It was a disaster.
For hours, the Deep Shadows helped the many dragons and non-dragons put out the magical fires that spread across the southern section of Warfang. They also struggled to keep panic from spreading. Many of the draconic citizens had children that were sent to The Nexus… and just like that, they were snatched from out of Elenar's protective grasp.
And among them was Cyrus. Couldn't believe what had happened; just like that, her son was whisked away to ancestors-know-where. And just after she'd had a fierce argument with him! They'd gotten so heated at each other, and now he was gone! How could Elenar have let things go so wrong? She had to find him, and tell him she was sorry! She didn't want to lose her child: Not again!
No… No, she couldn't give in to the panic. She was the High Queen; everyone looked to her for guidance and strength. So, with a deep breath and a heavy heart, she pushed her emotions away and stood tall to take on her regal stance.
Focus, Elenar. Focus.
Once the flames were mostly doused, Elenar gave the order for the people to repair the damage. Salvageable materials were gathered and cataloged as well.
And during all of this, Elenar struggled to keep everyone calm.
~~…~~
Elenar and the others were back in the gardens when Albanion got back from his search of the Dragon Spire. He gave a fierce roar as he came to a harsh landing on the ground between the other Deep Shadows.
"I searched every inch of the Dragon Spire that I could!" Albanion cried out. "She's gone! GONE!"
Elenar ran to Albanion's side and draped her wing about him to pull him close. Albanion shook and snarled for a moment… but then looked into the high queen's eyes. She'd never seen him so distraught in all the years she'd known him.
"Albanion, look at me." She said as she struggled to remain calm. The poison drake locked eyes with her as he struggled to keep from shaking.
"We'll find her." Elenar declared. "We'll find Elza, and she'll be safe and sound. I promise you."
Albanion wasn't the only dragon driven to near madness. All throughout the streets, Elenar could see that many dragons had been driven into a frenzy. With the loss of the children, they began attacking their own property and crying out in agony.
"This is inexcusable…" Urobos said as he gazed out at the smoke-clouds that still loomed over the city. "What kind of dragons would wish this upon so many people?"
Elenar took a breath and descended the staircase. Almost immediately Apella and Grail moved to walk on either side of her. The queen could see in their eyes that both of them were struggling not to join in the grieving. Elenar quietly sighed in pity. They had every right to worry: Apella had lost her niece and nephew, and Grail had lost his grandchild. And yet here they were; soldiering on and holding grim faces.
Elenar was distracted when she heard someone stomping their way down the street. She looked over to see a fire dragoness civilian racing toward her with tears upon her face.
"How could you let this happen to Warfang?!" The dragoness cried as she slammed the ground at Elenar's paws. "Where are our children?!"
"I…" Elenar began.
"You were supposed to PROTECT the children!" The dragoness continued. "Not gather them all in one place so they could be abducted in one fell swoop!"
Elenar flinched; Apella and Grail were quick to spread their wings and stand at the ready beside the queen.
"That's no way to speak to a monarch." Apella snapped. "Screaming at her won't fix anything."
Elenar lightly patted Apella's side to get her back up. The queen then took a calm breath as she stepped toward the grieving dragoness to look at her in pity. Elenar their rose her head up high and pushed all of her pain and anguish to the side.
You are the high queen, Elenar. She told herself. Even if your people hate you, you must be their rock.
"I wish that I could tell you where the children are… but I cannot." She said coldly. "But I can assure you, and the rest of the dragons of Warfang, that I will do everything in my power to see the children returned safely to Warfang. You can be sure of that."
The grieving dragoness didn't seem all too convinced. However, soon she was joined by her mate; a wind dragon, who lightly rubbed her back. The wind dragon put on a brave face as he bowed his head to Elenar.
"Th-Thank you, Queen Elenar." He said quietly.
As Elenar watched the drake take his mate away, she took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. How could she ensure the return of the children when she was so unsure of everything? Her people were suffering. The Sons of Culmubrae and the Extremists had killed some of her best soldiers. The Nexus had vanished in a puff of darkness; darkness too great for even a group of dark dragons to conjure up. One of her sons was missing, and the other son suffered from a curse. Her daughter… Her daughter was somewhere out there, possibly spreading more worries about white dragons in the countryside. And throughout all of this chaos, Bergan was lurking somewhere.
There had been no signs of Bergan ever since he helped Rune evade the Sons of Culmubrae. And even during the chaos, Elenar hadn't seen any signs of him. What was he up to? Why didn't he do anything to stop the spread of chaos in the city?
What do you want, Bergan? Elenar frowned.
~~…~~
Elenar called for a meeting with the Deep Shadows in the throne room. Urobos sat on her right, and all the remaining Deep Shadows were gathered around her in their temporary thrones. Grail, Albanion, Apella, Aegis, Lilith, Wraith, and Cerulean all had uneasy faces as they looked upon the queen.
"The situation in Warfang is growing worse." Elenar declared. "First things first: What's the word on Deep Shadow Rose and the two elders?"
"Rose, Argos, and Icarox are in the medical wing." Cerulean said. "They're alive, but stuck in some sort of magically-induced sleep. We can help them wake up in time, but I think its best that we let them get their rest."
"Very well…" Elenar looked over at Urobos, who sighed in relief. There was no telling what the old drake might have done if his two oldest-surviving friends had been critically injured. Elenar faced the Deep Shadows again, took a deep breath, and took her regal posture.
"Do we have any suspects in mind for the fires and the abduction?" Elenar asked the room. The Deep Shadows all exchanged glances; it was clear on most of their minds that one particular name was about to come up.
"Bergan." Albanion declared with gnashed fangs. "Who else could it have been, but Bergan?"
Elenar flinched; she didn't want to think that the once-noble purple dragon from her youth could have a motive to abduct an entire city's draconic child population. But her mind raced to find some kind of answer to prove otherwise. Especially after he aided their own daughter to attack her son…
"He certainly picked a curious series of places to set fire to, though." Apella declared. "We've had quite a number of arrests all day."
"What?" Elenar asked curiously.
Apella stepped forward and pulled a map of Warfang out of her robes. She placed it down on the floor for all the Deep Shadows to see and proceeded to make a series of marks with a quill pen.
"This shows a diagram of each and every place that was set fire to." Apella said. "And when we came to put out the fires, each and every time… we found weapons and tools belonging to the Sons of Culmubrae."
"What?" Lilith exclaimed.
"Oh yes." Apella nodded. "A lot of them tried to hide or salvage their weapons by the time we arrived to help with the fires. Once they were given up, they tried to resist. So, most of them were carted off to the dungeons."
"And that wasn't all." Grail said with a snort. He picked up the quill and began marking several other places on the map. "Other buildings belonged to the Extremists."
"They did?" Elenar asked in amazement.
"Indeed." The burly drake gave a growl. "They had scrolls stored away in secret compartments, that were blown into exposure thanks to the fire damage. And a lot of them detailed various unsavory plans."
"Plans for what?" Aegis queried.
"You don't want to know the details…" Grail growled. "Just be thankful that we've stopped them from doing unspeakable things."
"Hmm…" Elenar tapped her chin. "Were there any casualties?"
"None among civilians, thank the ancestors." Cerulean sighed. "But a lot of the extremists and the sons of Culmubrae were brought to me in critical condition, among them being Marcus, evidently the leader of the Extremists."
Elenar's eyes widened. She took a few deep breaths and wracked her brain. So all of the fires took place in buildings belonging to both dangerous groups roaming in Warfang simultaneously. That kind of extensive pre-planning would take weeks, if not months… unless someone had the pre-emptive know-how of where they all were. Someone like Bergan…
"But what about the marketplace?" Elenar asked. "I was informed before that the caravan from Faeshrine was set ablaze, too."
