The legend of Spyro: Dawn of a new era

by Vindictive456

Occuring right after the ending of Dawn of the dragon, this story takes Spyro and Cynder on a journey through a totally new world where dragons haven't been seen for centuries and magic does not work in the way they are used to. Join the dragon duo from the games as they face new challenges, learn to live with their choices and discover a little more about each other.

7. Chapter VII: Learned lessons

Author's note: Salutations, everyone. It is I, Valiant, and I have returned at last. Borrowing some concerns that have recently hit me, Iwould like to clarify that this story has not been abandoned, far from it, I have been working on drawings and schematics that flush out some of the world's mechanics concerning magic and how it interacts with everything else. Adding to all of this side work, my computer broke down and it was an ordeal to fix everything up, hopefully that will not happen again. This story still occupies a special place in my heart and I do hope you will all stick around to see where it leads, I apologize for the delay and remai certain that a new chapter will drop before the end of this year. I am working on other projects but the two stories that I am publishing with episodic formats will both continue to forge ahead.

Enjoy the reading and keep being awesome.

Chapter VII: Learned lessons.

Come the next morning, Cynder moved over her side of the nest, releasing a low volume groan from her throat as she wiggled her wings and tail around and began to wake up. The dragoness raised her head and opened her eyes as she felt the warmth and the light of the sun entering the cave but, as her eyes opened, the first thing that she saw was Spyro, only he was not lying next to her over the nest. Cynder did not have to worry or look too hard for her friend as he was seated only a few steps away, next to the opposite wall of the cave there was a line of wooden crates that Spyro had positioned to use as a makeshift work desk, the crates were turned over and had papers with scriptures placed over them that were being thoroughly studied by the young purple dragon.

Cynder watched Spyro as he worked, the dragon did not look tired which means he was not awake for that long and he was smiling while calmly mumbling to himself as he passed his left claw over an inscription before putting his attention on writing down what he had learned on the pages of a notebook placed by his right side. As Spyro wrote down passage after passage on the pages of his notebook, it became rather hard to keep a steady hold on the pen since the crates placed as his work space did not provide a sturdy hold, as his paw scribbled on to the page the crates swerved and creaked making his pen slide off on to some undesired positions over the blank paper surface. Spyro let go of the pen and released a sigh, putting the writing tool aside shortly after and rising from his seat to look for something else that would keep him busy for the time being.

As Spyro walked, his head turned in the direction of Cynder, he wanted to check if she was still sleeping peacefully over the nest, he was surprised to see the dragoness rising from her resting spot and looking in his direction, the dragon had his eyes opened wide as he heard his friend speaking up:

- Good morning, Spyro.

Spyro walked a single step closer before he answered:

- Good morning, Cynder. Did you just wake up?

The dragoness gave a small spin to her shoulders and stretched her wings, she spoke her answer as she showed her wings opened in full span and let off a relaxed sigh as she said:

- Yeah, though I'm still a little sore from our fighting yesterday.

Spyro raised his right paw and placed it behind his neck, clear indication that he was feeling some level of discomfort that morning, the dragon closed his eyes for a prolonged period of time before opening them once more to let Cynder know how he felt as well:

- I get what you mean. Those spiders didn't get a good hit on me but I think I pulled something during one of my attacks.

Cynder raised completely from the nest, she was now walking through the cave and she came closer to Spyro. Placing her body right in front of the dragon and looking deeply into his eyes, the dragoness leaned her head to the left and directed her eyes to the direction of his improvised workbench before she asked of him:

- What were you working on over there?

Spyro directed his eyes back towards the crates and inscriptions pointed indirectly by Cynder, he was glad that his partner took a sudden interest on his work, even if he had barely scratched the surface of what he had brought over for study. Spyro walked past Cynder with the intent to better show her what he was transcribing only a few instances before, he pointed over his notebook as he answered to Cynder's question while also providing an explanation for his progress with the understanding of the language and the analysis of what they had discovered inside the vault's secret room:

- I brought over a lot of the books that we found inside the vault yesterday, a few of them were destroyed with pages missing but most of them have a lot of information to transcribe.

Spyro pointed his right claw to one of the books as he continued explaining:

- The writing on this one is similar to old draconian texts that Cyril showed to me a while ago, some of the letters lean and wave differently on the paper but it makes it essentially better to read and to understand.

Spyro turned over to fetch a larger tome that he left resting beside his sitting spot, the dragon turned the pages and showed a disappointed look as he spoke up:

- One of the larger books that we recovered was apparently a volume about engineering, I wish I could read it and fetch some great ideas on construction. Unfortunately, it was almost entirely water damaged, only graphics and meaningless calculations located many pages ahead survived.

Spyro turned the book towards Cynder without changing his facial expression, the pages were blurred and wrinkly, the paint on the paper was smudged and some of the pages were too damaged making the tome completely unreadable. Spyro closed the book as he explained:

- There might have been cracks on the ceiling of the cave and water managed to seep through it, I found at least four other books with damp pages that looked just like this.

Spyro appeared defeated for a moment but his spirits were invigorated and he smiled as he turned his sight back to his own notations and revealed that there were a few other secrets that became clearer to him after a thorough reading. Spyro pointed to a circular diagram on the page that he had copied from the diary right next to it, the dragon's writing was filled with many more details than the one seen on the diary's pages and he turned his eyes to Cynder to explain it in detail:

- There are so many different sources of natural magic in this kingdom but the crystals that we found around the region only support what is called 'natural magic', the classification in the diary lists them as elements like wind, fire, water, earth, energy, electricity, even gravity is considered as an element and there are combinations between some of the elements that result in completely different magical sources but those need to be made with spells or incantations that are meant to be combined in a specific situation so they are basically impossible to find in the wild.

