The last and final chapter! Taking advanced level three hundred history classes really gave me the ambition to finish this. So you can thank the High Middle Ages for this completion. I basically scrapped any ideas I had and once more winged it and went along with my gut on what would happen. So now the story is complete!

The disheartened group returned to Regensburg, the village a mere shadow of its former self. The ground was charred from a once massive fire and soiled with the blood of the night's victims. The hamlet was drowning in the stench of burnt wood and flesh, wisps of smoke drifting off into the cloud laden skies. Ember's eyes were dull and weary, cerulean gaze looking upon the looming castle, stone grey and worn, juxtaposed to the brilliant architecture it once was when the land was in prosper. The mighty war fortress was now a symbol of defiance against the dark dragon, and the last protector of the disgruntled survivors.

The Grand Duke's voice could be heard shouting orders to his soldiers and knights, making fortifications to the defense. Several trebuchets were stationed along the castle, some even upon the battlements. Those upon the ground were defended by makeshift walls of wood and stone, and many buckets of water were gathered in an attempt to dose the fires that were sure to come.

William halted in his orders as he saw the group approach, a smile gracing his bearded face, though his warm greeting had turned sullen as he saw the state of his companions, "I...suppose I had too much faith in a plan I did not understand. I see that you do not have Spyro, but I see that you have returned with Kirk. Whatever it was that Hell Hound did, I hope it was enough. I hope this is enough." A deep breath escaped strained lungs, a stubby finger wiping a thick nose of snot, "But where is Silas? You do not return with him? Has something befallen him?"

There was a brief pause, as if the members of the group were unsure who would speak first, though it was broken by Carl, voice rough, like gravel, "Boy's dead."

Worried creased the old Duke's brow, lines thick and heavy, "Ah. I see. I am sorry. It appears that our children are reunited now in death. We all will be, given enough time. But, come now. Night draws, and the beast nears in the shade. My men and I will be ready to hold off the beast for as long as possible. I suggest those who do not wish fight should seek safety in the castle."

"I will stay. I want to fight, to try to, anyway." Ember spoke, looking at her companions and seeing Vivica get off her horse, the dark haired woman hesitantly slinking off towards the stone fortress. Carl moved not, staying upon his horse. The only movement he made was to unsheathe his blade in a sharp hiss was the steal scraped against the scabbard.

The blood scale blinked and twitched, Kirk's eyes looking upon the humans, though his gaze fell passed them, looking upon a different realm as whispers echoed within his ears, "You can't kill Malefor. You can, but you can't. To do so would be to kill the child. Her darkness through Cynder binds them. Binds all of them. In interconnected webs tainted black."

The pink dragon looked upon her kin, blue eyes shining akin to curiosity, "The ritual...what Rorek said...Ancestors. It's working, isn't it? You hear the dead? What are they saying, Kirk? What do they mean? Do they know where Seraphina is?"

Kirk's breath hitched, nostrils snorting as his pupils faded to a slight white, conscious somewhere else, "She is Malefor incarnate. He is the darkness, but so is she. So is Cynder. So is Spyro. So is Rorek. So am I. You destroy him, and he comes back. Comes back ever weak, ever angry. Eternal. A cycle. But darkness has a father. Malefor will kneel."

"Kneel to whom? Make some sense, beast!" Carl spat, irritated with the dragon's spew of nonsense and rambling.

"Noctemor."

"Who?" Ember questioned, an eye ridge raised in confusion, William's eyes alighting in recognition, "Ember, the book! Remember? The one we found written in blood! Noctemor almost caused the destruction of the world, but was thrown into Time by your Ancestors! Remember the passage from the script? Time is still scarred, and scars can be reopened?"

"But what does that mean?" The female dragon asked, confusion in her voice, "Do we have to recreate the events? Rip open Time? Ask the Ancestors for help?"

"No. All you must do is let him come. The Twin Jawed Serpent will rear its head when the Veil is torn." The blood scale replied, Carl shaking his head in frustration, "Invite the devil in our home, why do you not!"

