Author's notes : This is a bit late, but I still hope you will enjoy. Things are moving forwards, and I can't wait to share more. I'll try uploading more regularly, but would you rather have chapters faster with less words per chapters or wait longer for chapters with bigger word counts? Do tell me. Every review helps.

Latis slowly stirred awake in her bed. She yawned, stretching her limbs much like a cat, before she pulled off the covers from her body, basking in the morning sun, eyes closed.

She wasn't proud of what she did last night, and her dreams reflected such. Another body, yet again. But it was part of the deal. There was a reason she was here.

Yet, she had memories of a previous… Time. Not one she remembers very well. She only really remembers her training as a healer, done by a certain Alyssa, an Earth dragoness. Latis was certain of it. She also had memories of a certain electric dragon, one she supposedly had feelings for… Yet, sadly, it was only distant. So close, yet so far.

"Ze… Za… Zaaa… No. Maybe Pha… Phasing?" she mouthed, trying to remember that name. Yet, it escaped her. She groaned, her attempts fruitless. Every morning she would try to remember something about it, but it was impossible

She remembers one thing, however. Malefor. She was struck down by Malefor. She remembers an Aether Convexity beam striking her. The most pain she's ever felt in life. She didn't remember why she didn't duck for cover, why she ran in front of it. Her fins rattled in annoyance, as she tried to understand all that happened in her so-called previous life.

But did it matter now? Why did she try to keep holding on that memory while a new future awaited? One where she was welcomed once again.

That question would remain unanswered. She had to move on. And keep going. Fire in my lungs, burning inferno in my heart. Let's go.

The dragoness rolled herself out of her bed, looking upwards as her vision adjusted to the light that bled in her room. She slept in the infirmary, right next to the patient rooms in case something happened. But as usual, everyone that went to the infirmary was gone by dusk.

She walked up to her sink, turning on the water, letting the basin fill before she dunked her head in the cold water, trying to wake up. She didn't sleep too well this time. But no matter. Today was going to be another day of mending, repairing broken bones, strained muscles, cuts and the like. Nothing too crazy. She dried her head with a towel, looking at herself in the mirror, which she hadn't done in a long time. She had baggy azure blue eyes, evidence of her lack of sleep.

The dragoness was a run of the mill Ice dragon. She obviously was pale sky blue of color, being an Ice dragoness after all. Dark blue-purple dressed her wing membrane, along with a streak of purple running through the back of her neck, back and tail, along with her frills, which faded back into her blue color, just like her horns, which sheened both colors. Her fins waved a tiny bit, as she smiled to herself. Stay wiggly, healer, Latis laughed at herself, as she rubbed a few loose scales off.

She reached into her fridge to reach for a small bottle of spirits. It was also full of other medical liquids, but she valued her bottle of spirits more. She took a short swig. She wasn't alcoholic, but it helped with starting the day for her. The strong drink burnt at her throat, waking her up. It felt good. Fridge whiskey in the morning, a cure for all aliments...

After all of that, she put on her side pouch, a red cross sewn into it, as multiple crystals of all sorts rested in it. Red heals, green recharges, and... Ah, I'll remember the rest. Latis sighed, getting ready for a new day of work. Minor injuries were routine with the young dragons training in the Dojo. She silently begged for something more exciting but was wary of that wish. Being the coroner wasn't her favorite line of work… But it was necessary. In many ways. Some she wished that she never knew of.

The Machine's hunger had to be silenced.

"So, if the Apes are behind this… It would make sense. Even though most of them went extinct or lost sapience after the reconstruction of the world, they could be worshipping someone with those altars… Probably Malefor," he sighed. He was back again at his desk, quill in his paw, writing his thoughts on a piece of paper. "We don't keep track of them anymore. We tried communication a few times, and we were chased away. No leader like Gaul or anything too…" he read out loud as he wrote. "Then we can assume one tribe, or a few. We've left them alone after our attempts, as they weren't trouble, but now…"

Spyro looked off to the side, where Cynder was busy playing with Ares, creating small puffs of smoke, which he waved his paws at, trying to catch them. Spyro smiled, before resuming his writings.

"It could be apes with a dragon leader for all we know. One we could know. Even that Anthe person… A bit suspicious, I must say. But... There is no... Nothing that points us in the right direction. If we had someone that knew more about those altars..."

Spyro dropped his pencil, sighing. "I'm just going in circles for that one, am I not?"

"Yes you are," Cynder said.

"Ugh... I'll take a break. Can you look over? Maybe a lady's intellect can help."