Cynder leaned closer to the page and noticed the many lines that were drawn through the inside and outside of the circular diagram to represent the crossing and the resulting magic between the main elements written inside each of their little spaces, the elements were expertly categorized by the original writer of the diary and masterfully interpreted by the young dragon. Spyro turned the page and revealed another diagram that was built with a similar scheme only this one had fewer elements and not a single one of them crossed over to result in a different sort of magical spell, each of the elements in the smaller diagram occupied their own space and was shown to be in direct contrast with the element sitting directly to the opposite edge of the drawing. Spyro took a breath before continuing with his explanation:

- These are some of the other elements that I found but I had to place them in a different page and on an entirely new diagram because their nature is completely different than the regular kind of magic.

Cynder turned to Spyro and asked:

- What do you mean?

Spyro pointed the claw of his left paw over the diagram on the page, he demonstrated how the diagram showed six symbols that referred to different types of magic, each of them divided into two categories that were grouped onto two distinctive triangle shaped arrangements. The dragon moved his claw to make it accompany the first triangle as he listed off the three types of magic that correlated to one another without ever mixing:

- Light, darkness and chaos…

He then pointed to the other half of the diagram showing a triangle opposite to the first one with another set of elements that behaved in a conjoint manner similar to the first one:

- Mind, body and spirit.

Spyro's claw retreated from the page as he was almost done with his explanation, he took a breath before continuing to speak and placing the most curious facts of his studies that lead him to organize the diagram that way:

- I placed these elements like this because the book made mentions of these types of magic elements appearing inside living beings and even being used in conflicts but the results of mixing them together always resulted in nullification. Either one erased another or they repelled each other away. Even so, in some odd way that no one was able to understand, these kinds of magic can still work together and be presented as balanced when they manifest themselves.

Spyro closed the book and spoke the last bit of information he was able to gather from his reading:

- I also figured out that there are chemical composites that can mimic the effects of magical elements but only natural ones. By the reports I found on the diary and other books, no one was able to successfully synthesize elixirs that project any of the elements from the smaller diagram. That could've changed since the journal was written but that information is out of reach for the time.

Cynder listened attentively to what Spyro had to say, his discoveries about the work of magic in that kingdom were marvelous and she really wanted to know more about it. Spyro turned his body around and his head hung low after his explanation was concluded, Cynder was a little worried about him as she believed he had been awake for an extended amount of time as he worked on his studies. Spyro's walk was sluggish, his wings flopped around over his shoulders and the way he moved almost made Cynder believe that he was getting sick in some way, she came closer to him once more as she gave a hopping step in his direction and poked his left shoulder before asking:

- Spyro, is there something wrong?

The dragon looked over in her direction and showed a smile, he closed his eyes and slowly opened them before speaking up:

- I'm just feeling tired. Fighting those beasts took more out of me than I thought. I imagined we would have a great adventure and I would be back to feeling like myself but I feel so drained.

Spyro stopped with his answer and moved in the direction of the nest, he sat himself over a cozy spot by the left edge of the nest and continued speaking again once he felt more at ease:

- I'm guessing this was the result of not exercising a lot while I was hurt.

Cynder walked until she was positioned next to Spyro, she turned her body around and sat herself on the nest as well. While seated by his right side and leaning her body forward to get a better look of his face, Cynder spoke up:

- You had no fault in that, you could barely move around.

Spyro followed Cynder's movements with his eyes, he turned his head to her as he saw her subtle leaning motion next to him, he recalled the adventurous moments they shared and appreciated everything that she had done for him, he kept looking over her as he smiled and said:

- You took such good care of me while I was hurt. If it wasn't for your help, we would be completely lost, unsheltered and hungry.

Cynder felt a blush coming over and she quickly turned her head to face in another direction before saying:

- That was… no big deal. It was just my way of showing you how much I appreciate your effort on saving the world.

Spyro scooched a little closer and said with a low volume to his voice:

- It feels like it was a little more than just that.

Cynder slowly turned her head to the right and noticed how close Spyro was, their shoulders were almost coming into contact as the young dragon adjusted his back and repositioned his wings slightly. Spyro kept his eyes focused on his friend seated next to him while Cynder tried looking in another direction but her eyes inevitably landed over Spyro before too long, her wings opened and closed over her back and her tail swayed away from him as it passed over the soft cover of the nest behind them. Spyro took a quick breath before saying what he had in his mind:

- I thought that going out on a quick adventure, picking up a fight, would make me feel reinvigorated, get me to behave like my old self again, that is why I was so excited about fighting the spiders yesterday. I just realized how foolish that actually sounds this morning when I woke up. There is no need for any of us to fly off towards danger and, without any true urgency, I get to focus on other things.

Cynder smiled and nodded her head affirmatively, she inquired of Spyro as soon as she was sure that he was done with his words for the time being:

- So, what do you wish to do now that you are not so focused on adventures and fighting?

Spyro looked over his improvised work space and thought how prolonged use of the crates to support and write over could effectively make them unusable for storage in the future, the frail containers made out of wood would break if any other object with significant weight to it was placed over them. Spyro thought that would be a good idea to scavenge for material to build more furniture for the cave but that was an idea that he kept for himself to share with Cynder at a later time. The purple dragon had a thoughtful look on his face for what it felt like a full minute of uninterrupted silence but, as soon as his thoughts calmed down, he turned to Cynder and said:

- I was thinking about working on translating that scroll that we found inside the vault, it could be an interesting reading. Although, I think I have spent enough time on reading. What do you say we stay here, on the island, and rest for the day?

Cynder had her eyes open wide and showing a spark of delight, she nodded her head once and concurred with Spyro's idea as she said:

- I think that is a marvelous idea, Spyro.

