Cynder woke up with a jolt. She hissed with pain as she moved. Everything hurt. She relaxed, trying to ease the tension in her body after the torment she had been put through in the Ghoul Realm. The dark purple dragoness quickly realised she was lying on a bed, feeling the soft pillow underneath her head, and the sheets under her body. She looked around the room, noticing the medical equipment lying on the benches around the room, letting her know she was in an infirmary. Beside her was another bed, holding the still unconscious Apata.
The earth dragoness was wrapped in bandages that were stained red, holding the wounds closed. As Cynder noticed the fabric on her comrade, she suddenly became aware of feeling the same fabric on her own body. She looked down at it, noticing the bandages covering her limbs and flanks as well, also splotched and smeared with red. Being taken into the Ghoul Realm must have put her in the same state as Apata.
Apata jolted awake beside Cynder, scaring her out of her poor earth dragoness was breathing heavily and irregularly, whimpering as she clutched onto the bed firmly. Cynder shushed her gently, being as comforting as she could from her own bed.
"Apata, look at me. Look at me, we're in the infirmary. We're safe," she said gently. "We're safe. The ghouls aren't going to hurt you anymore."
Jade green eyes flicked to Cynder's emerald ones, pupils small out of terror, tears building in the orbs. Slowly, Apata's breathing began to slow as she nodded, trying her best to believe what Cynder was saying to her. After a few seconds she had slowed her breathing to normal, taking deep, conscious breaths to try and calm herself down even further.
"You doing alright?" Cynder asked once she was sure Apata was calm.
"Yeah… Yeah, I think I'm doing fine…" Apata replied, her voice wobbling.
"Okay. That's good to hear."
It was only now that Cynder realised the pain throbbing throughout her form when she had woken up was now all but vanished. She felt completely fine, as if nothing was wrong. As if she had taken no injuries from the Ghoul Realm at all.
She was about to ask Apata if she felt the same, until the sound of pawsteps came from around the corner, alerting both dragonesses' attention to the door of their recovery room. They jumped, snapping their heads towards the source of the sound, although Apata's was a bit more violent. A small squeak left her throat as she tried to suppress her yelp.
It was a she-cheetah, dressed in bright teal clothes. There was a cross stitched into her left breast-pocket, identifying her as a nurse. She gasped, seeing the two dragonesses awake, before regaining her composure and walking towards them quickly, a smile pulling at her lips.
"You're awake. How are you two feeling?" she asked.
"Very shaken, but otherwise alright," Cynder stated. "Not feeling any pain though, which is a bit strange."
"I'm… I'm the same…" Apata said softly.
"No pain? You sure? Both of you were in a pretty terrible condition when your two friends brought you here last night. You were both streaming a heap of blood. Cynder, you were bleeding from your rear as well, which was really worrying," the she-cheetah explained.
Cynder nodded. "I… I'm sure. I don't feel any pain," she said confidently, although internally she was so confused as to how such immense wounds would suddenly disappear.
Come to think of it, how did Muras and Logron even get to her and Apata without getting attacked and brought into the Ghoul Realm too? Sure, Cynder had gotten to Apata, but not without being strangled into unconsciousness, before waking up in the Ghoul Realm. She'd have to ask them when she saw them next.
The she-cheetah nurse walked up towards them, stopping beside Cynder's bed. "Do you want me to take a look at your wounds?" she inquired. "If they feel fine you probably don't need the bandages."
"Yes thanks," Cynder replied, holding still while the nurse began unwrapping the dragoness' forelegs from the bandages.
The she-cheetah gave a gasp as she looked Cynder's foreleg over. "Cynder, you're… your arm is... free from any wounds," she said with surprise.
"What?"
"Yes, your arm is in perfect shape. Unwounded, unscarred. No evidence of the bloody wounds you had last night," the she-cheetah explained, before moving to her hind legs and flank. "It's the same over here. You're one hundred percent healed."
"But… that doesn't make any sense. You said I was in a terrible, bleeding condition. I know what state Apata was in before the same thing happened to me, so I know that these wounds couldn't have closed overnight. Are you absolutely sure my wounds are gone?"
The she-cheetah just mumbled in confirmation, before she moved towards Apata, unwrapping her from her bandages too. Apata was in the same condition as Cynder, completely devoid of any sign of injuries and wounds. Cynder gasped with shock.
"This doesn't make sense…" the dark purple dragoness muttered. "How?"
"I mean… the Gh… the… the Ghoul Realm kinda had its... own rules, in a way. It's got its own dark energy. M-m-m-maybe those wounds only appear upon entering it?" Apata suggested.
"M-m-maybe… I don't know. I-I-I'm just still trying to… to get… my head around it. I'm still trying to get over it all..."
"It was a different realm. Of course it is. I'm still… I'm still trying to get over it too."
Cynder just nodded. Silence overtook the room for a few moments before the nurse spoke up. "Well, it seems you two are both free of any injuries. You're free to go," she said.