"Funny you should mention that, Your Grace…" Wraith said as he stepped forward. "When I finally got back around to investigating, we found that none of the merchants from Faeshrine were present when the fires started. And all of the wagons and carriages were cleared of their supplies; it was a series of burning, empty husks."
Of course. Definitely something Bergan would do… Elenar gave a deep sigh. "There's no other dragon who could be responsible: Bergan did this. He did ALL of this…" She looked up toward the sky. "Which means he's the only one with the ingenuity to abduct an entire fortress."
"So that's that, then." Grail snorted. "We need to hunt for Bergan."
"But how?" Cerulean asked. "He could be ANYWHERE with those kids."
As the Deep Shadows began to discuss what to do about the situation, Elenar glanced over at Urobos again. The aged drake's eyes darted this way and that, and he seemed a bit choked up. Something was on his mind; likely that vision he'd talked about before. The high queen reached over and shook his shoulder to get his attention.
"Speak, Urobos." She said softly. "Tell them what you saw that day."
"Alright…" Urobos stood up tall and cleared his throat to draw the Deep Shadows' attention.
"Here's the situation as I see it." Urobos said with a sigh. "We need to find Bergan and The Nexus. Once we do, we'll have to either find the means to detain him… or negotiate for the release of the children of Warfang."
"Negotiate?" Grail asked incredulously. "You want to negotiate with a kidnapper?!"
"Bergan isn't one to be taken lightly." Elenar said. "If he thinks you're a threat, he'll be gone in seconds; he always had a talent for time-related magic. But he's open to lengthy discussions; if we start off by asking him what he wanted with The Nexus, it's a good start."
"But… what if he's grown into a killer?" Albanion asked.
"Most of the dragons here have encountered Bergan in some way, shape, or form." Elenar said. She glanced at Aegis and Lilith. "The two of you used to work for him in Faeshrine, yes?"
"Yes, but that was ages ago." Aegis rumbled. "And I wasn't exactly one of his high-tier employees at the time."
"Hmm…" Elenar looked between Cerulean and Apella next. "The two of you used to be Guardians. Was there ever a point in time when you met Bergan during your meetings with the Pappas over the years?"
The red and blue dragons exchanged uneasy glances.
"Those meetings were far too fleeting for Bergan to leave much of an impression, Your Grace." Cerulean shrugged. "Sorry we're not of much help."
"Well, we won't know until we find him." Urobos sighed. "And the sooner we find him, the better; we're running out of time."
"Out of time?" Lilith repeated uneasily.
"Everyone It is my belief that a time of great disaster is fast approaching… one to rival the time of Malefor's war against the realms." Urobos took a heavy breath. "The fires in Warfang, and the abduction of The Nexus, were all just a part of the horrific vision I got. And if it turns out to be a prelude of what's to come… then I believe that we need to enlist the help of some old friends."
"What?" Aegis asked incredulously. "Do you mean the Guardians?"
"No… well, I suppose yes." Urobos nodded. "But we'll need some OTHER help to turn the tide in our favor." He rose up onto all fours. "I need to venture north, to the remains of Mount Erebus."
The Deep Shadows all exchanged uneasy glances; they murmured uneasily as they wondered what Urobos was planning. Elenar, however, had a good idea who he wanted to enlist; she rose up onto her feet and stood beside him.
"It's going to be a rather harrowing trip, Urobos." She said softly. "It might take you days to get there, even if you were in your prime."
"I know, but we have to hurry nonetheless." The elderly drake insisted. "Every second wasted here is a second where danger could be lurking on the horizon."
"Well, if you're so concerned about saving time… then why not teleport?"
Elenar and Urobos looked across at Wraith, who now stood tall. He carefully made his way around the map of Warfang to stop before the high queen.
"If all three of us work together, we can channel our shadow magic to make our way to the remains of Mount Erebus in no time." Wraith said. "Well, actually, maybe a bit of time. But it'll definitely save days on our travel time."
"That's an excellent point." Urobos declared. "Let's do exactly that."
"This meeting is over." Elenar declared. "Wraith, prepare what you need for the journey. The rest of you should go about your assigned duties to keep any more chaos from erupting in Warfang. "Go."
"As you command, Your Grace." The Deep Shadows said in unison.
One by one, they rose from their cushions and made to head out of the throne room. One of the last ones to go was Albanion, who struggled to keep his composure. Elenar could see the pain in his eyes; he wanted more than anything to go looking for Elza. And she wanted to go along with him… but there was work to be done. And once he was gone, Elenar gave a worried sigh and turned toward Urobos.
"Do you really think they'll aid us again?" She asked with a flap of her wings.
"Why would they refuse?" Urobos frowned back.
"Last time… they got involved to prevent Malefor from spreading destruction across the realms." She said. "All we have to go on is one vision, Urobos. They may not see it as important enough to step in."
"The only way we'll know for sure is if we ask them for help." Urobos declared. "There's more than one great evil lurking in the Underworld."
"I… I guess you're right." Elenar sighed.
"So, we mustn't waste time." Urobos declared. "We need the aid of legendary heroes to combat the coming disaster. We need Spyro and Cynder."
~~…~~
Elenar had packed what little belongings she needed into a golden satchel. She took a cautious breath as she joined the Deep Shadows in the throne room once again. They were all gathered around as Urobos began channeling his magic to prepare for the journey.
Wraith and Cerulean had their tails coiled about each other as they looked into each other's eyes.
"You take care up north, you hear me, Smokey?" Cerulean declared. "No freezing to death because you forgot to keep warm."
"It's not my first snow day, Blue." Wraith poked the icy drake on the snout. "I think I know what I'm doing."
"Heh… Here's hoping."
Wraith planted a quick kiss on Cerulean's muzzle, and then made his way over to Urobos. Elenar stood between the two of them, and they all formed a triangular formation in the center of the chamber.
"The three of us have all been to the remains of Mount Erebus; it shouldn't be hard to visualize the base of the mountainside." Elenar said. She held out a forepaw to grasp Urobos's. "If we pool our magical capabilities, we should have no problem teleporting the great distance."
"Indeed…" Urobos carefully took Wraith's forepaw. "But to ensure we don't end up embedded partially in the rock, let's take the time to chant."
"Yeah…" Wraith held the two other dragons' paws tightly. "That works."
One by one, the three dragons knelt their heads down and chanted under their breaths. At first they had three disjointed and unconnected rhythms… but over time, they synced their voices together. Shadowy auras began to surround their bodies and spread out to unite with one another. Soon, all three of them were engulfed in dark magic. Albanion, Grail, and all the other Deep Shadows gave careful salutes to the three of them.
"May the Ancestors look after you." They said in unison.
Wraith, Urobos, and Elenar sank down into the pool of shadows. And just like that, they were gone.
~~…~~
Cyrus woke up quite suddenly. He was lying on his side on something fluffy and soft. His head felt fuzzy, but otherwise, he didn't have any aches and pains other than minor aches in his wing membranes. Even his forehead felt better. The chamber the prince was stuck in was small, but also brightly lit. And the barred door of the cell was wide open.
"What…?" Cyrus blinked and rubbed his head. "What happened?"
The prince wracked his brain to try and remember what had happened.
There was some kind of disaster in Warfang. Fires broke out all over the place, so Queen Elenar ordered all the draconic children to take shelter in The Nexus. Then she dragged Cyrus here to get him to look after the other kinds… He gnashed his fangs upon remembering things.
We were waiting in the lower chamber. Someone opened the door and shot me with a needle… everything after that became a blur.
"Damn it…" Cyrus scowled. "I need to find out where I am."
He stepped through the door of his cell and looked down both hallways. To his shock and awe, every other cell down the hallway had its doors wide open. Everything was brightly lit, and there were plenty of snores filling the air. Out of curiosity, Cyrus peered into the cell across from his own. It was a lightning dragon, asleep like nothing was wrong. In the cell across from the lightning drake was a dragoness with dark-red scales. Then after that was an earth dragon, then a wind dragon, and so on…
Light and dark younglings, sleeping like this was some big naptime. Cyrus grimaced as he scratched his chin. What's going on here? This is like… He shivered a bit. Like dad's old plan.