The purple dragon shot a quick glance at the area outside the cave, there was a pleasant breeze and the temperature had a sudden drop, possible sign that it was going to rain soon, he turned to Cynder and told her that it would be for the best if they made a quick preparation for the weather before they rested up for the day. Cynder was quick to go outside and check for possible rain hazards within the area near the cave, any pile of leaves or cracked branches that could fly by due to unforeseen strong winds or any big trees that could be struck by lightning and cause a big forest fire. Spyro remained inside the cave as he stored food and water they still had on reserve and placed every book in reach safely inside the chest they had brought over from their adventure the other day.

The rain came soon enough but it wasn't too strong, the humid air made its way inside the cave and Spyro stood next to the entrance to receive the refreshing gust as well as wait for Cynder to come back inside. The dragoness returned to the cave only a couple of minutes after it started raining, the clouds poured on so suddenly and she was hit by some of the falling water on her way back, she was making one last sweep of the area before turning back to the cave and that is why she took longer to return. As Cynder entered the cave she had water dripping over her scales and leaving a trail from the entrance of the cave all the way to its interior so Spyro gave her a piece of cloth that she could use to dry herself and she thanked him for it, she did not enjoy feeling wet and cold.

The entire day passed by and it was mostly rainy, the flow of the river strengthened, the wind blew without ceasing and the sky remained covered with thick clouds. Finally, it came the night, the rain had stopped but the clouds shielded the light from the moon and the stars, come the end of the afternoon the entire region was shrouded with an unnerving blanket of darkness. The interior of the cave was warm and very well lit thanks to the crystal torches anchored meticulously to the walls, Cynder did not spend that night on patrol over the island as she usually did before the time to sleep came around, she stayed inside and conversed with Spyro as they recalled some good and, often, embarrassing times of their past and discussed how they would advance their living conditions for the near future.

As the next day rolled around and there was no more sign of rain clouds in the sky, Spyro and Cynder decided to begin working on cleaning their cave, it was their living space and it deserved to be well maintained after all. Cynder got busy with the exterior, cleaning branches, leaves and checking on the small barrier that protected the interior of the cave from water flow, she also flew high over the cave to check if there were any signs of outer cracks that could compromised the entry and the roof. Everything looked fine and in order on her end; Spyro took charge of cleaning and organizing the inside of the cave, cleaning the dust off from the ground and the walls as well as washing the blankets that they had been using to sleep, the young dragon also made an effort to review the artifacts that were recovered from the vault and write down a simple inventory on what tomes would still be useful for his continued studies of the realm they were inhabiting.

Cynder waited, seated near the entrance of the cave, she had just placed the carpet she and Spyro had recovered from the old laboratory hidden in the vault as a center piece of their cave residence, leaving Spyro alone to study his notes shortly after that. With her tasks done for the time and the interior of the cave clean as well as orderly, Cynder thought about taking a stroll around the island, possibly see new places where resources could be gathered but she stopped herself before taking the first step ahead since there was the risk someone else could see her and that would put them at risk. Before Cynder could make a choice in that matter, there was a sound coming from the distance, footsteps treading across the forest and the sound of wheels tracking over the gravel of the road, it did not take her long to guess that it was Zachariah coming over for another unscheduled visit.

Sure as Cynder had guessed it, the caravan toeing fox came through the trees and bushes with a smile on his face and more goods than ever before being carried inside his vehicle. Cynder walked ahead to greet the vulpine and speak up:

- Hello there, Zachariah. Are these visits going to be a regular deal from now on?

With a well humored puff of air leaving his mouth, Zachariah saluted the dragoness and quickly recounted the happenings of his latest commerce expedition relating to how he ventured to a nearby town and was able to purchase a large quantity of metal which he would be able to sell for quite a large price for any iron mason that would be able to turn it into weapons and armor. Cynder called out to Spyro and the young dragon dropped his study material to come out of the cave right away and properly greet the travelling merchant, Zachariah was satisfied to see the dragon so healthy and appearing to be in such high spirits but Spyro was quick to show some concern as one good look at the fox revealed that he was exhausted.

- Zachariah, is there something wrong? You look so… tired.

The fox laughed and placed his paw behind his head, his answer to Spyro's question was a story of how he attended a long gathering of merchants in order to trade crystals and other goods that he had acquired, the commercial gathering took most of the day and his trip toeing his own caravan, which was reasonably heavier than the day before, took all night. The fox took a moment to breath in some fresh air, reacquire the energy he had spent traveling such a long distance, he lowered his head and his sight landed over Cynder's paw by chance, he saw the old dirty cloth he had used to help rebandag her tail not that long ago and pointed to it while saying:

- Miss Cynder, you really should change that bandage, it is looking filthy.

Cynder looked down and slowly raised her right paw, she looked over the bandage which was now covered in dirt, almost entirely blackened with almost no trace of its original white coloration. The dragoness lowered her paw once more and admitted to completely have forgotten that her paw was wrapped up, she did not even feel the pain of her injury any more but Zachariah did not let that go easily as he kneeled quickly in front of her and said:

- You need to change the bandage up anyway. Let me help you.

Cynder sat herself on the ground and remained still, thankful that the fox in front of them would be able to just drop everything he was doing and thinking about to help her, Spyro watched as Zachariah unmade the wrapping of the bandage but became worried as the fox froze up as soon as the bandage was completely removed. Spyro leaned forward and asked:

- Is everything alright, Zachariah?

The fox leaned his upper body to the right so that he would be facing the dragon seated nearby and answer vaguely:

- It's… gone.

Cynder twitched her body in place after hearing that and asked out of concern:

- What do you mean 'gone'? What is gone?

