Muras took a deep breath as he stood just outside of the front doors of the Warfang Temple. He hadn't had the courage to actually get out into society since his arrival in Warfang four days ago. Well, he had gone out once to have some food with Logron three days ago, but he was shy, quiet, and a bit scared. Muras actually incorporated his shyness into his fake backstory, saying that he'd always been shy, ever since a hatchling.

His shyness was warranted though, especially knowing who he once was and having to hide it from everyone, trying to be someone else. Walking around other dragons just felt wrong, especially since even now he was still deceiving them, his façade hiding his true self. Deceiving was wrong, and he'd done enough of that as Malefor. He'd done too much wrong in general. He didn't want to do more.

When he heard about the events involving the cheetahs after they arrived two days ago discouraged him more. Spyro had hurt them badly, and caused the deaths of the two cubs that the one named Hunter had brought with him. The female was comatose. The word of what had happened to the cheetahs had spread quickly, and Logron, having been told of this by Cynder, was the one who had told Muras.

The disguised dragon felt terrible knowing that Spyro, a corrupt purple, had done this to them. He could have done things to the cheetahs himself; he probably didn't know it. Muras knew that Hunter had helped Spyro and Cynder make their journey to Warfang from the Catacombs inside the Well of Souls, so Muras figured he'd had some sort of interaction with the cheetah warrior. He even knew grublins had ended up at the cheetah village while Spyro and Cynder were there, so he'd also put all the cheetahs living there in danger.

But this time, Spyro had actually done it. The cheetah village was destroyed, and Hunter, his son and his mate were the only survivors.

Muras closed his eyes and took another deep breath. He raised a trembling paw and took a step forward. And another. And then he was walking through the streets of Warfang. Some dragons gave him friendly greetings and smiles, wishing him a good day and safety amongst the war that was currently raging. Although Muras returned the greetings, smiles and good wishes, he couldn't help but feel he didn't deserve them.

He decided he would go to the library. Muras had always enjoyed reading, romance being his favourite genre, much to his friends' humour back in the day. The purple dragon wanted to have a look at what books the Warfang Library had now. He hoped it had some of his favourite from his younger years before he turned into Malefor, but he was also looking forward to seeing what had been written over the past thousand years.

The purple dragon walked for a little longer before bumping into someone, not paying attention to his surroundings as he remained lost in his head. He turned to apologise and froze when he saw a wind dragon. It was Aerus, Cynder's brother. Aerus was the only wind dragon in Warfang according to Cynder, so it had to be him.

He needed to tread carefully here. Knowing how much he had done to Cynder, if Aerus ever found out about his true identity, the wind dragon would have his purple head on his horns in a heartbeat.

"Hey. Sorry, Muras," Aerus said with an apologetic smile.

"No, I wasn't paying attention. I should be the one saying sorry," Muras replied, before they stared at each other in silence, wincing at the awkwardness.

Aerus tried to pick up the conversation again in an attempt to make the situation less awkward. "So uh… how are you doing? Getting used to Warfang so far?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm doing alright. Somewhat. I've been here once before though, but I was quite young and… I don't really remember too much of… that time. I lost all memory of it after a skirmish with an ape many years ago; it almost smashed my head open and it immobilised me with dark crystals," Muras lied. "Because of my head wound, the crystal took my memories from me, as well as my elements. I had to start pretty much fresh."

"Well then, how was the forest that you lived in? How long were you out there before you and Cynder crossed paths?"

"About… ancestors, I don't know… seven years, maybe? Before that I lived in Urgussen for most of my life. I moved out into the wild because I preferred the peacefulness and the tranquility of it. I found at times, Urgussen got a bit crowded, and it got a bit much for me sometimes."

"But Warfang's the draconic capital! How are you going to manage here if you didn't like Urgussen?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll figure out a way. I got the courage to leave the Warfang Temple, didn't I? I've been shut up in there for the past few days," Muras replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm on my way to the library to find a book to read. I haven't read a good book in years."