"Thank you," Cynder said, slowly rolling off her bed and popping her joints with a stretch, Apata doing the same. Cynder started to walk out of the door, before she realised Apata hadn't followed. She turned back, noticing Apata just standing there. "You coming?"
"Yeah," Apata stammered, her voice small and shaky. "I-I-I'm coming."
It was clear she was still thinking about the ghouls. The things that had happened to her were stuff no one should ever have to go through. To be tormented by corrupted souls representing her family, and to be told the things said to her, was rather confronting for the poor dragoness.
Cynder was still shaken by the things her own ghouls had done and said to her, but she knew she couldn't let it get to her, especially as she had such an important role in this war. She just hoped no one else would ever have to experience the Ghoul Realm because she knew not everyone was as strong as her.
She couldn't help but feel bad for Apata though, watching her as she walked with Cynder out of the infirmary. The earth dragoness obviously wanted nothing more than to hide her childhood from everyone, including herself. That's why she had been vague the day Cynder asked if she had done anything to harm Apata, Vetar, Tyrax, Blitz and Molron just before the Toxic Hour. She didn't want anyone to know, and she wanted to forget. She said Rahggen was found by 'inside sources', but knowing that she was referring to her own father was rather upsetting.
Cynder had been exposed to all the truth. All of Apata's inner demons. And because of that, it was likely that Apata just didn't feel safe around her anymore. The earth dragoness kept as much distance from Cynder without making it obvious, and didn't look at her once.
I'm so sorry, Apata. You must feel as if I've invaded your personal memories and issues. I'm not surprised if you won't ever trust me again, Cynder thought, her heart aching for her comrade. She had gotten to like Apata since they first met. Oh ancestors, I hope you come back to us, Apata. I don't like seeing you upset like this.
As they left the infirmary, Apata picked up her pace, distancing herself more from Cynder. The dark purple dragoness sighed sadly, speaking up. "Are you alright, Apata?" she asked.
Apata paused quickly, her left forepaw suspended in the air mid-stride, and it started shaking. She returned her paw down to the ground, before turning around and looking at Cynder. "Uh… not really. I'm still really shaken by what just happened," the earth dragoness replied shyly.
"Did you want to go somewhere just to take your mind off things? Like to the library, or go out for some food?" Cynder asked. "I'll accompany you if you want."
"No thanks. I'm good, Cynder," Apata said quickly, before she turned and speed-walked off the way she had been walking earlier, disappearing behind the other dragons walking among the streets of Warfang.
Cynder's heart sank even more. She remembered the tears that had spilled from Apata's eyes in the Ghoul Realm. She remembered the hate spilling from her lips as she spoke of her father, explaining her childhood to her. She remembered all the things that the earth dragoness' 'family' had said to her. Cynder just hoped that Apata's mother and brother - the real Yartûl and Harath, not those ghoulish fakes that had tormented Apata - were looking down on Apata with love and pride. She hoped that they were watching out for her friend. The ancestors may have forgotten about her, but she would never wish that fate on anyone else. No one deserved to be forgotten by their ancestors.
The dark purple dragoness sighed sadly, turning and walking to the library anyway, alone, her head bowed in sadness. Shock, too. She was still trying to get over the events of the Ghoul Realm. Now that Apata wasn't her main focus, her own personal memories and time in the Ghoul Realm flooded her mind. The memories of the fear she had felt while staring into those hideous eyes of those ghouls, being reprimanded by the hissing voices of her parents' fakes. The grief and burden of failure that had crumbled down on her shoulders. The agony that she had been put through, as her body ruptured and she was forced into phantom birth.
She would never wish pain and suffering like that on anyone. It was too cruel and unforgiving. She wouldn't even wish it upon her enemies.
Well, except maybe Spyro, but he deserved it.
He had destroyed all peace and innocence in the world. He had destroyed everything they had fought for eight years ago. It angered Cynder so much to know that he was doing this. She hated him. She didn't care if she had once loved him and been intimate with him. She hated him with a passion. Even more passionately than she had ever loved him.
Cynder took a few deep breaths, trying to cool herself off. Even thinking about Spyro got her riled up. She knew if she remained angry for too long she could snap at any person who said a simple 'hello' to her. She still got it quite a bit, although it was a lot rarer in these dark days to get happy, cheerful greetings. There was no room in anyone's lives for happiness anymore, since everything was so full of uncertainty, anxiety and fear.
She walked into the library, seeing Aerus and Muras sitting at a table reading some books. Muras was reading a romance book, and Aerus a fantasy book. Vetar sat next to them too, reading a book on war tactics. She walked towards them, greeting them.
"Good morning, guys," she said.
"Hey, Cynder," Aerus said, looking up from his book as the other two males followed, greeting her as well.
"What are you doing here, Vetar?" Cynder questioned. "I didn't expect you to be the reading kind."