Zachariah let go of Cynder's right paw and answered more descriptively:

- The cut, it's gone. There is not even a scar left.

Cynder turned the palm of her paw to look for herself, it was the truth, her paw was completely healed and there was no trace of her wound left behind. Cynder stomped her paw on the ground to make absolutely sure that there was no remaining pain, Spyro was left marveled and wondered if Cynder had consumed any piece of the red crystal they had retrieved at the end of their last adventure, in truth, he had also forgotten about her wound, not even paying attention to it as they went out for their flight. Zachariah left it alone, convinced that dragons had much more potent healing capabilities that his species and just leaving at that.

Zachariah raised back to stand on his two feet, he crumbled the dirty bandage in his hands and gave it to Spyro, still convinced deep inside that the blood from a dragon could be of use to someone with the right knowledge of how to apply it in a spell of some sort, Spyro simply took the dirty rag and took a mental note to dispose of it later. Zachariah walked back to his caravan and leaned close to it to breathe easy, he was certain that the visit would be filled with more conversation and discoveries than before but there was still something he wished to ask right away, he did not want to be a burden to the two dragons but the fox urgently needed someplace to stay, he took a quick breath of air and asked the question he was building up to:

- Listen, I was wondering if it would it be alright if I were to spend a few days on this island with you two? The nearest town is still a day's away and I'm afraid that continuing traveling in such a way will leave me too weak to pull my caravan.

Spyro and Cynder exchanged a look and communicated with one another in silence that allowing their fried to stay with them for shelter for only a few days might be alright. With a smile on her face and a few steps in the direction of the fox, Cynder spoke up and assured that their habitational space would be the perfect spot for Zachariah to stay:

- We would be honored if you stayed in our cave for as long as you need.

The fox was grateful for those kind words but he made a dismissive gesture with his hands as he made sure not to impose any more than he needed to on the dragons' living space. With a moderate volume to his voice, the fox leaned a little closer to the dragons while pointing around to the space outside of the cave as the place he would be occupying if he were to stay:

- I was actually going to mount a tent over there next to my caravan. I snore very loud and you wouldn't be able to get a lick of sleep if I situated myself inside of the cave. Besides, I'm sure the two of you would appreciate keeping your well-stablished private time.

Zachariah's voice with that last bit of information sounded somewhat suggestive. Cynder picked up on that right away and looked in the other direction with the fear that her face might start to blush and that someone else might pick up on that. Spyro, however, dismissed that and was far more focused on showing to Zachariah what was done with the cave and the discoveries the two dragons had made since the fox's last visit, the young dragon invited their guest right inside so that he could see for himself what changes were done and how their state of living had been improved. The fox accepted the generous invitation, accompanying Spyro into the cave as Cynder decided to remain outside for a minute, she continued to enjoy the outside air and the feeling of stillness that morning brought on.

Spyro walked slowly towards the interior of the cave and Zachariah could not help but marvel at how everything was looking. The shelves carved into the back wall were now cleaned of dust and filled with many books and parchments, colorful trinkets of a scholar in training were placed carefully over the modest surface of a small working space, the floor was clean of any dirt or grime and, to the fox's surprise, was now adorned with a marvelous looking carpet that gave the entire cavernous interior a touch of class along with the carefully placed torches he had sold to the dragons. Zachariah's eyes travelled around the cave until they landed and were fixated over the carpet, the one item that called most to his attention for being the fanciest one in there, he passed his feet over the small surface to make a rough estimation of the item's state and value, even if his feet could barely feel any of it through the sole of his sandals, it was interesting to him nonetheless.

The carpet was beautiful, almost an antique, Zachariah could have sworn upon first glance that such an item would be worth a fortune for any collector who wished to make an impression, but he could not peg the origins of the item since it did not present any tag or signature on its weaving, like many tapestries he had seen before. With a sneaking impression he had stared over the carpet for far too long and the curiosity overpowering him to finally ask, Zachariah spoke out as he pointed to the item located right beneath him:

- Where have you two fetched this magnificent carpet? Have you been making deals with other merchants behind my back?

Zachariah intended that last part of his questioning as a simple joke, he already guessed that the interaction between the two dragons and the outside world had been remedial but limited at best. Spyro was hesitant to answer that but Cynder, who just came into the cave in time to hear the question for herself, spurted out a vague answer of her own as she said:

- We found it inside a secret vault that was discovered inside an old rock quarry. We also found a bunch of other stuff.

Zachariah turned his head in the direction of Cynder's voice, the dragoness walked slowly and entered the right side of his field of vision, ending her words and placing herself just alongside Spyro before she stopped talking. Zachariah was left utterly shocked with those words for a moment, it sounded like the two dragons have had another grand adventure since his last visit, he asked for more details as soon as he felt the shock subsiding and those details were reluctantly given by Spyro as he recounted their outing followed by the discovery of the vault and their grueling battle against a giant spider creature and her minions. Zachariah had to sit down on the floor of the cave as he heard the story from Spyro while Cynder would often jump in to piece out a few details that were left out of her point of view but it was ultimately a grand adventure that left the fox stunned, maybe even a little jealous.

Zachariah gasped silently whenever the dragon's story would take a dramatic turn or whenever a detailed exaggeration of the events would be placed out in the open, doing his best to not disrupt the flow while the dragon's would bounce their words flawlessly off one another. Their lives had been put in danger but they had emerged victorious from the confrontation and their discovery wielded great understanding of many aspects of the word around them along with some minor upgrades to their living conditions, which more than a good enough recompense for them. The fox raised from the ground, at first determined to congratulate the two dragons on a successful expedition but his thoughts were quickly turned to a more concerning direction as he asked of them for further clarification:

- You two defeated an Arachnite Queen?! Of all the beasts in this vast world of ours, you had to bump over the nest of an Arachnite Queen?!