William sighed, shaking his head before wiping the sweat from his brow, "Either way, I assume it is too late to go chasing after fairy tales now. Come what may, we have good people to defend." The Duke spoke, walking away to once more command his men.

Ember looked upon the clouded skies with sorrow, straining to see something, anything, that looked like her friends watching over her, "Spyro, Cynder, Flame...please...watch over us, and give me strength."

As darkness fell, the remaining soldiers readied for a defensive position: the trebuchets were loaded, the archers were preparing to set their arrows alight from a fortified window, soldiers were making final preparations to the defensible dresses of the castle, and William was attempting to imagine if he would survive this monster that had yet to show.

Ember once more stared upon the endless sea of clouds, blocking the moon as she tried to spy any approaching dragon. Kirk was nearby, though if the male dragon was up for the task of fighting after his experiences, Ember wasn't entirely sure. But the blood wyrm seemed intent on staying, at least.

The night was cold, silent and still. The only thing that broke the peace was the monstrous roar what echoed and carried over the mountain ranges, the beating of winds becoming louder and louder as they approached. The wind whooshed and groaned as Malefor's dark form appeared in the distance, his sheer size blotting out what little light seeped through the night clouds.

The dragoness's pupils sharpened into slits, canines baring and scaled ridge puffing as the female took to the skies, unfurling a shrill challenge at the Purple Dragon. Kirk followed suit, mighty wings bending the air to his will as it groaned against his strength.

The fire dragons flew towards their adversary, shadows dancing on the ground as the pair parted, each attempting to circle and flank the dark bull.

"Awe, and here we have Spyro's little crush. How sweet. The little heroine comes to save the day...and you-the Undead...I shall damn your soul to the very depths of Oblivion, and you shall be lost for all eternity!" Malefor bellowed, yellow eyes glistening in the faint light of the abyssal darkness as his sight fell upon the twice lived dragon.

"I am unbound, and you are undone! You shall kneel, Wound!" Kirk spat, talons flexing. The Purple Dragon narrowed his gaze upon the blood scale, wings flexing and giving a sudden thrust as the twisted beast struck, talons poised.

The red wyrm shrieked, the two males locked in talons as their wings angrily beat against one another as they twisted and spun, approaching the nightly ground. Jagged teeth gnashed with scaled flesh, blood spurting and wind whooshing as they plummeted in a russian roulette.

Kirk barely heard the cry of concern from his draconic ally, Ember desperately trying to aid her friend, but could do little in retrospect. The red male caught flashes of purple and flickers of shadow dancing and spiraling around the fighting pair, the males breaking and separating as their massive wings unfurled, dust trapped in wind funnels being birthed from their strokes.

Malefor landed with a thunderous crash, the earth quaking under his weight. Blood had lazily dripped from his scaled hide, a breathless laugh escaping his gullet. Kirk shook his head, mind spinning from the spiraling fall as he righted himself, the warmth of his own blood juxtaposing the coolness of his undead scales.

Heated embers began to pool around Malefor's gaping maw, though before he could unleash the flames of hell upon his rival, a smaller body slammed into him, toppling the beast. Malefor and Ember rolled upon the ground, shrill hisses and growls ripe within the air. Malefor had used his greater strength to push the pink dragoness off of him, lashing out with his tail that knocked Ember off her feet.

The dragoness grunted in pain, the dark dragon turning towards the downed female, fire cascading down his maw as he threatened to unleash wrath, only to have a javelin pierce his hide.

A soldier on horseback road through the darknend mist, horses' hooves pounding into the ground as the man slipped away into shadow. A second javelin pierced the blackened hide of the beast, followed by a third, then a fourth, which was followed by countless more. The defending men had grown brazen enough the face the beast upon the ground, their mounts circling and cantering like flesh eating fish slowing ebbing the life out of their prey.

Malefor roared in rage, jaws snapping the mortal weapons as wooden splinters flew through the air, tail lashing out and taking out a steed and its rider, bodies breaking and bones snapping.