It was true, although the full truth would be a lot more exaggerated. Add 'a thousand' in front of 'years' and then it'd be more accurate. Most of the other books he'd read since then were spell tomes on dark magic and rituals, nothing too interesting unless one was aspiring to become the darkest, most powerful creature alive, like Malefor.

"Alright, I might come with you then," Aerus said. "I've only been here for a few weeks, and haven't really gotten around to having a look at what books the library here has. Typhaar had a pretty decent selection, and with this being Warfang I'm sure they'll have a good set of books here."

They then began making their way to the Warfang library, walking in silence. The disguised purple dragon cut the silence as they walked, a question nagging at his mind. "What was your first reaction?" Muras asked the wind dragon walking beside him. "I mean, to seeing Cynder for the first time, knowing what she used to be. Who she used to be. And… and when you found out that she was your sister… What was that like too?"

"Well, I knew immediately she was my sister; only one dragoness fell into darkness by Malefor's rotten, twisted paw. Mum and Dad…" Aerus had to stop to swallow as he said the words, the brutal deaths of his parents flashing in the back of his mind. "They always believed that… that whatever Cynder was doing was not her fault. They knew as soon as they heard the stories of what she was doing and who she worked for, that she was being forced to do those things.

"My grandpa was a sorcerer, who specialised in dark magic, before he was imprisoned for a lot of accidents. A lot of intentional mishaps as well, but mainly accidents. One of them included when he had accidentally used it on Mum's sister once and she turned on him and beat him up, before he managed to call the dark magic back. I guess Mum just knew, after that moment in her childhood when she watched her sister attack her father, that Cynder wasn't in her right of mind. But she also knew that Malefor was not like her father."

Muras flinched at those words, knowing it was true, sorrow welling up in his heart. Aerus made no sign of noticing Muras' discomfort as he continued, "She knew that Malefor would not call the darkness out of her, and that some other powerful being had to do so. We never believed it would happen, but it did. When word reached us that Cynder had been rescued and was now fighting against Malefor, Mum and Dad were the proudest they had ever been.

"I was different to my parents though. I hated Cynder throughout my childhood. She never attacked Typhaar, but everyone was cautious of me and my family because they knew we were related, and were afraid that if we snapped, we'd become like Cynder. And when I learned of what crimes Cynder had done - murder, torture, and leading genocide after genocide - I wanted nothing to do with her.

"Mum and Dad loved her regardless, knowing it wasn't her fault, but I wasn't like them. We got into so many arguments because of our different beliefs, and let me tell you, some of those arguments did not end well. Even after Cynder was freed, I still hated her.

"That only lasted until after we heard that Cynder was the one who aided Spyro in saving the world. In putting it back together. For fighting against Malefor himself and defeating him. I knew in my heart at that moment I was wrong, and Cynder was fighting hard to redeem herself.

"We never got the time to go find her. Life got so busy at that point especially as my parents were in very important positions in Typhaar, and we never got to it until a few weeks ago. We were spotted by Spyro's army and captured, before we became slaves, and I was corrupted, and everything turned to hell!"

"I know what happened," Muras interrupted calmly before Aerus could upset himself even more. "Cynder told me."

Aerus looked at Muras with an emotionless expression, before he let out a sigh and hung his head low, stopping in his tracks. Muras slowed himself to a stop as well, waiting patiently for Aerus, his lips twisted into a sad frown, knowing deep inside him that he was the reason Aerus had been so hateful towards his own sister.

The wind dragon took a deep breath. "I was over the moon when I met Cynder, after recovering from my initial shock when I tried to kill her. Finally, I had found my lost sister. And now… now she's all I have. Mum and Dad died that day when we found each other," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to endure, and Cynder struggled too. But we had each other. Cynder finally had a family, and I finally had a sister.

"I will never forget that day. I just wish it wasn't the same day we lost our parents. At the same time, that day was the best and the worst day of my life."