Spyro and Cynder exchanged a look that lasted no more than a second, the dragons turned their faces to look at the fox once more and Cynder was the first one to post her answer with a jesting tone of voice:

- I mean… she didn't exactly look like a 'queen' but if her mood was any indication that might be a safe assumption.

Spyro directed his voice at his partner as he said:

- Why are you speaking like that? I don't think you have ever met a queen in your life.

Cynder showed a frown as she heard that, she pointed a claw at Spyro's chest and posted her retort:

- How could you know that? You don't know how many other beings I have ever met. I could have met a queen before I my life.

To which Spyro asked with a controlled tone of voice:

- *Have* you ever met a queen in your life?

Cynder saw no way out of that question except just telling the truth as she lowered her head at an angle away from Spyro and said with a tone of voice that made her sound a little disappointed with herself:

- No, I have not.

Zachariah could see that the two dragons in front of him were sharing on a very nice moment, it felt like the fox had vanished from the cave for an extended amount of time and the two creatures that claimed the cave as their home were the only ones in there, bouncing words and sharing complex feelings all over the place. Zachariah cut into the conversation, now his concerns outweighed his curiosity as he spoke out:

- Master Spyro, Ms. Cynder, I do not think either of you know what you two may have done. An Arachnite is a beast that inhabits deep mountain caverns and subterranean passages, it feeds on anything it can find and it may even consume rock and ore to fortify its already strong body. You two are acting like this is no big task but slaying such a powerful monster is unprecedented.

After Spyro and Cynder directed their eyes back at Zachariah, the fox rose from his seat on the floor of the cave and began stepping around, pacing nervously as he explained in detail why the two dragons should be collectively worried about the consequences of their actions:

- The discovery of a dragon vault is a huge archeological find that calls to the attention of top-tier class adventurers and explorers seeking to claim riches and status. When the group of contracted adventurers arrive at the vault and find it emptied out with nothing but the corpse of a Queen Arachnite at its inner most chamber it could lead to absolute chaos.

Cynder showed a face of confusion that stood for her thought that the fox merchant might be exaggerating on his reaction but her confusions diminished as Zachariah spurted out a list of the most concerning consequences:

- As soon as the adventurers report back to their superiors what they have found it might lead to a full on conflict between guilds. Resources employed on the expedition might be tossed aside and become unusable as a result of such an uproar, fingers might be unjustly pointed to assign guilt to other factions, explorers will launch a deep investigation that will employ astronomical costs for everyone involved. Adding to all of this, killing such a legendary beast such as a Queen Arachnite requires a full party of world-class adventurers and at least a full week of preparation, and yet, you two took it down on your own and in a single afternoon, completely by chance.

Spyro could catch on the concerned tone that Zachariah was using, all of that sounded beyond serious but their accomplishment in dealing with such a legendary beast may have stroked the dragon's ego a bit much, causing him to smile for a second. Cynder kept on listening carefully to the words of the fox, making mental notes of the things that might put a detriment on the current living conditions stablished by her and her partner, being on the lookout for anything that could put them at risk. Zachariah continued to speak and the main topic of worry from his list pop out as he said:

- If an investigation team of explorers were to report back that a Queen Arachnite was taken out and there was no sign of weapons used in the fight, no trace of any dead adventurers left behind after the fact as well as no party claiming responsibility for such a feat, all of that can spark an all-out search which may lead them right to you. Your life of hiding away will come to an end.

Cynder could feel her heart skipping a beat after hearing that, if the explorers that patrolled the realm truly were to search all around for the ones responsible for killing that giant spider, finding the cave would be a certainty and that would put both her and Spyro at risk. Zachariah could be seen calming down a bit, his walk became slower, his breath was less frantic now that he took a break from talking and his shoulders lowered showing that he was a little less tense, the fox took a series of breaths before speaking up once more, pointing a claw of his right paw towards the two dragons and saying:

- Then again, if what you have told me about the vault was accurate and it opened up its doors due to your touch, claiming its secrets and dispatching those beasts could be seen as a rite of claim by the both of you. The guild in charge of exploring the vault might just let the absence of any significant riches and artifacts in the vault slide.

After another nerve calming breath, Zachariah placed his back side on the cave wall opposite to Spyro and Cynder's position, the fox placed his left paw underneath his jaw and stroked his beard fur for a moment as he reflected a little more about the consequences that could be born out of the unplanned incursion that the two dragons partook just a couple of days before. There was now a considerable risk for the two dragons to go anywhere else that wasn't on the little island, Zachariah knew all too well how determined and meticulous the guilds posted around the kingdom were, he was a card carrying member of many expeditions as a mercenary at one point after all but he slowly calmed down as his mind piled the facts he had learned during that conversation. It was obvious that the two dragons could take care of themselves, more so that they had been in other epic scale confrontations prior to meeting the merchant, they were intelligent and could handle adversity as it came on, so he let himself relax.

Spyro watched as the fox switched his facial expression, his stressed rant was well founded, the young dragon thought things over and decided to come forth as he spoke up:

- It was all my fault. Cynder warned me that we should have returned to the cave, she told me that we should have returned if we found any sign of trouble but I just ignored her,I still wished to explore more.