William's voice could be heard over the fray, spouting orders as the soldiers struggled to keep the beast grounded, "Keep it down! Keep it down! Shred the wings! Tear them!"

"Pathetic mortals! You only delay your death!" The tainted beast hissed, maw erupting with hellish flame that incinerated several men and their charges, massive tail sending several others off their feet.

Several mobile ballistas were fired, steel tipped arrows impaling the bone of the beast's wings, chaining rattling as the weapons worked on subduing the creature. The sound of wood and iron popping loudly from the firing technology, projectiles ruining the scaled hide and hitting muscle and bone, chains groaning.

Malefor roared in rage, body thrashing, chains groaning and ballistas moving from the strength, straining to hold. No slack was allowed as the soldiers tried to keep their mechanism from failing, their other brethren unsheathing their blades as they hacked at the wings and tendons.

And then the ballistas failed, chains snapping and acting like vicious whips for several unfortunate men. The wind whooshed under the fury of dark wings unfurled, and the chains that still held strong caused their ballistas to be uprooted as Malefor took off into the night skies, wounded and wings torn. The arrows that had held his wings still snapped into the air, shards of metal and wood raining down from the heavens.

"He is going towards the castle! Fallback and defend those stones!" William ordered, the pounding of hooves in haste shaking the earth. The shadow of Ember flew over them as she gave chase.

The dark dragon struggled to properly fly with his shredded wings, blood raining from the skies as he approached the castle, massive form rocking the foundation as Malefor landed upon the building. The ballista attached to him had slowed him down greatly, and the archers stationed upon the battlements opened fire. The arrows bounced off the scaled hide, though some had embedded themselves into the dragon's wounds as he hissed and shook.

In retaliation, Malefor opened his maw, a loud belch of flame roaring forth, singeing stone and searing flesh.

The sound of wings on the wind grew and deafened the roaring of the flame, Ember landing upon the stone floor, releasing a shrill roar, wings unfurled in aggression. Fire drooled from her maw, pupils constricted and talons scraping against the stone.

Muscles tense, Ember charged towards the larger male, gaping maw flashing his jagged teeth. Malefor moved and intercepted the pink dragon's attack, muscular jaws digging into her scaled nape. Wings and tails flailed as talons scraped, Ember trying to fight off her attacker, but to no avail.

The purple dragon used his immense strength to lift the dragoness off the ground and slam Ember into the stone floor. The wind was knocked out of the dragoness's lungs before she was picked up once more before being thrown some distance. Ember rolled and slid to a stop, bleeding and trying to regain her breath as Malefor approached, stride slow and meandering.

Fire had fallen from the skies, Kirk unleashing a blast of flame that scorched Malefor's purple hide. His wings caused him to hover above the grounded dragon, two orbs floating around the pair, glittering in the darkness.

"You...I will kill you!" The Wounded Dragon roared, darkness enveloping his scales and cracking the stone foundation under his talons as Malefor breathed death, thick and as black as sin.

The purple wisp hovering around Kirk shimmered forth, a white light shooting forth and burning the breath of decay into harmless smoke. The smoky wisp responded, shimmering in a grey light that only powered the magic, a bright ray of light shooting forth and striking Malefor in his chest.

The large dragon gasped and tumbled, darkness no longer where light touched. The shadows surrounding his body attempted to reclaim the patch of scales, yet could not as Malefor shook his head, stunned, "What-How did you-" The Scar had no time to speak as fire once more singed his scales, the darkness dulling. Ember stood, blood dripping from her neck and smoke rising from her nostrils. Her sapphire eyes hard and sharp, posture threatening.

"Definant bitch! That shall be your last offense!" The beast snarled, jaws opening to launch a massive ball of dark energy so powerful a shock wave was formed from the attack.

Ember's eyes widened. There was no time to react. There was no time to move. There was no time to say goodbye.