Looking around at the interior of the cells, Cyrus began to get a good feeling of where he was.
These must be the lowest dungeons of The Nexus. Cyrus sighed. Dad told me never to come down here. And then Mom and Grandpa ordered me to stay out of here. He flapped his wings and snorted. Looks like somebody broke that rule for me.
Cyrus scratched his upper foreleg and grumbled uneasily. "If they're all asleep, then why am I wide awake?" He looked down both sides of the corridor. "I hope Tina's okay."
The prince spent the better part of an hour wandering up one side of the hallway, going into each dungeon cell individually to look for Tina. At first, he'd gone down the eastern wing, but he quickly came to realize that all the younglings there got younger and younger with each new cell. After cursing his bad luck, Cyrus doubled-back the other way; Tina was a year older than him, after all.
But on his way back, Cyrus heard some familiar voices from around a corner. He crept up against the wall and listened intently.
"…Don't think this means I'm thanking you, weirdo." A male voice snapped.
"You're welcome, anyway." Another voice scoffed. "Though I have to admit, you're cuter when you're snoozing."
"Excuse me?" The male snapped.
"Oh, cut it out, you two!" A feminine voice declared. "We need to find out way out of here!"
Cyrus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Of all the teenaged dragons in the whole of the fortress to wake up on their own, it had to be THOSE THREE? Cyrus felt his blood boil; he wasn't sure whether or not to take off down the hall to avoid them or curse them out right then and there.
Ultimately a choice was made for him; the trio rounded the corner he was standing by. Lantel, Sandra, and Chalice all jumped in alarm to see the black prince seated on his haunches.
"Prince Cyrus?" Chalice exclaimed. "You're awake!"
"Yeah, hi." Cyrus said flatly. He cast a glare at Lantel and Sandra, who just snorted and rolled their eyes.
"How did you break the sleeping spell?" Chalice asked.
"Is that what they're calling darts to the face these days?" Cyrus snorted.
Chalice balked and then grimaced. "I guess that means you were knocked out differently than the rest of us."
"What are you talking about?" Cyrus demanded.
"Surely you've noticed that all of these dragons are out cold?" Chalice extended their wings and spun around. "They've all been put into an enchanted sleep; it's just like the one all the younglings were put into four years ago."
"Yeah, I know." Cyrus huffed. "So how did you three break the spell?"
Chalice beamed with pride, and they sat back on their haunches to place a forepaw on their chest. "I studied up on the sleeping spell after I moved into my new home in Warfang with Grandpa. It's definitely based on some very tricky wind magic. I wasn't able to replicate it myself, for obvious reasons, but I WAS able to concentrate while dreaming to gradually wake myself up."
"Good for you…" Cyrus said flatly; he twirled a talon in the air.
"Once I finally got myself awake, I set to work using what I studied to get the fire twins here to wake up next." Chalice gestured to Lantel and Sandra, who glared at them. "I figured they could help me free the other ids."
"What, you can't wake them all up one at a time?" Cyrus snorted. "Don't have the gems for that?"
"Well it's still more than YOU have accomplished, Princess." Lantel snorted. Cyrus gnashed his fangs… but then a thought came to him. He fell back onto his haunches and flashed the fire prince a toothy grin.
"Back to your big talk, are we?" Cyrus chided. "Did your balls pop back out after Rune kicked them so hard up your arse?"
Lantel flinched at the very mention of Cyrus's brother. He spread his limbs out and snarled furiously. "Shut your mouth!"
"Or what, you'll fight me?" Cyrus snorted. "I thought you weren't going to give me the satisfaction!"
Lantel looked ready to pounce. And that suited Cyrus just fine; the prince rose onto all fours and prepared for the throw-down he'd dreamed of for ages… Only for Chalice and Sandra to block the drake's paths.
"Cut it out, you idiots!" The princess snapped. "This isn't the time or the place for your stupid arguing."
Lantel scowled at his sister for a moment, before eventually grumbling and blowing smoke out his nostrils.
"Sandra's right." Chalice snapped at Cyrus. "I really expected better from you, Cyrus."
Cyrus's eye twitched. "Excuse me?"
"Just look around." Cyrus pointed at the various cells. "All of these other kids are in danger. And you're the closest thing they have to an authority figure right now. You should be focused on helping to free them, Cyrus."
"What, are the two of US not enough for you?" Sandra scowled.
Chalice gave the princess a dour look. "In terms of RESPONSIBILITY, Cyrus outranks you."
"Chal…" Cyrus ran a forepaw down his muzzle and growled. "You are REALLY in no position to be lecturing me. You're still on my shit list for stabbing me in the back."
Chalice rolled their eyes at that. They then turned around, grabbed Cyrus by the shoulder, and forced him to step forward to the left of the fire twins. "Stop arguing and get moving already!"
"Hey, get off!" Cyrus protested.
"You have more magical capability than any of the rest of us." Chalice yelled at Cyrus. "You have the means to free so many more of these younglings from the enchantment! So now's a good time to start learning to use enchantment magic!"
"Alright, alright!" The black prince snapped at Chalice. "But where do you get off barking orders at me all of a sudden?!"
Chalice's face became a mask of anger; it burned so hot that even Lantel and Sandra backed off with worry. Chalice stomped forward and glared right into the prince's eyes.
"I'm training to be a DEEP SHADOW!" Chalice snarled. "I've been trying to prepare myself for the role of a servant of the people for years! I wish I had the magical might and power to free all of these dragons myself, but I just CAN'T. And then there's YOU!" Chalice poked the black prince on the muzzle. "YOU, who has so much potential to do good, and all you ever do is flaunt your power!"
Cyrus's eye twitched. He opened his mouth to speak, but Chalice slapped their forepaw over his muzzle.
"You're always flying around, showing off what you've got like a high-and-mighty jackass!" Chalice continued. "You're always trying so DESPERATELY to show off your stupid magic tricks and theatrics!"
The grey dragon spread their wings and trotted around with a sarcastically-pitched voice. "Hey, everybody, look at me! I'm a black dragon!"
Cyrus growled as Chalice did a little lap around him. Lantel and Sandra snickered at the sight and didn't stop even as the black prince scowled at them. But that scowl was knocked away as Chalice came to a stop before Cyrus and snapped at them again.
"You act like everyone ignores you, when the truth is that they're sick of you always being in their faces!" Chalice yelled. "Do you honestly think that if you kept pestering those dragonesses in that study group that eventually one of them would go out with you?!" Chalice stomped their foot. "Why do you even WANT that attention from them? Aren't you smitten with Tina?!"
"Tina doesn't take me seriously!" Cyrus snapped back. "She'd rather go out with YOU!"
Chalice snorted at that. The then fell back onto their haunches to count off their talons.
"First of all, I'm not trying to take Tina from you: I'm not even seeking ANYONE in a relationship. Second of all, Tina has been trying to get you to ask her out officially for ages."
"Sh-She has?" Cyrus blinked. Chalice just rolled their eyes and kept counting off.
"Yes, but THIRD of all, you're too dense to notice it because you're too busy acting all smug all the time." Chalice slammed their forepaw down and gnashed their fangs. "And frankly, she could do better than you."
"What?!" Cyrus snapped.
"Don't act like it's my fault." Chalice snapped their talons. "You're nothing but an egocentric pain, who abuses their magic like it's a toy. If Rune were here, he'd be trying to free these young dragons in a heartbeat."
The mention of Rune made Cyrus's eye twitch. Chalice ignored that and scowled at him. "Don't you realize what kind of danger these kids are in? Do you even CARE?"