"Oh, I come over here every once in a while. I don't do so a lot, especially recently, but it's always good to drop over and read a book so I decided to do so before going into the barracks today. I figured I'd just pick up a book on war tactics to try and see if there's anything more I can learn going into this war, but usually I read mystery novels. Especially Disappearance of Professor Jonza. It was my wife's favourite book, so reading it keeps her close to me," Vetar explained.
Cynder just nodded, mumbling in acknowledgement. Muras was the next one to speak up, expressing concern for Cynder. "You feeling better after last night, Cynder?" he questioned.
"Not… not really," Cynder murmured slowly. "I mean, I feel no pain and I'm completely fine, which surprised me considering the nurse told me I was in the same position as Apata was, but…"
"What happened, Cynder? Logron and I were very worried for you and Apata. I don't know about him but I could barely sleep last night after seeing Apata's terrible state and then you falling into the exact same state," Muras said.
"We, uh… we were spirited away to a place called the Ghoul Realm. Basically, it's… it's a place where dragons' souls are taken in their sleep to get tormented by ghouls, which exist as polar opposites of the spirits of every dragon in the world, living or dead, kind of like a dark parallel to our own realm. So basically I was confronted by the ghouls of my dead parents, as was Apata, and we were tormented by them. We were lucky to get out, but ancestors, we were tortured, belittled and beaten."
"Ancestors… that sounds rough," Vetar exclaimed.
"Yeah, Apata isn't doing the best right now. She uh… her childhood wasn't… the greatest, as I would come to find out. I won't share but, she was reminded of some pretty bad things. I feel really bad for her right now," Cynder said.
"I can imagine. She doesn't share a lot about her time before coming to Warfang," Vetar said. "I can only imagine how hard it must've been. She wasn't very open about it at our little lunch after that big sparring session either. I know it's hard to share that stuff, so I get it. I just can't help but feel for her at the moment."
There was silence for a few moments, before Cynder turned to Muras. "So Muras, how did you and Logron get us to the infirmary?" she asked. "I would've thought that upon you two getting close we would've lashed out at you and pulled you into the Ghoul Realm too, just like I was when I got close to Apata."
"Well…" Muras started, telling her the story.
Cynder slumped over, the bloody tendril wrapped around her neck tightly. There was a heavy, wet thud as she landed in the blood pooling all over the floor, sending it spraying out with a splat. Muras and Logron stared at her with shock, their breathing heavy as they feared they'd lost Cynder. There was a pregnant silence as even Apata's roars seemed to still. Only the panicked fearful heaving of Muras and Logron's lungs pierced the silence. The dripping of blood from Apata's body sounded every once in a while.
They continued to stare before Logron gasped and pointed at Cynder's body, trying to form words but failing as he let out a wordless, wobbly whimper. Muras followed Logron's claw and noticed that something was starting to happen to Cynder. Blood slowly began to leak out from her shoulders. It was slow and hypnotic, watching the gleaming red liquid stream down her scales. The blood rolled down and the first drop of Cynder's blood made it to the floor.
Drip.
Cynder suddenly became livid as a scream overtook her, her chest rising into the air as her back arched. Blood quickly began gushing from her shoulders, painting them red and pattering onto the ground, mixing with Apata's blood. There was a pulse of movement in the blood along the floor, and Apata started moving again, her lips pulling back to bare gritted fangs, and a long, savage growl tore from her throat.
Muras struggled to his paws, still favouring his neck after being choked by Apata the same way Cynder had been. However, determined to get to Cynder and to help her out, he started walking back towards the bloody dragonesses. "Muras! Muras, get back!" Logron exclaimed from behind him, but the disguised purple didn't listen. "What are you doing Muras?!"
He took two more steps forward, and as he placed his shaky paw carefully on the ground, Cynder and Apata became possessed by unearthly howls. Thick, dark blood bubbled in their throats, strings of gunky red saliva hanging between their jaws. Their throats pulsated as the bloody tendrils shot free again, waving about in the air, ready to attack Muras. To top it all off, they protruded from Apata's chest and Cynder's shoulders, just to make everything worse.
"MURAS, GET BACK!" Logron screamed.
Again, Muras ignored the yellow dragon, only wanting to tear Cynder and Apata apart in hopes that being separated would free them, or at least one of them. He lifted his paw to take another step, and it was at that point that Logron decided enough was enough. Logron leapt forward, grabbing a firm hold of Muras with his claws, drawing blood as he dug in. The yellow dragon tried to pull Muras back, but the red-scaled dragon reared up on his hind paws, forcing Logron onto his own hind paws as well, before he lost his balance.
Logron landed with a thud on the ground, and Muras made to complete his step forward, but as the violent action exploded in barely a second, the bloody tendrils suspended in the air also burst into movement. The tendrils shot towards Muras quicker than he could have anticipated, and he was lucky he managed to swing his tailblade around in time. The tendrils that had lunged at him were sliced in two, falling to the ground with a wet splat.