Zachariah was not sure why the young dragon felt the need to say that, there was no blame to be assign merely concern and the dragon still felt the overwhelming need to speak his mind at that moment, assuming all the responsibility for the entire adventure and asking that the whole of the liability caused by his thirst for excitement was pointed at him alone. Zachariah showed a little smile pointed at the dragon, the fox leaned down and placed himself in one knee before reaching his right paw over and placing it on Spyro's left shoulder, with a calm tone of voice, very different from the one used during his explanation earlier, Zachariah said:

- Master Spyro, it is true that your outing may have lead the two of you into the reaches of an unnerving situation, the repercussions may show up in full somewhere down the line, there is no denying it. Although, I must say, your instincts may have done more good than any of us can ever imagine.

Spyro showed his head leaning back, retreating in confusion when faced with what he just heard. Cynder gave a few short steps forward, positioning herself next to Spyro, only a few inches next to his left shoulder, Zachariah raised from his kneeling position and looked over the two dragons as he continued to speak:

- You two just eliminated one of the most ferocious and dangerous creatures ever documented by adventurers in the course of history, not to mention the fact that you unearthed secrets that could have either been hidden or discarded by any ordinary rouge on the prowl. You not only saved lives, you preserved history in your own way. As dragons and heroes, you claimed that vaults contents for your own and no one can take that away from you.

Spyro and Cynder both felt empowered by those words, once again they were being labeled as heroes, even if they never meant to cause such an outcome, their combined instincts for exploration and combat reverberated onto a good deed that may have spared many complications and saved many lives, the two dragons exchanged looks and shared a smile, glad that they were safe and content that they had worked together to accomplish something so great. As the afternoon rolled by, Zachariah unpacked his essential supplies and stablished his encampment close to the entrance to the dragons' cave, he mounted a tent as well as a small campfire next to the spot where he parked his caravan, certifying that the vehicle as well as its remaining cargo were locked and secure before leaving briefly in search of something fresh to eat.

Spyro and Cynder remained inside the cave for most of the afternoon, they conversed for a while before returning to their own unscheduled activities for the day, Spyro sat down and continued with his studies, mostly because he was still a little nervous and rummaging through pages of notes and graphics made him feel surprisingly calm as he added and edited some notations in his own personal study book; Cynder barely sat still after she was done talking with Spyro, she kept reorganizing the items scattered around the cave, books, boxes and miscellaneous supplies were moved around constantly as she searched for something significant to do. By the time night came around, the two dragons were done with their tasks inside the cave and decided to exit to check up on Zachariah but he was nowhere to be found, the fox's campsite was set and orderly but he was gone.

Cynder looked around but neither her or Spyro had to search very long as they saw the merchant returning from a long expedition in search of fresh supplies, carrying a bag hoisted over his right shoulder with sweet smelling contents and holding a fishing rod in his left hand. Spyro and Cynder waited, standing still in place until the fox came closer, Zachariah dropped the bag he was carrying on the ground with much care before he spoke on his absence for most of the day:

- I strolled down to the river to catch some fish, did not get a single nibble all afternoon. Is it possible that the two of you have already consumed all the fish in these parts since my last visit?

Cynder showed a little smile, knowing already that the vulpine was merely joking. Spyro took the jest a little more seriously as he lowered his head and admitted out loud in answer to that:

- I… really like the taste of the fish from the nearby lake. Cynder and I catch a lot of them whenever we can.

Zachariah did not lose the smile he had on his lips as he heard that, the fox shook his head slowly from left to right before walking towards his caravan and storing his fishing rod safely away in a section that was reserved only for his personal tools and materials. With his fishing implement nicely stored, Zachariah turned around to face the two dragons and tell them about the supplies he had managed to bring over and the few he still had on reserve:

- I brought over some fruits and berries that I managed to scavenge from a clearing nearby, I also have some curated boar meat stored away if you two would care to join me.

The invitation was heard and promptly accepted, Spyro and Cynder agreed to join the fox and sit down for a nice meal and some stimulating conversation. Zachariah grabbed a simple log that he had collected while searching for firewood earlier that day, he rolled it on its side to use as a simple bench for himself, the two dragons chose to sit comfortably on the floor and wait with great anticipation for the prepared meal. Zachariah grabbed chunks of preserved meat that had been left well hidden inside the cargo hold of his caravan, the fox placed down some small logs and build an efficient cooking fire which Spyro lit almost immediately with his fire breath, once again stealing the scene for himself, Zachariah did not mind it one bit. Cynder watched with her paws clasping the grass of the ground right beneath her, hungry for not eating anything for most of the day and anxious to try a new dish, Zachariah was taking his time and the dragoness was already feeling her mouth watering due to the delicious smell of meat over an open flame.

Zachariah sat himself down over the log, adjusting his tail as he did so and taking some time to relax before eating, absorbing some fresh night air into his lungs and staring at the beautiful night sky as he did so, he had camped out in the wilderness countless times during his life as a fighter and many more during his time as a merchant but it had been quite a long time since he shared a camp site with pleasant company. Spyro and Cynder were silent for a while as the two of them waited patiently for their portions of the meal to be cooked and ready, the pieces of meat provided by Zachariah were placed on an elevated metal perch specifically designed for heating pots and meats safely, a metallic table with adjustable legs and a grated surface that allowed the user to regulate the even cooking of a meal while also keeping an eye on the heat levels beneath it, Spyro began to wonder if he would be able to acquire one of those to use it for himself or even craft an approximation of it with materials found in the forest.

Spyro's line of thought was interrupted abruptly, he took his eyes away from the meat being heated over the fire and the fascinating item being used to do so as he heard Zachariah calling out to him, the fox wished to ask him further about his incursion into the unearthed vault. Spyro looked over to the fox as the vulpine pointed a claw to the dragon and was direct to ask:

- The way the two of you talked about your confrontation against the Queen Arachnite got me thinking, you have dealt with menacing beasts of such caliber before, haven't you?