"Yes I do!" Cyrus screamed. "I cared about them enough to try and help them four years ago! I ran away from home to try and bring back my mother! And it WORKED!" He slammed his forepaws down. "Many dragons were spared! The war was finally over! Dark and light dragons can intermingle again! And it's all because I was one of the only dragons with the guts to stop my Dad!"
Cyrus's limbs were shaking at this point; his eyes watered with tears as he dug his talons into the floor.
"But even after all this time, nobody cares that I was involved." Cyrus declared. "They prefer to focus on RUNE's actions. It's always Rune! Rune's struggles! Rune's trauma! Rune, Rune, Rune!" Cyrus tore a chunk of the floor out. Lantel and Sandra balked as the black prince did his own lap around Chalice and put on his own sarcastic false voice.
"'Rune's the one who's going to be the next king! Rune's the one everybody wants to talk to! Rune's the one with the nasty scars! Rune's so kind! Rune's adventure across the realms was so dangerous! Rune's adorable! Rune's the best!' I just can't take it anymore!" Cyrus scowled at Chalice. "Do you have any idea what I have to do to get people to notice I'm even around?! I barely even get attention from my own family!"
"Well, your shitty behavior isn't going to win over any sympathy, Cyrus." Chalice snapped. "You even act horribly toward people who TRY to sympathize with you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about ME." Chalice glared. "You keep telling me that I backstabbed you when all I did was go find your aunt and uncle. You looked like you were feeling miserable and needed some family…" The grey dragon glared at the prince. "It's not MY fault that we found you just as you were screaming and ranting at Sandra."
"That reminds me…" Lantel said. He stomped forward to blow smoke in Cyrus's face. "Don't you EVER insult my sister like that ever again, you prick!"
Cyrus growled at that. He used wind to blow the smoke right back in Lantel's face, and then followed it up by blowing even MORE smoke from his own nostrils. The red prince coughed and gagged as he backed up a few paces. Sandra draped a wing over Lantel's back to support him as she scowled in Cyrus's direction. Chalice looked at the black prince incredulously.
"See? This is what I'm talking about." Chalice said incredulously. "Don't you realize how awful you're being? Lantel was only defending his sister."
"I don't give a fuck." Cyrus growled. "If he gets in my face again, he'll PAY for it."
"Let's just go help the kids already, Chalice." Sandra snapped. "We'll figure something out, Cyrus or no Cyrus. Come on."
Chalice just sighed in exasperation. She turned around and made to follow the fire twins as they made their way down the hall. Cyrus just stood there, on his own, watching as they walked away.
Good riddance… Cyrus thought with a snort. He turned to make his way down the opposite corridor. I don't need them. I can save Tina all on my own. Maybe then the two of us can figure out how to-
"Cy?" Tina's voice asked.
Cyrus's eyes flew wide incredulously. He had to have been hearing things. He turned around and looked around the corners where the hallways crossed. Sure enough, just across the way came a mess of dark-yellow scales. Seconds later, Cyrus found himself pinned to the floor as Tina tackled him.
"I knew it was you, Shorty!" Tina declared happily. She backed up off of him and stood up tall. "Figured you'd use your black dragon magical shenanigans to wake yourself up!"
"Hi, Tina…" Cyrus sighed.
Tina's outbursts and laughter attracted the attention of Chalice, Sandra, and Lantel. The trio stopped and looked back incredulously to see Tina picking Cyrus up onto his feet. She then looked down the corridor at the trio and gasped in surprise.
"Oh, I guess we're not the only ones awake." She grinned.
Chalice practically sprinted down the hall to stop before the dark-yellow dragoness. "H-How did you wake up from the sleeping enchantment?"
Tina stuck a talon in the air to silence Chalice. She then reached into hear ear frills and very carefully pulled out tiny little nubs from each ear hole. Chalice blinked in surprise as Tina stored them away in a pouch on her satchel.
"I recognized that song that Elza was singing." Tina said.
"Aunt Elza?" Cyrus repeated in surprise.
"One thing after a time, Shorty." Tina flicked Cyrus on the muzzle. He snorted as Tina grimaced toward Chalice. "I don't know why she was doing it, but Elza was using wind magic to create a Siren's Song; it's a lullaby technique to put younglings to sleep. But I guess an alternated version was used to make the whole chamber of children pass out."
"I don't remember reading anything about Siren Songs." Chalice grimaced.
"That's because it's sort-of some artificial magic." Tina nodded. "My dad taught me about it a while back. But anyway, when it was starting to get louder, I quickly put in my earbuds and pretended to pass out with the others. And boy…" She grimaced. "Are we in for some trouble today."
"What do you mean?" Cyrus asked.
Tina put on a serious face. "Elza wasn't acting alone; she was working with Bergan."
Cyrus gasped, while Chalice looked between them nervously. The black prince tapped his talons on the floor and sighed; he should have figured that the purple dragon was involved in this.
"Isn't that the father of the dragoness who attacked you a while back?" Chalice asked.
"Yeah…" Cyrus sighed. "He's not going to be easy to deal with."
"Did you say Bergan, Tina?" Sandra's voice called across the corridor. The trio turned up to see the Sandra and Lantel making their way over.
"Yep. And he's got, friends." Tina grimaced. "Remember those thugs who were fighting with your sister, Cy? Well, there are MORE of them. And they all helped carry the younglings down to the lower dungeons."
Cyrus gasped. He then immediately growled and blew smoke from his nostrils once more.
"So, we've got a fight coming." The black prince declared. "We'll need to fight off those Crazy Aces or whatever they're called, before dealing with Bergan directly."
"We're going to need a plan." Tina nodded.
"We'll come up with one as we go…" Cyrus made his way down the corridor, pushing past the fire twins with barely a care. "Let's go."
Tina followed behind Cyrus right away… but stopped and glanced at the other three, who stood with clear reservations on their faces. Tina tilted her head and frowned. "Uh, is something the matter?"
"You didn't happen to hear the argument we got into a few moments ago, did you." Chalice said blankly. "We're none too pleased with Cyrus right now, Tina."
"Why?" She frowned. "What happened?"
"It doesn't matter." Cyrus said forcefully. "We need to work on freeing the younglings, and putting a stop to Bergan's schemes is the first step." He stamped his foot. "Now come on; we've got work to do."
Tina continued to follow behind Cyrus. Chalice just sighed, and then glanced wordlessly at the fire twins to see if they would bother complying. All three of them seemed rather frustrated, but had no choice but to follow after Cyrus; they'd simply save their grievances for later.
~~…~~
It didn't take long for the five dragons to arrive at the doorway to the chapel. Cyrus pushed the doors open and immediately looked around. The other four teenagers were right behind him. The group found themselves standing in the left corner of the chamber, away from the chapel's front.
The prince balked as he spotted the front of the chapel's altar. A series of black stones had been placed in an octagonal pattern around the perimeter of the altar's platform. Multiple other teenaged dragons were standing around wordlessly; each one wore one of those white masks from Johnny's gang. And standing before the altar, with a book in one forepaw and a glass of wine in the other… was Bergan.
Naturally, when Cyrus made such a loud noise, all of the gang members gasped in alarm. Most of them leaped to their feet and growled at the prince, who growled back. And yet through it all, the purple dragon nonchalantly sipped from his wine.
"Hmm…" Bergan raised an eye ridge as he read a page. "Fascinating magic."
"YOU!" Cyrus screamed.
Bergan put his book down, looked right at the Cyrus, and smiled. "Ah, good evening, my prince."
Cyrus gnashed his fangs as he stepped forward. Several of the gang members were quick to march forward to intercept him. However, the other four dragons were quick to stand in formation on either side of the prince: Tina and Chalice were uneasy, while Lantel and Sandra growled at the gang members. But Cyrus ignored them all, and simply focused on the purple drake.