Muras stepped forward again, but there was the sound of a wet explosion as the flesh around her forearms ruptured, sending more blood spraying into the air, fresh tendrils following. Another pair of tendrils began to rise up from Cynder as well, this time from her crotch. It was at this point Muras stopped and began to backpedal slowly, fear overtaking him at the horrid scene before him. His mind was plagued by the same phrase over and over again. What the hell? What the hell? his mind screamed at him. What the actual f…?
He was knocked down to the ground as more tendrils lunged at him, clocking him hard in the face. As he fell, the tendrils from Cynder and Apata immediately began to wrap around his neck, squeezing tightly. A heavy wheeze rattled Muras' throat, a fiery sensation burning in his throat as air trapped inside refused to leave, and nothing new could come in.
Muras clawed at the tentacles choking him, trying to cut himself free, but was unsuccessful. His vision filled with spots and his head began to hurt. He feared he was going to fall to the same fate as Cynder, until air suddenly rushed into his lungs, the cold oxygen burning his windpipe and throat.
The disguised purple felt himself being dragged backwards, and looked up to see Logron pulling him, his wrist in his maw. As his vision returned and Logron lay Muras up against the far wall, he saw blood smeared along the yellow dragon's tailblade and paws. Muras looked back to where he had once lay, noticing the tentacles lying severed on the ground, blood oozing from where they had been cut.
Logron had freed him. Muras looked up at the yellow dragon, still catching his breath. "Th-th-thank you…" he breathed, a relieved smile pulling at his lips.
"You're welcome," Logron panted. "I just… What the hell is happening? How do we stop this?"
"I… I don't know…"
Logron inhaled to reply to Muras, but his words were overpowered by a loud roar that tore from Cynder's throat, her back arching once again. It was long and deafening, causing Muras and Logron to cover their ears.
After almost a full minute of Cynder's scream rattling the room, she collapsed and went still. She stopped writhing, and the blood flow seemed to slow to something a bit more natural. The bloody tendrils protruding from her body halted in mid-air, before falling limply to the ground. They lay still for a moment before they began to dissolve into long puddles of blood.
Apata continued to groan and writhe, letting out a few loud cries of pain, until she quickly followed Cynder's lead, falling still and silent, the bloody tendrils collapsing to the ground and dissolving.
Muras and Logron looked at each other, shock and confusion on their faces. What had just happened? The bloody tendrils that had threatened them both had now disappeared, and the two dragonesses lay motionless on the ground. The silence was so sudden and unfamiliar to them that it was deafening. The lack of movement was eerie, and without the adrenaline fueling them in the heated moment, the horrid stench of blood finally wafted through their noses.
"What just happened? Why did it stop?" Logron asked slowly, his voice wobbling.
Muras' chest heaved with every intake of air as he struggled to find the breath to reply, his eyes not moving from Cynder and Apata's bodies. Eventually he spoke as he regained his breath. "I… I don't know. I'm even more worried now," he stammered.
Slowly, he pulled himself to his paws once more, his legs shaking as he put his weight on them. Logron immediately grabbed onto Muras. "Muras, don't!" he hissed.
"They are not moving, and they're losing so much blood that they could die if they're not taken to the infirmary!" Muras hissed back, baring his teeth.
"But it could be a trick! Those sickening tendrils could lunge out at you again!"
"I'm willing to take my chances; if it doesn't happen, then we need to get Cynder and Apata to the infirmary now, or they will die!"
Logron hesitated, staring into Muras' vibrant violet eyes. His golden gaze faltered, returning to the floor. He let go of Muras, giving him the silent 'okay' to move forward. Muras took careful steps forward as he made his way towards Cynder and Apata. All the way there, they did not moe. All the way there, the only sound breaking the silence was Muras' pawsteps.
Muras stopped at Cynder's side, breathing heavily for a few seconds, before reaching out to touch her. He prodded her quickly, stepping backwards as if expecting her to lash out at him. Nothing. Muras stepped back to Cynder's side, placing his fingers firmly against her neck, feeling for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. He checked for Apata's pulse. The result was very much the same.
Immediately, Muras burst into action, working his way underneath Cynder's bloody form to pick her up. Blood rained down on him, dripping into his eyes and mouth, but he didn't care. As Muras began to work his way under Cynder, Logron took this as the sign that it was safe, and he ran over to Apata to pick her up too. Once they had picked up the two dragonesses, they high-tailed it to the infirmary, running faster than they ever had.
Cynder sat there, looking at Muras, speechless. Her wounds definitely had come out into the real world, if her ruptured arms and the blood streaming from her rear were anything to go by. She shuddered at the memories of her wounds. Of the sheer pain she had to go through.
She looked at Vetar and Aerus, who sat beside Muras, jaws open and eyes glistening with fear at what they had just heard. Aerus turned to his sister with concern. "Cynder! Are you alright?!" he exclaimed.
