes glowing orbs of white.

"Cynder, your terror ends here!" he proclaimed, his voice layered as though several Dragons spoke at once.

Cynder was stunned to see Spyro in this state. She dropped Elora and Sparx. "Impossible! You shouldn't even control that power!"

"I'm a fast learner!"

"Spyro, no!" Elora cried. "You'll die!"

"I know," Spyro acknowledged quietly. "But if it means stopping Cynder and Malefor, I'm willing to give my life."

"So glad you accept your death!" Cynder crowed, before unleashing a burst of Shadow Fire. Except it didn't even faze Spyro. But when Spyro sent a shot of purple energy back at Cynder, that fazed her.

Their fight resumed, but now, Spyro was in no doubt that he would win. Elemental Blasts flew in all directions. Fire, Ice, Electricity, Poison, Earth, Fear, Water, Wind, Shadow, Plasma, Poison Fire, Magma, and other combinations. Magic hurled rocks and summoned spirits. All of it moved in a blur.

Spyro didn't care about any of it. He felt power building in him like never before, getting stronger by the second. Memories came to the surface. His and Elora's parents being captured; Elora being hurt, twice; Aurora's death; Shabae getting struck with Magic; Ignitus being captured and drained. Yet, these memories seemed to be fuelling him. It truly was like being part of the cosmos.

Cynder was being battered back; he wanted to destroy that evil visage Malefor's power had created, and give the real Cynder her body back. And he knew how to do it!

'It's time to unleash the true Dragon within me!'

The whole realm seemed to quake ethereally. An orb of pure glowing purple energy formed in front of Spyro. It transformed into a swarm of glowing Dragon heads. They flew at Cynder, strking her again and again. The Black Dragoness shrieked in pain as the surges tore into her. Her shrieks sent ripples across Convexity, as well as through Spyro's mind. Spyro tore through the dark vestiges in Cynder's mind, ripping away the shreds of evil like dead leaves from a tree.

"STOP!" Cynder screamed, but Spyro pushed on. His heart was racing; his breath was sharp and shallow. He was sure that any moment, he was going to die. But he didn't care. His last act would be to free Cynder and save the Realms from Malefor. Some of the energy was diverted towards the altar, causing it to shatter.

It seemed to go on for hours, but at last, the purple energy dissipated. Spyro felt the power fade away, and yet... nothing in his body seemed to be shutting down. Everything still seemed to be going as normal. He sank back down to the island, and let out a huge sigh as his eyes returned to normal, while Cynder collapsed before the altar.

"Spyro? Spyro?!" Elora and Sparx hurried forward.

"Spyro? Are you okay?" Elora asked her brother anxiously.

"I'm fine, Lora," Spyro acknowledged. "Miraculously, since I honestly thought I'd die, I'm... alive."

"That was crazy, bro!" Sparx cried. "Didn't Ignitus warn you?"

"I know," Spyro gasped. "But I had to stop Cynder."

A soft moan made them look up. Cynder was barely moving. Spyro hoped he hadn't fatally wounded her. He'd never forgive himself; and nor would Aureole...

Then, Cynder's body began to glow, and she began to shrink rapidly before their eyes. Next moment, where the Terror of the Skies had been, there now lay a teenage Black Dragoness, the same size and age and Spyro.

"She is just like me..." Spyro rhapsodised. Suddenly, he felt a force beginning to pull on him. The portal on the altar had turned into some kind of vacuum, dragging everything towards it.

"The portal! It's sucking us in!" Elora cried.

"We gonna get out of here, right now!" Sparx yelped.

Spyro agreed but then noticed that the now-smaller Cynder was being pulled into the portal, and she wasn't waking up

"We can't leave her behind! I have to save her!" Spyro shouted.

"What?! Save the monster who's tried to kill us three times, and terrorised the land and goodness knows how many others?!" Sparx protested.

"That wasn't her fault! She was being controlled by the Dark Master!"

Elora said nothing.

Cynder was pulled in the light; Spyro flew in after her. Elora and Sparx waited for several tantalising seconds.

"Spyro!"

Finally, Spyro came flying out with Cynder in tow.

"Now, we can go!"

Elora smiled as she climbed onto her little brother's back, and Sparx latched on too.

"Step on it, bro!"

Spyro flew as fast he could away from the island in Convexity, beating his wings at insane speed. Yet, as he flew, he could have sworn he heard a low, menacing voice call out to him.

"Spyro... Spyro..."

Spyro didn't know which way to go to get out on Convexity, but he didn't care. He just flew on and on.

They flew through the vortex, rocks and debris flying about them. Spyro swooped left and right as he went on. Finally, the vortex vanished, and they found themselves in Concurrent Skies again.

Suddenly, all of Spyro's energy vanished, and his body instantly became heavy. His wings folded, and the four of them plummeted towards the ground. For a moment, it seemed they would be killed on impact, but a sudden rush of Wind and a quick spray of snow helped cushion the landing. Spyro, Elora, Cynder and Sparx rolled several yards before finally coming to a stop.

"Mommy... fluff my pillow..." Sparx moaned, the last thing Spyro heard before he blacked out.