"Bergan!" Cyrus yelled angrily.
"Yes, that's my name." the purple drake chuckled. He gave a bow toward Cyrus's group. "I'm glad to see that you're all well-rested."
"What do you want us to do with them, Bergan?" One of the ice dragons asked bitterly.
"Oh, settle down, youngsters." Bergan put his wine glass down and waved his forepaw. "Let Prince Cyrus and his chums pass on by."
"Weren't we supposed to keep him locked up?" A fire dragon demanded.
"Of course not." Bergan took a careful sip as he rose from his seat. "Now, let them pass."
The gang members grumbled in annoyance before backing away from the five teenagers. With a snort of his own, Cyrus marched forward to glare daggers at the purple drake.
"When my mother finds out what you've done, you're in for a world of hurt!" Cyrus yelled.
"What I've done?" Bergan raised an eye ridge. "Well, I suppose what I've done is leave her forepaws quite full. She's very busy at the moment, I'm sure, what with cleaning up the messes that those two warring factions made."
"Warring factions?" Sandra repeated.
"The Extremists, versus the Sons of Culmubrae." Bergan grimaced. "It was only a matter of time before the two groups made Warfang their battleground." He took another sip of his wine. "I'm thankful I was able to get the children to safety when I did."
"Safety?" Cyrus repeated incredulously. "They're all asleep down there! What did you do to them?! And where's my Aunt Elza?!"
"Settle down, my boy." Bergan nodded. "The questions are related, though: I enlisted the help of Elza to get the younglings to rest, while the dirty work is dealt with."
Cyrus was sick of whatever the purple dragon was getting at; he'd had a lot of pent up aggression tonight, and it was about time he found himself a big, purple outlet! Calling upon his magic, Cyrus unleashed his time element! The whole world turned a bluish, blurred tint. Cyrus then snarled before charging forward at high speed. He leaped into the air and swung his talons to slash at Bergan's chest…
Only for Bergan to step out of the way just as fast as Cyrus moved. Cyrus went flying past the purple drake and crashed down onto the floor. The prince groaned in pain as his time magic returned to normal. Tina and Chalice gasped, while Lantel and Sandra merely grimaced. The gang members around them, however, burst into fits of laughter.
"Silly boy: I've had many more years to perfect Time Magic." Bergan gave a soft chuckle. "It's going to take some more clever than a frontal assault to hit me."
Cyrus scowled as he picked himself up; he whirled around and stalked toward Bergan again. He then glared past Bergan, at Chalice and the others. He was almost tempted to yell at them for not stepping up to help him deal with the purple dragon… But then again, he'd had enough of being yelled at for supposedly not caring about his subjects. If they were going to be useless, then Cyrus might as well be the big hero on his own.
"What are you playing at, Bergan?" Cyrus demanded. "Waiting for the right moment to have my Aunt Elza perform a Siren Song to knock us out again?" he looked around and scowled. "Where IS my Aunt Elza, anyway?!"
"Hmm, your lovely Aunt is around here somewhere." Bergan nodded. "As for having her knock you out… well, we only used that sleeping dart on the off-chance that your training in wind magic might have helped you to get around the Siren Song. I didn't want you interfering with my efforts to save the children."
"Oh, enough of your crap!" Cyrus stamped the ground. "Release my aunt AND all of those kids!"
"I'll say it again: I didn't capture them: I rescued them." Bergan clicked his tongue. He stepped up to the altar and wracked his talons upon its surface. "White dragon hatchlings and younglings, coupled with artificially created dark dragons, were all gathered up and stowed away up here in this fortress..." The purple drake pointed a talon up toward the ceiling. "And there they all floated around; one great big target for all of the dragons who would do them harm. I'm sure plenty of them spent the last four years fantasizing about blowing this whole fortress out of the sky, raining dead children upon the gardens around the Dragon Spire."
Cyrus grimaced; he shook his head to keep himself from even DARING to imagine a sight like that. And the other teenaged dragons did the same.
"You're SICK, you know that?!" Lantel snapped. The prince stepped around his sister to approach Bergan. "SICK!"
"No, prince Lantel: I'm merely telling you a possible future." Bergan shook his head. "Had I not intervened, all of those sleeping children down below would be very, very DEAD." He helped himself to another sip of his wine. "Ah, if only this were enough to get the images out of my mind."
"I don't care if you think you're some liberator." Cyrus snapped. He smacked one of the black stones out of alignment and hopped his way up onto the altar. The prince stamped his forepaw on the table and glared daggers into Bergan's eyes.
"As future king of Warfang, I order you to-"
"Future king?" Sandra scoffed. "In your dreams, maybe."
Several of the gang members laughed at that. Cyrus scowled at Sandra; how could she think to undermine him at a time like this? Stupid bitch, he was trying to set those kids free!
"You were saying, my prince?" Bergan asked Cyrus cautiously.
Cyrus blew smoke from his nostrils and glared back at the purple drake. "Let those children out of the sleeping spell, and set them free!"
Bergan snorted. "Well, Prince Cyrus, the children are free to go as they please, provided YOU can figure out how to awaken them." He flapped his wings. "I only know how to get a wind dragon to cast the Siren Song to put children to sleep: I haven't the foggiest as to how to make a song to wake them up."
"Are you trying to insinuate that a purple dragon can't figure out mind-related magic?" Chalice snapped. "I think you're bluffing!"
"No, I was never one for card games." Bergan snorted. He made a gesture toward the front doors. "If you can't free the sleeping children yourself, then I suppose you're all free to leave and find someone who has the means…" He glanced at Tina. "Perhaps your father Aegis might have some idea? He was always a clever sort."
Tina grimaced. She made her way around the side of the altar and looked right at the front doors. The dark-yellow dragoness squinted her eyes and then turned to glare back at Bergan. She then glared around at the gang members; they all looked ready to pounce and attack at a moment's notice.
"You're up to something." She scowled back at Bergan. "I can feel it in my scales."
"No, I'm not." Bergan put on a playful smile. "You and your little circle of friends may leave the fortress at any time…" He glanced at Cyrus. "I'm sure your mother is worried sick about you, my prince."
"Fine." Cyrus scowled. He hopped down from the altar and huffed; he had a feeling there was still some trick to all of this. But if there was a chance for the prince to find his mom, then why wouldn't he take it? "Come on, all of you; we're leaving for the Dragon Spire."
Cyrus led the way cautiously down the aisle of pews. The other teenagers moved quietly to follow behind the black prince. The gang members watched them silently through their masks; Cyrus could feel the scales twitching on his spine. Lantel stayed at the back of the group, where he gave Bergan a suspicious glare.
"Have a nice day, younglings." Bergan nodded his head. "And do watch out for that first step."
"Arsehole." Cyrus said under his breath. The prince pushed the doors open and stepped through into the courtyard… where his jaw immediately fell open. His eyes widened in horror, and he fell back onto his haunches. It… It wasn't possible!
Tina and Chalice were quick to stop and investigate what he was looking at… and soon, they were just as perplexed and horrified. Lantel and Sandra, however, just gulped nervously and backed up; peering out the front doors was all they needed to see what lay beyond those doors…
The five teenagers were definitely in The Nexus… but the Nexus wasn't floating in Warfang. In fact, the Nexus wasn't anywhere in the dragon realms anymore.
The fortress floated in an endless, iridescent void. Stars loomed in the vast reaches of space up above, below, and as far to the sides as the dragons could see. Off in the distance was a series of small, floating platforms, which circled around two gigantic pillars of purple energy. Said pillar extended outwards upward and downward into the void, and eventually spread out into impossibly-large cyclones.
But the most disturbing aspects of this realm were the creatures that inhabited it. Cyrus could see several gigantic, squid-like abominations that grappled with platforms and pushed themselves through the void as if they were swimming underwater.