"Still the charmer, Spyro. Sure," Cynder said, leaving Ares to play with a few toys. She looked over Spyro's shoulder, looking at his writings. She checked if anything seemed out of the ordinary or for a certain detail, but nothing came up. There wasn't anything to say. "Well... I can't tell you much. Feels like the coldest case of all," she sighed. "I mean, people don't disappear just like that. It's not like they walk towards their grave or anything. Maybe we should look at something else for the time being?"

"Y-Yeah, but that's really all we got... We'll figure it out one day, I promise."

Cynder turned around to check on Ares. He was doing fine.

"Cynder, do you remember why I decided to become a detective?" Spyro asked. "Why I bother myself with cold cases, even if it leaves me sleepless?"

She shook her head. She knew the story very well, but it always brought hope to Spyro back whenever he told it.

"I… Ignitus said something before he died. To follow our heart."

Spyro sighed, the painful memory replaying through his head. How he let his dark self take over. How Cynder brought him back to himself.

"That it will never fail us."

Cynder nodded grimly. Even after all those years, it was a touchy subject.

"… To me, it means doing what's right. If I am to be the hero that he saw in me, I have to keep going."

"We've saved the world, and you want to keep going?"

"I do. I want the Realms to be a better place for everyone, and… And that begins with helping others, Cynder. It's what we did by protecting Warfang back then. We saved people." Spyro took a small pose, Cynder's expression getting softer. "I… Want to keep going. We've already helped catch drug traders, thieves, molesters, murderers… And I don't plan to stop. I… I'm doing what's right. WE'RE doing what's right," he said.

"And that's why I love you so much, Spyro. You're a hero, and a good dragon. That's why I followed you into it." The black dragoness gently hugged Spyro from behind, which smiled.

"We're doing the right thing by helping and saving all of those dragons. That's why I bother with the cold cases. Nobody is beyond saving but… Him," Spyro stated. His expression got darker. "I hope he's not behind the kidnappings and such."

"It can't be. We saw him casted down to the Earth's core, by spirits, probably the Ancients. We even rebuilt the world, and now there is not a single hint of him being back, or anything of the like," Cynder reasoned. "Either way. Rest a bit and take care of Ares with me."

"On it," he smiled, leaving his desk to turn to their child, which was playing with a health crystal. Health crystals were inert to uninjured people, so it was safe for a child to play with. Spyro sat next to him, and started to make small puffs of smoke like Cynder did, to entertain Ares.

He had to spend more time with his son, but the case at hand was still as mysterious as ever. Maybe there will be a breakthrough soon, Spyro thought.

Today, again, Jericho didn't feel good. Another nightmare. Another one where he killed again.

He remembered the smell of burning flesh, as a young dragon like him was burnt alive. The screams shook him deep at his core, even though it wasn't real. Or was it? Did he burn someone at the stake? He couldn't remember. And it was all for the better. Some memories are better left forgotten.

Those of the Sanitarium even more so. His body shook at the thought. No. Not this place. Stop. His mind raced to scramble the images of the sanitarium.

He was laying down in the grass, next to Elara. Tarvos was gone for now, doing some altar hunting and general reconnaissance. Jericho proposed to go too but the kind dragon allowed him to rest. His mind would not, however. A few dangerous questions brewed there. He only had Elara to talk to about his feelings, as he didn't want to break or damage his friendship with the silver dragon. Thankfully, Elara cut in before anything.

"You ever see flying jellyfishes around here? We're close to the Ancient Grove, so…"

"Flying jellyfishes?" Jericho blurted; a bit confused by the mental image. "Aren't they waterborne?"

"Apparently Tethys saw a few flying on and about the Grove in his scouting missions and the like. A bit crazy, huh?"

"… At this point I'm not sure what to expect from this world. All of it is just strange."

"Hence why we will bring up the new one soon." Elara gently yawned, stretching her limbs.

As soon as silence fell, Jericho went back in his bunker of thoughts, eyes closed. Dark questions resurfaced at Elara's last words. The new world they would be in… What would it be like?

He was told that it would be shaped by their own will. The mountains they would see in the distance would had been created at their will. A world everyone could pitch in.

A world he would transfer over to.

Right?

There was something bugging him. Would he be the same? Would he be a puddle of flesh? Muscles grossly shaped like an altar, teeth growing over it…?

His imagination ran wild while his pupils dilated. Monsters drew themselves in his mind, much like the shapes he saw in the forest. He tried opening his eyes, but it was too late.