Zachariah directed his eyes at Spyro but his question was directed at the two dragons sitting opposite to him, the purple dragon looked to the ground, his first instinct was to avoid the question but he just could not do so for the remainder of the night. Spyro raised his eyes, his sight passed over the light of the fire and was placed over Zachariah, the dragon took in some air and told the truth while also laying down some context:

- Cynder and I have been fighting for a long time, we fought and defeated many enemies from the mild to the monstrous. We tried remaining hidden and not seek out any fighting but we still found battles that we fought in order to defend ourselves and others since arriving here. Facing that pack of goblins as well as that arachnid beast were actually the closest things we had from our previous encounters before stablishing ourselves as inhabitants in this kingdom.

Zachariah listened attentively, he saw as Spyro showed a face of melancholy almost nostalgic, he had obviously lived many adventures of his own and he missed those times of risk followed by reward, that rush was all too familiar to Zachariah but there was something else in Spyro's voice. Zachariah noticed how the young dragon breathed slowly and how his face slowly turned in the direction of Cynder sitting closely to him, the dragoness showed a face that communicated little interest in that subject, it felt to Spyro like this should be a subject which the two of them should talk about together but she chose to remain silent for the time being, just in case there was something worth chipping in for the conversation. Zachariah gave it a few more seconds before airing his next question, once again directing a stare at the young dragon as he asked:

- You also commented that the vault belonged to an earth dragon, as it was clearly shown on the warning by the entrance, how could either of you have opened the vault without a key or a fossilized remain or high end explosives of any kind? Is there some kind of magic shared by all dragons that I do not know about?

Spyro once more looked at Cynder, in doubt if he should even answer that and tell the fox the whole truth about the nature of his powers, Cynder opted to stay silent once more but she showed a facial expression that communicated how she trusted Spyro to arrive at the best conclusion and answer that inquiry as he saw fit. Spyro decided to tell the truth right away and speak about the true nature of his magic, first, by taking a long breath of air and then by speaking up:

- Zachariah, you have seen how I can spew fire and shoot bolts of electricity from my mouth, but that is not everything I can do. I have the ability to command four magical elements in total as fire, lightning, ice and earth. As a purple dragon I was born with the power to wield and master all four of these elements which were taught to me by my teachers.

Zachariah was left stupefied, he knew that dragons were indeed powerful creatures but he had no idea there existed any being capable of using so many different kinds of magic from birth. The fox pointed a claw at the young dragon and asked for confirmation of that straight away as he asked with a louder volume to his voice:

- Four elements? You can use four different elements of magic?

Spyro shrugged that off at first, raising his right shoulder and ten answering surely:

- Yes, it is told that purple dragons, like myself, can learn to master the four elements most common to other species of dragons. Cynder can also manipulate four elements of her own.

Cynder turned her head in the direction of Spyro with a glaring look that went unnoticed, she did not appreciate having her own nature discussed so openly but there were no harsh words or feelings exchanged after that, the truth was already out in the open. Zachariah turned his face to the left to look at Cynder and ask of her with a gasp followed by a slightly informal question:

- You as well?!

Cynder released a silent sigh from her mouth before answering, positioning herself in a stance of pride as she puffed her chest and said:

- Yes, I can manipulate darkness, poison, air and fear.

Zachariah was still somewhat taken aback by the nature of that information but his focus turned to Cynder once more as he asked for a little more clarification on her abilities as he spoke up:

-Wait a moment. Fear? That is not a type of magic that I ever heard of.

Zachariah stopped to think about that for a moment, throughout all of his ears studying and battling other magic users he had ever heard of someone manipulating fear as a form of magic, the extended pause for silence and thought concerned the dragoness quite a bit as she was worried about saying something wrong. Spyro was the one to break the silence as he leaned slightly forward and asked of Zachariah:

- Is something wrong?

The fox came out of his deep state of thought and answered to that:

- No. I was only thinking… I never thought it would be possible for any being at all to possess four different elements of magic inside their being. Let alone being able to use all four of them separately.

Zachariah took another short pause to think further on that and continued speaking in the same line of thought as before:

- I have only hear of beings that have control over one or two magical aspects and the tales of individuals able to use separate attributes of magic without the aid of a tool or enchanted piece of gear are very rare. The powers you two have in order to keep each element separate inside your bodies with such control must be beyond impressive.

Zachariah paused once more, he became worried that he was starting to ramble on and on as he did during most arguments or conversations he had taken part in but there were still some doubts in his mind relating to the other thing that had him mildly perplexed:

- Furthermore, I have never heard about the clarification of this 'fear' magic. It might be a distant form of chaos magic manipulation, which is also exceedingly rare, even amongst nobility. It may be easier to classify it if I had the multi-soromhex with me.

Spyro raised a brow and asked right away, convinced that the fox still did not realize that he was talking with other beings that still did not have quite the grasp on the culture aspects around them just yet. Spyro tapped the palm of his right paw on the ground in front of them, it was not an aggressive tap merely a flick of his wrist as he called out to Zachariah's attention and asked of him:

- The what now?

Zachariah turned to the dragon and wasted little time airing an explanation about what he had just mentioned as he made a slow circular movement with his right paw before making a zig-zagging motion with his left paw pointing all over the empty air in front of him. The fox spoke out as he made his gestures, believing that it would help illustrate his ideas a little better:

- It is a diagram that depicts the different magical elements present in our world and how they correlate with one another. It is simple knowledge spoken out in books about the subject, but I do not…

Before Zachariah could finish his explanation, an idea was quickly formed in Spyro's mind, the young dragon already have a pretty good idea about what was being spoken of and his mind turned to the books and tomes that were left inside the cave, the dragon interrupted the explanation provided by the fox to raise his right paw in the air and speak up:

- Oh, wait! I think I know what you are talking about.