Cyrus blinked several times; was this a dream? It certainly felt like a dream. But the cold stone beneath his feet made it clear that he was as wide awake as he'd ever been. There was something mystical about what he saw; Cyrus almost wanted to spread his wings and explore around, were it not for a painful truth that stabbed his mind like a talon.
"We're… We're trapped here." Cyrus muttered.
"Where IS here?" Tina demanded. "And how did we get here?"
"I… I can't believe it." Chalice blinked in awe as they looked around. "This realm… it's…"
A laughing came from behind the five dragons. They all turned around to see Bergan having himself a grand old laugh as he moved his book to the side. And the various gang members all laughed along with him.
"Enjoying the view, young dragons?" Bergan asked with a smirk.
It wasn't long before Cyrus charged his way back down the aisle; his maw glowing with fury and magic. He knew it! This damn purple drake was having himself a laugh at their expense! It was all a trap!
"You bastard!" Cyrus hissed. He spread out into a fighting stance and charged up his magic as he prepared another attack.
"Oh, don't go trying that again." Bergan sighed. "It didn't work the first time, so it won't work again, boy."
"I don't care!" Cyrus roared; he unleashed a burning fireball with the last word.
As the flames flew toward his face, Bergan took in a gulp of air. Seconds later, a burst of icy mist came flying from the purple drake's maw. The ice overwhelmed the fireball and reduced it to steam in seconds. Cyrus merely snarled and clawed at the stone floor, while Bergan signed again.
"Good going, princess." Lantel snorted from the front of the chapel.
"You're not helping!" Cyrus hissed back at the red prince, before quickly whirling around to continue snarling furiously at Bergan. "So where are we, huh?! What is this realm?!"
"It's the realm of Convexity, of course." Bergan clicked his tongue. "The plane of existence that comes between the regular dragon realms, and the underworld. It's also where the energy 'convexity' received its name." He tapped his talons on the altar. "Didn't your magic tutor teach you this?"
"Err… that's irrelevant!" Cyrus snapped. Once again he glared back at the other four young dragons and contemplated yelling at them for not helping him fight. But no, they were just going to sit there, weren't they? Even Tina was refusing to help him take Bergan on. The one person Cyrus thought he could rely on, and she was just giving him a confused, uneasy look. Fucking PERFECT.
"You probably want to know how to get back to the dragon realms from here, don't you?" Bergan raised an eye ridge."
"Yes I want to know how to get back to the fucking dragon realms!" Cyrus growled at the purple drake. "What do you THINK I want: A sandwich?!"
"Well, It's quite simple, my boy…" Bergan smiled again. "Teleport."
Cyrus snorted… and then grimaced. He stepped back a bit and blinked. "D-Did you say teleport?"
"Yes. Teleport." Bergan wracked his talons on the altar. "Call upon your shadow magic and create a hole between here and Warfang… your bedroom, perhaps." The purple dragon nodded. "Surely your magic tutor has taught you at least THAT much."
"Well, he… he's tried…" Cyrus grimaced. "But I… I, uh…" Cyrus tapped his talons on the floor.
"Can't you teleport, Prince Cyrus?" Bergan asked. "You're a talented and powerful dragon, I'm sure. So whip yourself up a teleportation spell for yourself and your friends. It should be simple."
"Uh…" Cyrus stammered. He then snarled at the purple dragon. "Are you mocking me?"
"Mocking you?" Bergan frowned. "Of course not. Really, I meant you no offense." He took a sip of his wine yet again. "Is something the matter with your skill at teleporting?"
"N-No, there isn't!" Cyrus snapped.
"Then by all means…" Bergan gestured toward the prince.
Cyrus snorted out his nostrils; his limbs shook, and he gnashed his fangs. He wanted nothing more than to try pouncing on the smug purple prick once again. But with the way Bergan studied his gaze, the prince had a feeling that was just the kind of amusement he was looking for…
"Well, are you going to do it or not?!" Lantel screamed from behind.
Cyrus winced as he heard heavy footfalls approaching from behind. The black prince whirled around and gasped as the red one came barreling toward him. Lantel swung his talons at Cyrus, who immediately leaped to the side and snarled.
"What's wrong with you?!" Cyrus snapped.
"What's wrong with YOU?!" Lantel howled. "If you're damn talented at all kinds of magic, then stop wasting all of our fucking time and TELEPORT US TO WARFANG!"
Cyrus flinched. "I… uh…"
"For once in your life, be USEFUL!" Sandra hissed. Cyrus looked over to see the fiery dragoness making her way down the aisle, with Tina and Chalice hot on her heels.
"I'll bet that Rune could teleport!" Sandra stamped the floor. "So what's keeping YOU?"
There it was again; yet another comparison to his brother. Cyrus snarled and fell back onto his haunches. He looked over at Tina and Chalice for sympathy, but both of them gave him knowing looks of disapproval. Cyrus was backed into a corner now. His heartbeat in his chest and he clattered his fangs as he tried to think of an excuse.
"Well?" Bergan raised an eye ridge.
"I… I can't teleport, okay?!" Cyrus screamed. "I haven't figured out how to teleport!"
"What?!" Lantel and Sandra screamed.
"I can barely even shadow jump!" Cyrus yelled, with tears in his eyes. "When it comes to magic, the element of shadow is the one thing that Rune's better than me at!"
"So we're stuck here, then!" Lantel declared. "Because the purple fob certainly isn't going to give us a ride home!" He spat on the floor by Cyrus's paws. "You're fucking useless!"
Cyrus pulled his forepaws back and shivered in disgust. He glared into Lantel's eyes and gnashed his fangs. "Well I've still got a laundry list of magical advantages over YOU, you overgrown candlestick!"
"Well, at least I don't talk a big game about having magical talent that I don't have!" The bigger prince snorted.
Cyrus snarled at Lantel, and the fiery prince snarled back. The two of them got so heated that steam billowed from their nostrils. They circled around each other as their limbs shook with rage. The gang members all exchanged glances; perhaps they weren't anticipating this kind of argument between their quarries. Tina and Chalice grimaced again.
"Guys, this isn't the time." Tina called out.
"Cool it down!" Chalice exclaimed.
Oh no. Not this time. Cyrus had been looking for an excuse to throw down with Lantel for ages. Finally, his moment to get revenge had come…
"There is another option, Prince Cyrus." Bergan said.
The two princes came to a stop and flinched in surprise. Cyrus blinked and then glared up at Bergan. The purple drake made his way around the altar and approached the teenagers. Lantel and Sandra stepped out of the way, while Tina and Chalice stood up tall on either side of Cyrus.
"What are you talking about NOW?" Chalice demanded.
"Convexity, of course." Bergan smiled. "With the acquisition of some convexity energy, our dear prince could boost his shadow magic to the point where teleporting across dimensions to the dragon realms will be a breeze..."
The purple dragon pointed a talon at Cyrus's face, which made him flinch. The talon then descended toward the prince's neck.
"I'm pretty sure that your father left you some convexity as a parting…" Bergan grimaced as his talon pointed at the pale crystal on Cyrus's necklace. "Oh. Well, oh dear; it seems you've used up your convexity. That's a shame."
Cyrus looked down at the crystal and grimaced. That's when a flood of memories poured in, reminding the prince of his scuffle with the white dragoness… his sister. And that's when he remembered that said sister was the daughter of this purple dragon standing right in front of him. The prince snarled and clawed at the floor once again.
"You sent my own sister to attack me!" Cyrus growled at Bergan. "Along with some of these THUGS, too!"
The gang members growled at that; perhaps they didn't like being called out. Bergan, however, rolled his eyes and wagged a talon in the air.
"Incorrect: I sent your sister to scout out around Warfang." Bergan declared. "Her attempt to capture you was all her idea. I've tried to raise her to control her anger, but alas…" He shook his head and sighed. "Either way, it doesn't change the fact that your convexity is spent."