In an explosion of darkness and red energy, Ember was struck so hard the scales from her old illness had reopened, cracked and decayed as old wounds opened. The pink dragon was blasted backwards, slamming through the stone of the battlements and tumbling over the edge. A shrill cry of terror was heard, only to be silenced by a sickening thud.

"E...Ember?" Kirk whispered, the wisps beside the blood scale moving in erratic dances, as if agitated, "No..."

Rage burned and knotted in the stomach of the Undead, and the wisps' light grew more vigorously in size. A violent blast of fire erupted from Kirk's maw, Malefor hissing as his scales seared.

The purple wisp glowed with renewed vigor, launching a ray of light at the dark dragon, knocking Malefor off his feet. The grey wisp followed through on the attack, the darkness burning away form their raw magic until the darkness surrounding Malefor was no more.

Malefor struggled to rise, scales burned to the point of breaking, horns broken and chest plates cracked, "What magic is this?...What...you..." His yellow eyes narrowed upon the purple wisp, glinting in fury and understanding, "You will not defeat me, cur! To do so, is to end the life of your child."

A twisted smirk fell upon Malefor's face, the purple wisp losing its light for several seconds before flaring once more. Light built around the tiny wisp, forming until it was a dense ball of blinding light.

And in a single blinding burst of raw energy, it was all over.

Malefor reared before his form faltered, incinerated by the bright light as swiftly as it came. In the place of his brute form lay Seraphina, softly floating above the ground, as if cradled by the smoking orb. Black liquids covered her tiny body, chest unmoving.

The wisps danced around the body of the drakeling, slow and gentle, flickering of light raining upon the small dragon and burning the substance away. The wisps then formed into one ball, purple and grey orbs joining before floating down to the body of the wyrmling and sinking into Seraphina's chest.

Light shone from the young dragon's body, and color swiftly flooded her scales before a sudden breath shuddered her body.

Seraphina opened her eyes, green orbs once more bright as she released a tiny squeak, slowly righting herself.

Kirk looked upon the young dragon, slowly approaching the tiny female as she looked around, hoping to find the members of her family, but found none.

The only dragon she found was Kirk; a stranger that would soon be her friend.

Blood tricked down Ember's jaw as she tried to speak, yet no words came forth. Only blood in large, thick globs.

The fall had broke her bones, and worsened her wounds. Her flesh was crushed upon by rocks, body broken.

This was it.

Ancestors, she was going to die.

Ember's blue eyes slowly began to lose focus, though briefly regained clarity as she saw a faint glow of red. She had thought it was a figment of her imagination, but it was not. Hovering just above the female was a red wisp, glowing softly.

"Y...you...F-Flame...?" Ember tried to speak, but found herself too weak and a single tear began to run down her face, "I..."

The red wisp began to shimmer, sending warm rays of magic over the female, soothing and comforting. The ball of energy grew and swelled, stronger with spiritual energy before it merged with her broken flesh.

Ember felt a wave of serenity wash over her that dried her tears, eyes losing their focus as all went dark.

"My Lord, we have a survivor!"

These words were distant, mere echoes of a far away world that Ember did not want to return to. She wanted sleep, but the odd claws and paws upon her was something that roused her to wake. Their touch was cold, lifeless and unfeeling, strange.

She heard human voices, though try as she might, she could not respond. Who was the survivor? Where at? How?

Ember felt the hold of these humans upon her, dragging her to her paws. But the way they did so hurt. They had her on her hind legs, not on all fours. Why?

She was cold. So very cold. Their paws were cold, lifeless, yet...steady, gentle. And she thought at one time, a human wrapped a soft cloth around her. Why?

Ember did not understand. All she knew was that these humans were taking her somewhere, to someone, and they were carrying her.

At some point, they set the female down, and attempted to put a bowl of soup within her hands. It slipped right out.

At one point the Duke had approached, and Ember's gaze had brightened in recognition, "Lord Duke! What happened? Where is Malefor? Is he dead?"

William's steel eyes looked upon the girl in study, recalling her voice, "By God...Ember? Is that you?"