Muras just nodded in understanding. There wasn't much to say about that. Muras felt terrible for all that the wind dragon had to endure, even as a child. As Malefor, Muras hadn't done anything to hurt him physically, but using Aerus' sister in those terrible ways caused him mental pain. Even in places untouched by his wrath, his name, and Cynder's, had still struck fear into the hearts of many, to the point where Aerus was avoided just for being Cynder's brother. Who knew how many friends he missed out on having as a kid?

"I'm sorry," Muras murmured under his breath.

"What was that?" Aerus questioned, giving Muras a curious look.

The purple dragon froze. Aerus wasn't meant to hear that. "I'm, uh… I'm sorry you had to go through that. I know what it's like to lose family. I lost my parents to Malefor," Muras said, recovering quickly.

They remained silent for a while, awkwardness filling the air. "Alright, do we want to go to the library or what?" Aerus asked.

"Uh, sure," Muras said, chuckling slightly to lift their spirits after the serious talk, followed by the awkwardness.

They continued off towards the Warfang Library and entered, greeted by a librarian as they walked in. Muras gasped at the size of the place and how many books there were. The Warfang Library had grown a lot since he had last been here, although it had been a thousand years so it wasn't too big of a surprise to him.

Aerus turned to the disguised purple dragon beside him. "So what type of books do you enjoy reading?" he asked. "Historical? Scientific? Fictional?"

"Fictional," Muras replied.

"What genre?"

"Uh… R-r-romance…"

Muras blushed as he said it. The bright red scales of his façade hid his blush however, but his embarrassment still showed from his stance as he pawed the ground nervously, biting his lip.

Aerus raised an eyebrow. "Not many guys are into romance novels these days. It's all about the action at the moment, although I think that'll die out due to the war and having enough violence in our real lives," he said. "I quite like the fantasy genre myself. Ever given it a go?"

"Not really. Never really been fond of magic and spells and all that stuff; I know a few people who were affected by Malefor's spells," Muras murmured in a small voice.

"It's okay, Muras!" Aerus chuckled. "I won't judge you on what genre of book you like. Now go find a book; I'll meet you up in the reading section on the third floor."

"The third floor? But aren't there tables and reading spaces down here too?"

"It's a lot spacier upstairs. The third floor is completely dedicated to its own reading space. First and second floors only have a few tables, chairs and pillows scattered around the place; they're normally where the books are kept."

And with that, Aerus turned and walked off down the 'fantasy' isle. Muras' gaze followed him, before it strayed around the place, searching carefully for the 'romance' aisle. He walked around, clueless as to where it might be located. He walked up onto the second floor and found it quickly, before making his way over towards the aisle.

Muras was glad the library was fairly empty this morning so that no eyes would look at him. He'd always felt nervous about the fact that he liked romance novels. It had always been embarrassing growing up, as all the other boys his age had been into action, crime, fantasy, and even horror novels. 'Romance was for girls', they had said jokingly.

He spent a while looking about in the aisle. A few names popped out at him, but he didn't pick them up: Love of the Lost, Loner's Bride, The Princess' Tale, Vampiric Affection. Another minute of searching went by, looking over names and reading blurbs, before he found a name that really stood out to him: Forgotten Violet. He picked it up and read the blurb on the back cover.

A forgotten purple, left all alone. Her parents died before she hatched, and she was raised in an orphanage in the dragon city in the clouds. She never learned her elements, and never had any friends.

Until one day, when she found a young male dragon, awkward and often made fun of, who she fell deeply in love with. It was a forbidden love. He was a prince. She was a nobody.

Muras smiled, turning the book over and staring at the front cover. A sketch of a beautiful young dragoness was on the cover, head raised, staring off into the distance. He looked down at the name of the author. Narsuff Cutthroat.