When he opened his eyes again, he was now standing in a dimly lit area, where unknown patterns drew themselves in the darkness, creeping ever so closer.

Then he saw it. Something he couldn't describe. It maybe was… A mass of rotten skin and tissue draped over a celestial orb, above an endless void sky. Large bone teeth grew out of the mass, twisting and turning into interminable vertigo.

But the eyes. Huge yellow eyes pierced his form. It was too much for him. Way too much. Falling into an empty void, he couldn't. He couldn't proceed what he saw. His mind only read out whispers.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jericho screamed, as he fell to the ground.

Elara almost screamed back while Jericho kept at it.

"NO! NO NO NO NO!" he screamed as he flailed, startling Elara.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?" she struck back, an expression on fear on her face.

"F-F-Argh!" Jericho shouted, rolling up on his paws. "I'm sorry!" he screamed in Elara's face, which recoiled backwards.

"Jericho, oh by Malefor! Will you stop trying to scare me?!" the dragoness tensed up. She was in an aggressive position, ready to strike at the male. The Leader recognized the danger he was putting himself in, and he stepped back, being slow. "What's wrong with you?!"

"I-I-I-I... I saw something..." he said, taking in deep breaths. Elara let out a drawn-out sigh, sitting back on her rear. Jericho did the same.

"What was it this time, Jericho? I swear this gets worse and worse. What. Did. You. See?"

"I just... Saw something I shouldn't have seen in my imagination." He gestured with his arms up in the air. "Some... Mass of flesh, melting over... Something," he tried to explain to a disgruntled Elara.

"Can you stop with the macabre thoughts? No, really. You keep imagining monsters that aren't there. We have NEVER seen a single monster." Jericho nodded.

"I know... I know. I don't see any reason why I have those thoughts and such, though... I guess it's my duty to accept it," he sighed.

"Well, next time do less of the screaming. "

"I... I'll try," he sighed.

They both thought for a while. Elara then started the conversation back again.

"Jericho, okay, I guess I understand that you're having some strong thoughts, but please… Don't lose sight of yourself and our mission."

"Okay…" he said, laying back down. He was now calm again. It's nice when she's nice herself…

"… Plus, I'm busy with my own research. What or who is Mir? Why is the name… A bit familiar?" she asked. Jericho shook his head.

"Can't help you there… Ask Tarvos that when he's back, he'll send the message to the Great Follower."

"Hm. Wish I still had some artifacts before sending them off; they would had been useful. Being able to read all of those new things help."

"Like, the strange helmet that didn't fit us?"

"Yeah, amongst other things."

They heard a dragon landing behind them. It was Tarvos. His bright attitude made Jericho smile again.

"Hey, I'm back. Thought I may hunt so you don't have to eat dried rations again. Hope you like fish," the wind dragon smiled, brandishing two massive carps in his paws.

"Definitely!" the two other dragons replied at the same time, salivating.

As the night fell again, Jericho still stood outside, staring at the stars and celestial moons. Unfortunately, as soon as Tarvos and Elara went to sleep, his mood dropped to its lowest point.

He was again lost in his thoughts, the images he saw earlier What happened back there? What led him to think of such a grotesque and horrible... Entity? Why did he even think about such things in plain daylight? Was it... The artifacts?

The wound where he stabbed himself with the injector still stung, as if the poison it released still coursed through his veins. It probably was a mistake... Then again, it felt good...

Jericho groaned in exasperation. What was going on? Why was he even doing all of this? His mission? Was it for absolution? What was it? Why did he even exist? What is the meaning of everything?

He gritted his teeth, clearing his mind forcefully. He had to stop thinking about those questions.

"I am here to seek out artifacts, to strenghten our cause and one day awaken Malefor once again. We just need... Something. The Great Follower told me that it'll come from the artefacts. Thus, we need to collect them... And send them back..." he whispered to himself. This was his mission. He had to do it for a better world. He wasn't here to question his faith in Malefor and the Great Follower. They are the reason he's here, his meaning, his everything.

He was raised alongside the other Crescents to accomplish this mission. He was trained for it.

He had to do this alone.

Alone...

The truth was, even with the moons, Elara and Tarvos around…

I feel alone…

Jericho sniffled up a few tears. They would never understand. The penance he tried to hide to them.

Never...

Closing notes: I am sadly a bit disappointed at this chapter, namely for how long it took me to make it. But well, things are just starting... I hope you'll be along for the storm. Thank you for reading.