"Then we'll just go get MORE convexity." Lantel snorted. "You said we're in a realm filled with the stuff, right?" He turned toward the doors. "Come on, Sandra; we're getting a drink."
"I wouldn't try that if I were you, boy." Bergan snapped. "That's RAW Convexity out there; pure, burning power. You can't just scoop up raw energy and stuff it in your maw; not without burning a hole through your head." The purple drake flapped his wings. "No, convexity needs to be harvested, channeled…" He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small, purple crystal. "And refined into one of these."
The teenagers all gasped in surprise at the convexity crystal. Lantel and Sandra flinched as if they would try to make a grab for it. However, Bergan vanished in the blink of an eye and reappeared standing before the altar.
"Hmm, this isn't for the rest of you." Bergan clicked his tongue again. "It's for Cyrus, and Cyrus alone: he's the only one with shadow magic, after all."
"Yeah, of course…" Lantel snorted.
Cyrus kept his gaze on the convexity crystal. He looked down at the one on his necklace and then bit his lower lip as he looked back up. Convexity… right there for the taking? Then again, look who was offering it; there had to be some kind of catch.
"And why would you just up and hand over convexity?" Cyrus demanded; he trotted forward to glare at the purple dragon. "What's your game, Bergan?"
Bergan put on a patient smile. "There's no game here: It's just that I see a lot of myself in you, my boy."
Cyrus balked. "What are you talking about?"
"I've been where you are now, Cyrus." Bergan fell back onto his haunches. "Filled with so much talent and potential, only to be repeatedly spurned by your peers. Told time and time again not to butt in where you're not wanted, despite knowing you could do so much to help so many…" Bergan sighed. "And, of course, filled with love and affection for a particular dragoness whom you've known for years, only to have her seemingly ignore you."
Cyrus felt anger flash through him. He turned to glare in Tina's direction, and his mind raced. He thought of all the times he attempted to confess his feelings, which all ended in failure.
"Cyrus…?" Tina asked uneasily.
"And I'm sure that plenty have told you that they think you're not as good as you think you are…" Bergan continued. Cyrus held his jaws shut as he looked back up at the purple dragon, which held a deep scowl.
"Constantly comparing you to your brother: telling you that they prefer his presence over yours." Bergan stepped closer. "And, of course, trapping you in the constant catch-twenty-two. They don't want you around because you brag and boast. And yet when you stay quiet, they barely even acknowledge your presence. At the end of the day, everyone just thinks you're awful."
Bergan came to a stop before Cyrus, and the two looked at each other in the eyes. Cyrus felt anger in his blood at the purple dragon's words… but Cyrus saw similar anger in Bergan's own face. Had… Had Bergan gone through the same thing Cyrus had? Did he actually, genuinely want to help him?
"Cyrus, don't listen to him!" Chalice shouted from the side. Cyrus glared in their direction as they stamped the floor. "Bergan's just trying to get into your head!"
"Oh, so you DON'T think that I'm a waste of magical talent?" Cyrus asked with a scowl. Chalice shivered and held their jaw firmly shut before awkwardly backing up. Cyrus turned around to glare at Lantel and Sandra, who looked at the black prince uneasily.
"Well, what's YOUR next snappy remark, hmm?" Cyrus sneered at Lantel. "Call me a princess again? Mock me for looking like a girl? It's worked so well up until this point!" Cyrus scowled at Sandra next. "And YOU! Tell me again how useless I am! And then open up YOUR shadow magic and make a portal to get back home!"
Sandra grimaced and backed up a bit. Lantel covered his sister with a wing and just took careful breaths as he looked silently at Cyrus. The black dragon puffed out his chest and snorted; something about this situation was finally letting him feel good about himself.
"Well, I certainly don't think you're useless, my boy." Bergan finally said, drawing the prince's attention. "All I think is that you could use a real pick-me-up." He dangled the convexity crystal before himself. "Take it; it's all yours."
Cyrus looked up at Bergan's smile; it definitely seemed more genuine than before. And even if it wasn't, even if this were some kind of trick… that convexity was looking mighty tempting. The prince took a breath as he stepped forward to reach out for it.
"Cyrus, no!" Tina screamed.
Cyrus looked over in time to see the dark-yellow dragoness rushing toward him, desperate to push him away from Bergan. But the prince scowled at her; he filled his body with enough earth magic to make himself strong enough to withstand her force. And after Tina collapsed onto the floor, the prince forcibly shoved her away from him.
"Not this time, Tina!" Cyrus snapped. He immediately turned, swiped the convexity from Bergan's forepaw, and swallowed it down ravenously.
For but a moment, there was silence. The other teenagers held their tongues, while Cyrus took deep, long breaths and looked down at himself. Chalice helped Tina up and onto her feet, while Lantel and Sandra took cautious steps back from the black prince.
Nothing's happening… Cyrus thought. He wracked his talons on the floor and snarled. It's a dud! I don't feel any different! The prince's limbs shook angrily and gnashed his fangs at Bergan. "You piece of…!"
Suddenly, Cyrus felt his internal body heat rising considerably; his heart rate grew much faster, and his limbs shook even more. The prince heard gasps coming from behind him, and he whirled around to see the other teenagers backing up against the pews. That could mean only one thing… Cyrus looked down at himself, and grinned in delight; a purple aura was surrounding his scales.
"Yes!" Cyrus cheered. "Yes, yes, yes!" He stomped the floor and laughed. "I feel great! I feel awesome!"
"G-Good for you…" Lantel said with trepidation. "Now, how's about using that newfound power to finally open up a portal so we can get out of here?"
Cyrus scowled at the red prince and snorted in frustration; He finally has some real power again, and this clown immediately starts barking orders at him? Where did HE get off?! This convexity was for Cyrus to decide what to do with it!
"Hmm, it looks like the treated convexity has worked like a charm." Bergan declared. "I'm very proud of you, Cyrus."
The black prince's eye twitched; he turned around and curiously faced the purple drake again. "Proud? For what?"
"For successfully making it through the first stage of my experiment." Bergan held a sardonic grin. He picked the book he was reading and showed Cyrus a diagram on its pages. "I think you'll find what comes next quite enlightening."
"What are you talking about?!" Cyrus scowled. "Who cares about your stupid book?"
"Oh, I care immensely." Bergan nodded. He picked up his wine and took another sip. "My, you sure are getting angrier by the moment; might have to keep you from hurting yourself and others."
Cyrus suddenly found Bergan's face a lot more punch-able. The prince called upon his time element, turning the world a bluish blur once again. He then crouched down and leaped out to pounce at the altar to slash at the purple drake's face with some convexity-fueled talons. But as the prince leaped through the air, Bergan simply stepped to the side and evaded the talons. The purple drake then opened his maw wide, and a burst of purple-colored lightning erupted from his maw. Cyrus was struck square in the chest, and he flailed about wildly as he crashed onto the altar. The prince moaned in pain as the lightning arced across the scales of his back, while time returned to normal once again.
"I warned you." Bergan sighed. He held out a forepaw before the prince. "I guess restraints it is, then."
The purple dragon snapped his talons, and the whole altar vibrated. As Cyrus lifted up his head, he was shocked to see several bronze shackles emerge from slots in the corners of the altar. The shackles quickly moved across the surface, seemingly of their own accord, to snap themselves around Cyrus's ankles and neck. The prince gagged at the tight sensations; the metal was so cold and tight that he swore that they dug their way into his flesh.
"Cyrus!" Tina and Chalice cried out.
"Hmm, yes…" Bergan looked down at his book again. "Just like the old scripture states."
Tina and Chalice spread out their limbs and growled menacingly at Bergan. But the purple dragon simply sighed and looked off to the side. "I think now's a good time to provide some assistance, Elza dear."