"I am perfectly fine now, I swear," Cynder said firmly. "I don't know why I healed so quickly, given what you just described Muras, but I did. Apata and I think it's because it's a different realm and it has its own rules or something, but… yeah, I don't know…"
"Yeah… I'm sorry to hear you had to go through all that at least," Vetar murmured. "I hope you're doing well, Cynder."
"I'm fine," Cynder said, shrugging it off. "Apata's the one I'm worried about."
"Yes, but you can't shrug an experience like that off, Cynder. That sounded terrible. Don't put off the help if you feel you need it," Vetar said quickly.
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."
"That goes for you as well, Muras. It sounds like you saw some pretty horrific stuff," Vetar added, turning to the disguised purple dragon.
Muras just nodded, before he gave a shudder. "Yeah… watching all that blood come from you and Apata…" he murmured softly, pausing to shudder again. "That was terrifying. I'm surprised the writhing and stuff stopped though."
"I'm wondering if it had to do with leaving the torture? It stopped with me first, and I managed to get out of my own personal torture first, and then I got Apata out of it," Cynder suggested with a shrug.
There was silence, no one else knowing what else to add. The whole situation with the Ghoul Realm was tricky for everyone to get their heads around, but it was also very concerning. Now that the Ghoul Realm was open, anyone could be brought in and tortured for the ghouls' enjoyment. Anyone could fall victim to this hell.
And that scared Cynder. She didn't know what to do about it though.
She decided she might have to go tell Logron about this. Being in the guardians' ranks, he was in a position where he could warn everybody in Warfang about it. She needed to tell him. Cynder excused herself from the table, telling Muras, Vetar and Aerus where she was going, before she made her way to the Warfang Temple.
Cynder quickly found Logron as she walked in, and he had rushed to her quickly, bombarding her with questions asking if she was okay. She explained the same details as she had to Muras, Aerus and Vetar, and the colour seemed to leave Logron's face at hearing what Cynder and Apata had gone through.
"I'm… I'm terribly sorry to hear that all happened," Logron murmured.
"Same with you. Muras told me what happened back out here and I know it must've been tough to watch. Sorry you had to see that," Cynder replied.
Logron nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, Cynder," he breathed. "I… I honestly can't believe you are still doing alright. You've been through so much in your whole life; I'm surprised you're still somewhat sane."
"Trust me, there's been times where I've been wanting to lose my sanity," Cynder scowled. "I have been through a lot and it's always gotten to me, no matter how well I seem to hide it. This whole Ghoul Realm thing has done nothing more than add to it all, and I'm scared as all hell."
"I'm sure anyone would if they were taken into there."
"No! You don't get it!" Cynder snapped. "The Ghoul Realm is open! It needs a certain level of dark energy to be present in the world so that it can cross over with our realm, and with Spyro and all he's been doing, the dark energy festering in the world is enough for the Ghoul Realm to start interacting with us! More dragons could suffer! More dragons could fall into the Ghoul Realm and be abused, and might not have a way out!"
Logron gasped, even more colour draining from his face. He didn't realise more and more people could be susceptible to what had happened to Cynder and Apata, and that was terrifying. He saw what had happened to them on the outside, and that was terrifying in itself. Who knew what type of horrors could be experienced inside the Ghoul Realm?
The real problem was that not only the people going into the Ghoul Realm were getting scarred for life, but so were any witnesses, given the bloody display of gore and the tendrils that had come out of their wounds.
"You need to get it out there that this is happening. People need to know so that this whole situation isn't so mysterious! Not knowing things causes fear in people. People are afraid of the unknown. It might be beneficial if they knew what was happening," Cynder suggested.
"And cause mass panic? Cause mass hysteria? Cynder, the knowledge of this will terrify people. They're scared enough already!" Logron snapped.
"They already know something's up! Half the city probably heard Apata's screams, and on top of that, mine as well! They know there's something else wrong! Do you want to lie to the citizens of Warfang, Logron?! Is that what you want to do?! Say that everything's fine and that Spyro's the only one to worry about, when we have a new, independent enemy on the horizon?!" Cynder roared, her face contorting with anger. She advanced on Logron, overwhelming him with her rageful snarls and her size, her wings flared out to make herself look even bigger. "People will die from this, Logron! If we don't warn people now, then we could be letting people perish!"
"Y-y-yeah, we warn people, and then what?!" Logron argued back, trying to keep his strong front while being overwhelmed by the dark dragoness looming over him. "We have no way of protecting people from this! You and Apata only got out because… what, you prayed to the ancestors? Not everybody in this damned city believes in them, and I can't imagine the ancestors would respond to everyone! On top of that, people will still get traumatised from being in there even if they pray and get themselves out!"
"Does it look like I know?! Do you think anyone in this ancestor-damned world is going to know?! Of course not!" Cynder screamed. "The only bloody thing I can think of is spell tags, but until we provide the solution we won't know if it'll fend the ghouls off or not!"
"So we get everyone to make spell tags. How do we know they'll work?"
"We don't know until we try!"