"Yes! I don't understand, Human Duke! What happened?" Ember asked, feeling strange and unnatural in a different sitting position, and so sat much similar to a dog.

"Get up, girl! What foul magic begot you after the battle? You are no dragon, Ember, not at all!" The Duke spoke, hands firmly pulling Ember to her feet and fixing the cloth over her naked body.

The female blinked in confusion, "I'm...not?"

"No, not anymore, Ember. You are-how do I say this?-Human."

Darkness.

Oblivion.

The Void.

Nothing.

That was were Malefor was. Trapped beyond Space and Time, lost in Darkness that crept within his very soul and scarred it. An icy chill that came from nothing, and a place where a whimper could continue on forever, and become swallowed by the blackness.

But The Dark Master was not alone.

Something was with him.

Something had surrounded him.

Or more specifically, Malefor was inside a more sinister presence..

The nothingness shook, took shape and then became something; a Dark Presence shifting into an aberrant mass of jagged shadows. The faint outline of a fiery red with rage and insanity slowly formed, predatory gaze narrowing upon the Scar, which was no bigger than the mere pupil of the Presence.

The Dark Presence spoke, a thousand whispers of the dead coating its serpentine tongue, as if the very shadows themselves.

In Vulneraverunt?

Malefor cringed as he felt the claws of the damned sink into his mind, filling his mind's eye with chaos as the creature whispered.

Vulnus...

Kneel...

The Dark Master could only watch as the massive serpent before him began to twitch, the jaw of the Greater God cracking and splitting in a spray of blood and bone, twin hinged jaws birthing form one. The blood that had fallen dissipated into shadow, and the throat of the Serpent has soon ruptured as multiple tongues emerged from its maw, each sporting their own miniscule teeth and feelers.

The tongues hissed as they slowly approached the Purple Dragon, the fiery eyes of the Old God illuminating the nothingness of its realm.

For a moment, all was still.

For a moment, there was peace and serenity amongst a realm filled with no much nothing it was chaotic.

And the Scar of Time was forever sealed, the Wound cauterized, never to be reopened.

Obviously, a sequel will be up. Not entirely sure what it will be about though. So, as for plot of the second installment, you lovely readers can decide(mostly). Fairly basic things, like pairings, characters you want to see, any conflict, ect. I plan to have a lot of fun with Ember's pickle. Oh, the humanity. Silas is still alive/was revived. In the chapter of Dragon's Anima, I believe it was hinted, though never really shown. Why? Silas' presence was no longer needed in this story. Considering all he was to do for the Chronicler was watch and battle and 'record' the events.

As for me, I shall continue working on Stories in the Ink(DA). Which is almost done. And something I also plan to do a sequel on. Go Cole/Solona. You crazy demon/mage whatever coupling. And stop stealing women's unmentionables, Cole! You think you're helping but you aren't!

I was looking over some material for Dishonored, and saw, well, a lot of fighting and death. So, let us have a moment of silence for all the brave men and women *coughorbastardscough* who gave their lives for this God awful story.

RIP:

Anaya Farring

Anaya and Rorek's unborn child, AKA Roran

Cynder

Flame (mentioned in past)

Rorek (first time)

Mordred

Mordred's Drunken Followers

Spyro

Spyro and Cynder's Unhatched Children

Seraphina (first time)

Kirk (first time)

Glacia and Family (mentioned in past)

Silvanus Adler (first time)

Brago (Horsy)

Rorek's Baby Killer Baby (shown in dream)

Reaper Rorek (second time)

Scavanger

Mutilator

Corbin/Corin

Asshole Bishop

Eamon Farring

Eamon and William's Soldiers

Innocent Men, Women, and Children

Baldwin IV (mentioned in past)

Malefor (a few times...)

Berend's Arm (probably in Spyro's stomach)

Anyone else I forgot *insert here*.

Thank you for reading and feel free to judge this story as you wish. Thanks for staying with my annoying ass!