"Elza?" The two dark dragons repeated in surprise. They whirled around to see where Bergan was looking, as did Lantel and Sandra. Cyrus lifted up his head, but he could only barely see a dark-green dragoness lurking in the shadows of the chapel; had she been there the whole time?
"Aunt Elza!" Cyrus cried. "Why are you helping Bergan?!"
"Because I asked her to." Bergan smiled. "And don't worry; she'll be just fine in a little while…"
Cyrus snarled as he fought against his restraints. He tried to use his shadow magic to sink into the stone to get away, but powerful shocks of lightning struck him in the back of the neck, rendering him unable to escape. The black prince cried out in pain, while Bergan simply patted him on the head.
"This will be over faster than you think, my boy…"
Cyrus turned to snarl up at the purple drake's smug, irritating face. He wanted more than anything else in the world to just slash his fat neck! But Bergan was completely unfazed; he simply reached beneath the altar and grabbed something that clanked against the stone. He then backed up and revealed that he was holding some kind of metal gauntlet in his forepaw.
"It took Malefor several years to create a suitable General out of a black dragon." Bergan said. "Sadly, he used a method called corruption…"
Bergan put the gauntlet on over his right foreleg and reached into his cloak to retrieves several more convexity crystals.
"I prefer different methods…" Bergan grinned. "All explained in the Lilac Grimoire."
Cyrus struggled in his restraints as Bergan inserted the crystals into various slots on his weird gauntlet. Where'd he even get something like that? As he pondered this, Bergan focused his gaze on Cyrus.
"Before we carry on, I'd like to take a moment to congratulate our dear associate Dona for the hard work she put in to get the dark dragons to build this fortress… I believe you all call it The Nexus." Bergan smiled. "Quite the fitting name."
He used his free forepaw to stick a talon into a tiny slot on the underside of the altar. "Truly, she rebuilt every last detail to the perfect degree."
"What are you going on about?" Cyrus screamed.
"This fortress came from the blueprints for the city you call The Hive." Bergan said. "Blueprints designed by a genius of a purple dragon. His name was Desysto, you see…"
Bergan turned his talon to the side and traced it along a crease. Several clicking sounds came, and the stone of the altar rumbled. Looking around, Cyrus saw that the whole altar was beginning to rotate to the side. Several pillars along the chamber began to shake and shift; dust fell from the ceiling as it too shook rapidly.
"Desysto came up with a plan, long ago." Bergan said. "Whatever the plan was, it involved some sophisticated machinery."
He brought his talon to a stop, before rotating it and pulling it free. The altar came to a stop, while more dust fell from the ceiling. And when Cyrus looked up, he finally understood why: the ceiling was opening. Various sections of the roof rose upward, forming a cross-shaped hole that allowed the "sky" to shine its light down into the chapel. Cyrus had to squint to adjust to the light, all while Bergan kept his gauntleted talon pointed at him.
"What's happening to the chapel?" Tina demanded. "It's never done this before!"
"That's because nobody up here knew its full potential…" Bergan chuckled. "Well, except for Dona and me. Here's a question for you all: How was it that this fortress survived the utter destruction that the rest of The Hive fell to, hmm? What makes the fortress so special?"
As Bergan said this, The altar began to rise a few feet into the air, as a stone pillar revealed itself. Something was on the pillar that his friends were gasping at; sadly Cyrus couldn't see. All he could do was gaze up fearfully at the expansive abyss that loomed overhead. Off to the sides, several metal rods revealed themselves from hiding places amongst the architecture; some of their ends pointed down at Cyrus, while the rest of them pointed up toward the "sky."
"Now then…" Bergan pointed his gauntleted hand toward upward the abyss. "Let's begin."
A bolt of purple-tinted lightning shot out of Bergan's talon. It flew into the air, through the opening, and arced itself off in some direction. Presumably, it went flying off toward the great purple geyser in the distance… because seconds later, more arcs of glowing lightning came roaring backward along the current to collide with Bergan's gauntlet. The purple drake groaned in discomfort as his forepaw shook erratically. The heat flashing off to the lightning was so intense that Cyrus panted; he desperately needed water.
After a moment of struggling to get control of the convexity, Bergan finally pointed his talon at the metal rods. With a growl, he forced the lightning to disconnect from his gauntlet and attach itself to the rods. And after that, the convexity danced along with the metal… and struck Cyrus square in the chest.
The pain was unimaginable. All sense and rationality were knocked out of Cyrus's mind as he howled in agony and shook violently in his restraints. The purple aura that already surrounded his scales was overwhelmed by the new currents of energy; they blended together and swam across his body like ocean waves striking a beach.
"Stop it!" Tina screamed somewhere far away. "Let him go!"
"I wouldn't get too afraid of his new form, my dear." Bergan declared with a pleased expression. "The rest of you will become just like him soon enough."
Cyrus howled as loud as he could as the energy embedded itself into his flesh… his very core. He reached out with a foreleg in a desperate attempt to break free of his shackles. And then… his foreleg grew. First, its length increased, sprouting new scales to quickly cover up exposed skin and flesh. After that, the muscles swelled; the writhed and shifted uncomfortably beneath the scales from the upper leg to the forepaw. His talons grew longer and sharper as the leg swung wildly. Before long, the chain was snapped into pieces as the ankle broke free, and it smashed down upon the stone altar hard enough to break a corner off.
And that wasn't the only part of the prince that changed. His tail became thicker and longer, and a series of spines sprouted free of the scales. Part of the convexity surrounded the tail-tip, before hardening and taking the form of a silver sword. The other foreleg mutated to match its twin's shape, and then the hind legs followed shortly afterward.
It was the worst pain Cyrus had ever felt in his life; his own screaming hurt his ear frills. But as his body grew, his mind felt… different. He heard his own voice become deeper and snarled as he adjusted to the change. He snapped free of all his restraints and swing his forepaws to smash at the metal rods. But Bergan used his fancy magic to shift the metal rods out of the way. But Cyrus kept swinging until he rolled himself over and fell down onto the floor. He slammed on it so hard that many of the dragons around him were knocked off his feet. Bit by bit the convexity stopped arching across his back, and he was finally able to pant heavily as he rose onto his paws…
But he wasn't done growing yet. He unfurled his wings and felt them stretch out much farther than they ever had before. The black dragon felt the weight on his head shift as all four horns became thicker and sharper. The drake rose his head up, and it went much higher than it had before… or did the room around him shrink? Suddenly, the black dragon didn't care; all he felt like doing was taking deep, long breaths through his snout as he adjusted to his new form.
"By the ancestors…" squeaked a little voice from across the way.
The black dragon glanced over and then scowled. There were four little dragons, surrounded by a ring of crepsculi. The teenagers all gasped in horror at the sight of the black dragon; the big red one even collapsed backward onto his rear from the sight. There were other little dragons about the room, too. But they hid their faces behind white masks as they shivered at the sight of the growling, fearsome specimen looming over them.
"The Ascension is complete." The voice of Bergan said behind the black drake. The purple dragon casually glided down from the altar came to a soft landing and looked up into the face of the fantastic figure before him.
"How do you feel, General Cyrus?"
The black dragon rose to his full height. He swung his mighty tail around and gave his beefy wings a few test-flaps. The drake ran his tongue along his perfect fangs, and blew a burst of purple smoke from his nostrils. His once-magenta underbelly and talons had turned a deep, masculine red! The black dragon was delighted; he gave a hearty, deep laugh as convexity radiated from his eyes.
"I feel… Unstoppable."
~~…~~
Greetings, friends and loved ones.
This was one of my favorite chapters to write so far; everything had been leading up to this: Cyrus's turn to the side of the bad guys. His behavior throughout the series so far had been leading up to this moment. Is there any hope that he'll be freed of his supposed Ascension? Only time will tell.
Tenebra ecce Veritas