"Barely anyone speaks ancient draconic, let alone understands and can write the runes that would be needed to fend off ancient spirits!"
"I do, you dimwit! I was raised under dark practices, some of them ancient!"
Logron's eyes widened and his face softened. His breath was hard as he stared firmly into Cynder's wild emerald eyes. The yellow dragon cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "Uh, good point. Think you could figure out a rune or spell or… something… to try and fend off the ghouls?" he asked.
"I can try my very best. Again, I don't know if it'll work or not. I don't even know if the ghouls have their own language or not, but hopefully the runes should be enough to maybe will the ancestors' protection over everyone and to keep Warfang safe from the Ghoul Realm," Cynder murmured, her voice still surprisingly smooth despite the yelling she had been doing.
"As long as we try. If we can find something, then that's all that matters. Right now we're on our own," Logron replied, pausing before adding, "Also I'm sorry for yelling, Cynder. I'm… I'm scared. More scared than I ever have. More scared than the Dark War. This… War of Eternal Darkness? With Spyro being the evil one? And also with… bloody ghouls now coming into the picture? It's doing my head in and I am terrified."
"I think we all are, Logron," Cynder said with a small nod. "Everyone's stressed and everyone's scared out of their wits. I am too, even though I don't show it."
"I'd gather it'd be more than that, considering who Spyro was to you before all this," Logron muttered, before wincing as he noticed Cynder flinch, anger flashing across her features. "Ok, I'm sorry… I didn't mean…"
"It's alright, I get it," Cynder interrupted with a sigh. "But yes, you're right. I'm absolutely angry at Spyro. I hate him. Honestly, I think everybody hates him too, after the way he's destroyed everything he and I fought for, and destroyed every ounce of freedom anyone had."
Logron nodded, silence filling the air and making it very awkward and uncomfortable for both dragons. Cynder cleared her throat, before speaking up to cut through the silence. "Anyway, I should probably get going and uh… figure out these runes," she murmured.
"Yes, good idea. Good luck, Cynder. Let me know if you figure something out," Logron said.
"I will."
With that, Cynder made her way to the library, quickly borrowing out two large books filled with runes and spells in ancient draconic. After that, she went home to read through the books in private so that she wouldn't be distracted, taking notes of the words and symbols she was reading.
After a good hour of going through the books, she found three symbols that could easily be put on one sheet of parchment and hung up in a bedroom to protect the sleeping inhabitants. They were 'das'garov', 'ilicira' and 'boraasu', meaning 'protection', 'freedom' and 'blessing' respectively. She wrote them out on a piece of paper, before making her way back to Logron and presenting him with it.
"You think this will work, Cynder?" Logron asked.
"I sure as hell hope so…" Cynder murmured.
"Well… I guess it's time to make the announcement," Logron sighed, taking a hopeful look at the three runes written on the small strip of paper. He turned to the guards over near the front doors of the Warfang Temple and ordered, "Rally together everyone in Warfang and let them know to come to the Temple Square to be addressed. Say that it is urgent and will ensure their safety..."
The guards nodded and filed out of the Temple. Logron turned to Cynder with a worried glance and added one word. "...Hopefully…"
Logron and Cynder made their way upstairs to the balcony out the front of the Temple that overlooked the Temple Square, noticing large crowds of people starting to file in, most of them dragons, but several moles and assorted felines were among the large numbers too.
After a while, the Temple Square was full and overflowing as queues of people swept down the streets that protruded from the square. The many faces were filled with worry and fear. An announcement from Logron, the 'acting-guardian', in a time of devastation like this did not mean anything good, and they were afraid of what news would be given.
"Good afternoon everyone," Logron announced. "I hope you're all doing as well as you can be in these tough times of war, but I unfortunately have more bad news to break to you. There have been recent advancements that has now made itself a danger to everyone in the city."
A collective gasp made its way through the crowd, as well as a few whimpers. Couples clung onto each other and kids shrunk into their parents' grips.
"To keep it simple, dark energy has fallen over the world, and when a certain amount of it builds up, it allows another dimension to connect and cross over with our own realm. This dimension is called the Ghoul Realm, which is a parallel to our own world, where ghouls and dark souls reside. After crossing over into our realm, they can then send people's minds into their realm to torture them, and the injuries also cross over into our realm, on top of… other horrific effects. It will affect anyone that is unprotected, as it did with Cynder and one of the members of the Warfang Army. I'm not sure how many of you heard the racket but that's what was going on last night."
"I heard it," a stray male voice piped up in the crowd. "It sounded like hell."
"It sounded like someone was dying," another male voice exclaimed.
"Are we going to die?!" a female voice, clearly a lot younger by the tone, cried.
Immediately, chaos erupted as people started crying out in fear, worrying for their lives, screaming questions and demanding answers, wanting to know if they would all be okay. Juvenile screeches from children wracked the air, mixing with the fearful and angry roars that rumbled like thunder.