His eyes widened, before he smirked with surprise. He remembered that name from his childhood. Narsuff's older brother, Menrak Cutthroat, was one of Jorgustus' friends before the Cutthroat family moved out of Warfang when they were about eight. Narsuff had hatched about a year before they left, and Menrak would spend ages talking about his little brother. Muras wasn't the greatest of friends with Menrak, the water dragon being a bit too wild and crazy for his taste, but he would spend some time around Menrak when Jorgustus was playing with him.

Who knew however that little Narsuff would become an author, let alone an author of romance novels?

The purple dragon grabbed the book and turned, heading back to the staircase and going up to the third level, where tables and chairs were scattered everywhere in specific arrangements, as well as long rows of pillows running along the edges of the room. Among the few dragons, moles and felines sitting around, he found Aerus waiting for him at one of the tables, already stuck into reading his book, called War for the Half-Blood.

Aerus looked up as he heard Muras' pawsteps, giving him a friendly smile. "So you found a book?" the wind dragon asked. "What'd you get?"

Muras was too nervous to speak about the romance novel he'd picked out, so just flashed the book in Aerus' direction. Aerus chuckled. "I've heard that one's good. Haven't read it though," he said.

The disguised purple dragon chuckled half-heartedly, before sitting down next to Aerus and opening his book. Before Muras could start reading however, Aerus began speaking again. "You know, Muras… you don't have to be nervous about reading romance novels you know," he said.

"It just that some of my friends said only girls read romance books," Muras said with a shrug. "I guess that kind of stuck with me."

"Yeah, that's a bit dumb; I know quite a few guys from Typhaar who like romance novels. I've read a few myself and I don't mind them. My friend actually also recommended me Forgotten Violet, so I guess I'll have to get it out when you're done."

"Thanks," Muras said with a smile. "I just thought for the longest time that I was the only guy into romance stories."

"Absolutely not!" Aerus laughed, causing the disguised purple dragon to laugh with him.

As their laughing died, Aerus returned to the world of his book, ending the conversation. Muras couldn't help but be worried. He was actually starting to make a friend with Aerus. He was upset that he had to hide his true self, but knew he was doing it for a reason. He was terrified what would happen if his identity did come out. Any sane person would hate him, but Aerus especially would be one of the main ones that would want him dead. Muras had taken Aerus' sister from him, and indirectly ruined his life. He'd ruined a lot of lives.

He prayed to the ancestors that his identity would never be revealed, but he knew that at some point, the truth would have to be spilled. That was just how these types of things work. And he was not looking forward to that day when it happened. He was terrified about it.

Muras felt silly worrying over such a thing while sitting in the library, his book open in front of him. Wanting to distract himself, he sighed deeply and started to begin reading.

The purple dragoness stared into the fading sunset, thinking again about who her parents might have been...

Once again, it has been way too friggin long. Uni picked up, as well as me stressing out over Grand Elemental Master (damn Chapter 5 of that fic has been a huge challenge to write), and I also have been doing a heap more drawing as of recently! I hope you all have been doing well and are safe among everything that's been going on; 2020 has been one insane year hasn't it?

Also, hope this chapter was a nice break from the intense violence that's been going on in previous chapters lol. XD

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Dragon of Mystery: Yes, Spyro is a very loose cannon now lol; very big monster. Also with Hunter and co., big sad as well; I like torturing my characters hehehehe.

AquillaPrime: Ooooo interesting, I'd love to hear some of those theories. And I wonder if any of them have changed after a Muras-focused chapter?

Derick Lindsey: Thanks for pointing out that age inconsistency involving Mumblon lol! I'm surprised neither me or my beta-readers didn't pick up on it. Nice easy fix, so thank you. Also hope this was a good break from the nightmare-inducing chapters (although you're right I probably will outdo myself sometime soon lol, knowing how this story's going).

Shercat2: That comment made my day. Glad you're enjoying it as well man.

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Anyway, with that over, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and enjoy the rest of your day! I'll see you later with likely another Grand Elemental Master chapter. Have a good one, and stay safe!