Cynder groaned and counteracted with her own roar that rung out longer and louder than all the others. The chaos in the crowd immediately silenced as they jumped at Cynder's roar. She closed her maw and silenced her roar as the crowd silenced, but the remnants of the roar echoed out over the city for a couple more seconds, slowly fading away in the air.
"All hope is not lost!" Cynder shouted. "While this is a very dangerous time, we have a solution that we think will help fight back the advancements of the Ghoul Realm: spell tags. If we hang them up in our rooms it might fend of the ghouls and spirits that will try to invade our minds and take us away to their realm."
"What if it doesn't work?!" someone cried.
"Then we'll have to figure something else out. But for now, this is our first and main defense, and I sure as hell hope to the ancestors it works," Cynder explained. "There are three runes that I've found that we can use, being 'das'garov', 'ilicira' and 'boraasu', meaning 'protection', 'freedom' and 'blessing'.
"Starting today we'll begin producing the spell tags in the Warfang Temple. The spell tags are free of cost, as our number one priority right now is your safety and protection. If there are any people willing to volunteer to aid in writing the runes, that would be greatly appreciated. Volunteers, please make your way into the Temple first so we can begin writing."
With that, Cynder and Logron made their way back into the Temple, grabbing out large stacks of paper which Cynder cut up into smaller pieces with her sharp tailblade. Logron prepared the ink and quills, and were met by five dragons. Cynder showed the dragons the runes, and production of the spell tags begun. After a minute or two, Logron went out and allowed the crowd of Warfangian citizens to enter, the guards keeping careful watch on them to keep them calm and in order.
Slowly, every citizen of Warfang was provided with enough spell tags to protect themselves. Even kids who slept on their own were given spell tags, although some of the very young ones or the more protective parents decided to get enough for just one room, wanting nothing more than the whole family to sleep together.
It was very late at night by the time all of Warfang had been provided with spell tags. Cynder, Logron and the volunteers stayed up a little longer to make their own, before saying their goodbyes as they headed back to their own homes. Cynder took two sets with her. One for herself and one for Apata, who had been the only familiar face she did not see at all while giving out the spell tags.
Cynder knocked on Apata's door, hoping that the earth dragoness would answer. There was silence for a few moments, before Cynder knocked again. The door opened to a very downcast Apata, tear streaks running down her face, her eyes bloodshot. "Oh… h-h-hey, Cynder," Apata murmured.
"Hey, Apata. Are you doing okay?" Cynder asked, trying to be as gentle as she could. She winced as she heard how she sounded. It didn't sound very gentle, and on top of that, it felt awkward trying to be gentle. She'd hardened up and become very unempathetic. She didn't even know what to feel herself sometimes.
Cynder noticed that her attempt to be gentle had failed as Apata flinched slightly, before averting her gaze from her. "Uh… not good," Apata droned. "I haven't been able to get the damn nightmare out of my head. I'm terrified it'll happen again."
"Well…" Cynder started, before clearing her throat as she realised she was still not being as gentle to the broken dragoness as she wanted. She tried again, still not sounding how she wanted, but a lot closer to 'gentle' than before. "Well, I came here to check on you and see how you were going, and to also give you these."
Cynder offered Apata the spell tags, holding them out to her so that the earth dragoness could see the runes.
"What… what are they?" Apata asked.
"Spell tags. They were made today and given to everybody in Warfang to hopefully prevent any more instances of what happened to us in the Ghoul Realm. I didn't see you at the Temple so I figured I'd drop these off to you before I went home. I know you've been affected by what happened and I wouldn't want it to happen again."
Apata looked at the spell tags, then back up at Cynder. She leapt forward, grabbing Cynder firmly and pulling her into a hug, burying her face into the dark dragoness' shoulder. She didn't cry, appearing to have cried all the tears out, but her breathing was still heavy as she let loose her emotions.
It took a while for Cynder to recover from her shock, but as she moved to return Apata's hug, she had already moved back, pulling away from the hug. Apata took the tags from Cynder's open paw, giving her a blank nod. "Thank you," Apata said, before she stepped back inside and closed the door.
Cynder sighed sadly. She really hoped Apata would recover. This was not like the Apata she knew. Or… maybe the Apata she knew wasn't the real Apata. She had gone through a hard childhood, not being loved by her father followed by being betrayed by him, only escaping with two other dragons who had both died. She was the only one left alive from Rahggen.
The dark purple dragoness turned and walked back home, her head low and her lips pursed thin. She went into her room and hung up her spell tags, before taking a quick bath and heading to bed.
As she lay there, she thought on the night before, of her and Apata in the Ghoul Realm. Cynder had prayed, and while the answer was delayed, there had been a flash of light. A way out had been given to them. Maybe the ancestors were still looking out for them. Maybe they did still care.
The thought was random, much like it had been the night before, but she felt the need to pray to the ancestors again. She didn't know what good it would do, especially since she wasn't in dire need anymore and that the ancestors didn't seem to respond unless the need was urgent. But she still prayed, staring up at the ceiling.
"Um…" she murmured, cringing at how awkward she sounded and felt, but continued anyway. "Thank you ancestors for, uh… you know… protecting me and Apata last night and returning us back… if that even was you. I just uh… pray for… basically all of Warfang. I pray that they stay safe and that these spell tags work in protecting us against the Ghoul Realm. I pray that Apata can recover mentally and emotionally; she's a good friend and a powerful ally and I don't want to see her fall. I also hope that you'll end this damned war. Sooner than later please."
With that, Cynder went quiet, continuing to stare at the ceiling. She lay there, staring at the same spot for a good minute or two, hoping for an answer. After that time had passed, she gave up, turning her head to the side with an exasperated, frustrated sigh, muttering a curse under her breath.
Maybe she was wrong and that they weren't listening. Maybe they only cared that dragonkind stayed alive, but they didn't care for each different individual. But then why would they allow such slaughter to happen? Why would they allow sieges where countless dragons would die gruesome deaths on the hands of Spyro, Drachen, the shadowclaws and the venomfangs?
How could they allow any of this to happen?
Cynder wanted so badly to scream, but she didn't have it in her. She didn't have the willpower to do so. The ancestors seemed to have forgotten about them, appearing only when they wanted. Only when things were so dire that the world's very existence depended on it. They came to banish Malefor, and they came to save her. Without Cynder, Warfang would be lost and in a complete, bloody mess, without order and without a strong ally. She was nothing more than a number, and a big number at that. She was important.
But this was her job now. She had an important role to play, and by all means, she would play it, if it meant many more dragons stayed alive. If there's anything she learned since returning from Malefor's grasp, it was that life was precious and a thing to cherish. If she could prevent any lives from ending, by all means she would.
She was Warfang's protector now. There were no guardians, there was no Spyro. Muras was a purple dragon, but she still fought that war inside of her on whether he could be trusted or not. She was all alone, given the hardest, most demanding task out of everyone.
As Cynder went to sleep, she silently wished that everything would be back to the way it was before, shedding a tear because she knew it would not happen, and her wishes were for naught.
It's been a while; I apologise for it lol. Uni's been happening, and I've also been drawing more than ever, and I've seen so much improvement and enjoyment from it, more than I ever have. I've actually been drawing Vhara as of recently (in which we'll see more of her, Shorok and Drachen soon) and I'm so happy I've got a decent-looking design for her; Shorok's the next one to draw. All my drawings are on my DeviantArt (I go by SKdaGamer there too, so it shouldn't be too hard to find), and I also post drawings on Twitter (again, same name), as well as other things, so go follow me on both those places if you're interested.
Also sorry that it's been so long since I updated GEM as well; Chapter 6 is finished and waiting to be beta-read, so it should be up real soon, for everyone reading that one too.
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Dragon of Mystery: Yeah oof, reading that chapter in particular probably wasn't the best idea at midnight lol. Hope you slept well that night. But glad to hear my horror content is still good as ever lol. And uh, we're only halfway through the story so... the climax is gonna be intense. This first book of Purple Legacy was always going to be the most intense horror-wise, and I'm glad it's doing it's job. But for next time, maybe don't read this story at midnight haha. And if you so happen to for this chapter, uh... sweet dreams lol.
Derick Lindsey: Don't worry about me, I'm fine lol. I do sometimes put some IRL frustration into this story to fuel its darker scenes, but it hasn't gotten too bad IRL for me lol. I'm happy and enjoying what I do with music, drawing, fics and uni, so yeah. This dark style is just something I seemed to develop lol, and that's why I'm giving GEM a go, to experiment and to prove I can do things that aren't incredibly dark (although there will still be some somewhat dark scenes in the story, as I've mentioned before, but it will still retain its T rating).
Your comment about Apata's father got me laughing real hard too lol. This type of thing does happen IRL though, so it's not an incredibly unusual thing, and is kinda sad when you think about it. For her father attempting to smash her and her brother's eggs before they hatched, it's not something I thought about but considering he didn't want them, I reckon it would make sense that he would've tried.
Shercat2: I try and respond to all the reviews I get to my fics, so don't worry about it; it's my pleasure to respond! Regarding your theory, that parallel with Spyro 'cleansing the world' and the whole Activision/EA thing you brought up was not something I had in mind lol, and honestly it's a pretty abstract idea. I kinda like it. Not my intention to bring it across that way, but it just goes to show just how different people's interpretations of a story can be, and this one in particular was kinda interesting to see pop up.
Also, I'm gonna be working on this for a good few years more considering I'm only halfway through this story, on top of the other four books of the story I'm planning on doing (and a few side-stories that I'll be working on too). This series is a big one; always has been. I can't wait to get it finished, but you can't rush quality and good works of art. I'm glad you're enjoying reading it though, and I hope you stick along the whole way. :)
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Thanks everyone for the reviews, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next chapter I post, which will likely be Grand Elemental Master. Have a good day, and stay safe!