Spyro raised his body from the ground and turned over to run in the direction of the cave, the purple dragon left the small campsite behind to fetch his book of notes from inside the cave but he left in a hurry without explaining the reason why and that left both Cynder and Zachariah a little confused. Spyro got to the back of the cave and roamed through the material left over the boxes that were made to be his work bench, the dragon put the writing utensils aside in order to grab the book he was looking for, place it under the hold of his right wing and take it outside to show it off, he exited the cave with the same speed and excitement he had before in order to show to his friends in detail the result of his own independent studies in relation to magic and its applications in that realm.

Spyro walked past Cynder who was still comfortably laying on the ground, just waiting with moderate expectation to see what all of that was about, the young dragon placed himself standing closely to Zachariah, opening the book he had just brought over and opening in a page closer to the beginning. Zachariah watched as the young dragon just stop himself at his left side and flipped through the pages of the book, the fox caught glimpses of drawings that looked like maps and charts drawn in detail, some of them covering entire pages with smooth lines of ink, he could hardly wait to know what the dragon wanted him to see. As soon as Spyro found the page that he meant to find, he turned the book around and showed it to Zachariah, the fox saw the drawn representation of what he was talking about, a circle with ten elements neatly organized on the page by the left and a more simple circle drawn by the page on the right with only six elements. Such meticulous organization impressed the fox who simply grabbed the book with both hands to get a better look at it.

Spyro waited a few seconds, making sure that the eyes of the fox had scrolled around the pages in clear view a couple of times before speaking up:

- I read through a few tomes and scrolls that we managed to scrounge up from the vault, I was able to compile some of the information, including this diagram which was shown in great emphasis in some of the books. I also took notes on the interactions that can be observed between two or more magical elements, since some of the books were old, I had to make sure the connections were stable before putting them to paper.

Zachariah kept staring down at the open book but his sight was soon turned away over to Cynder as he spoke out in reference to her and to Spyro's diligent notes at the same time:

- As master Spyro cleverly noted in here, 'poison' is not an element of magic that receives a classification. The only elements in the natural spectrum are as listed.

Zachariah took a long breath before pointing over to the page at his left with his paw and passing his fingers over it in a clockwise circular motion, following the symbols written on the first circle:

- Fire, wind, metal, earth, gravity, water, composite, nature, electricity and energy.

Zachariah stopped himself short on his trail of thought as he got to analyze the subject a little more in depth after taking a closer look to the circular diagram. The fox return to his spoken explanation shortly as he pointed to one particular symbol and said:

- Then again, your poison may be a sub-category of composite magic since it encapsulates chemistry and alchemy.

Cynder put little thought into that, she did not need to know if her magic would be qualified or quantified into some different category but she already knew what she was capable of, she could create poisonous gunk that could incapacitate her foes and that was good enough for her mind to be put at ease even during times of confrontation. Zachariah turned his eyes to the book and looked over the other circle placed on the right side page, this time he placed his right paw and listed silently the last six magical attributes, the fewer ones that needed a classification wheel of their own but were still present in his conception of the world, inside his mind:

"Body, mind, soul, light, dark and chaos."

Satisfied with the visual aid provided by the dragon and still feeling rightly impressed with the young dragon's conduct for diligent study and exploration, Zachariah closed the book of notes and handed it over back to Spyro. The dragon placed the book under his right wing once more and turned his attention back to Zachariah as he explained:

- It is common knowledge that there are only sixteen magical elements and that they are well incorporated in the magical crystals scattered all over the land, but magical elements work differently within beings like myself. Due to genetic interactions stretched through the ages, a couple with different magic attributes can have a child with either only one magic type from one of their parents or, in rare cases, a child that can use two magical elements at the same time or a combination of both, such as the mixture of water and wind which can birth a mage adept in ice magic or such as my case.

Zachariah cleared his throat before placing another layer to his explanation:

- My father was a great user of the energy element, he could fire concussive blasts of energy from his hands and feet, while my mother was born adept in the magic of the body, while she could only enhance her own physical abilities at first she practiced a lot and became capable of enhancing the abilities of others and even tracking weak points in the bodies of her enemies.

One quick breath through his nose and the explanation continued soon after:

- My impact magic is a curious mixture of them both, two aspects of two different circles combined within me. It is most amazing if you think about it.

After hearing that, Spyro's tail swished to the left and he was fascinated with that prospect, the apparent fact that magic could interact in different ways within living creatures, maybe even become greater and flourish into a complex form for use and study. Spyro poked the fox's shoulder with his right paw and said:

- That would imply that magic can… evolve somehow. That's amazing.

Zachariah nodded his head once and could do nothing more than agree with the young dragon and point out the astuteness to his observation:

- Exactly.

Spyro gave out a short hop while in place, showing that he was very excited with the opportunity to study even more about magic and learn if his own magical elements could evolve even further and maybe interact with one another in interesting ways. Cynder was happy to see the smile on Spyro's face as he exchanged theories with Zachariah, she was glad as long as her partner could be safe and satisfied with his notes and theories, the dragoness had no major gripes with exploration and adventure every now and again but an extended moment of rest and relaxation was much more welcome to her. Cynder dropped in the conversation as she spoke out:

- Zachariah, I think the meat is ready.

The fox turned over to look at the fire as pointed out by Cynder and was quick to take notice of the meal which had been sizzling over the fire for more time than initially intended, not an issue, it did not burn and it smelled delicious. Spyro also took his attention away from his notes and towards the meat cooking over the flame, he was so excited to discuss magical applications of foreign and familiar elements that he almost forgot how hungry he was. With a flicking of his cooking utensils and a spark of quickness relit in his eyes, Zachariah picked the meat recently prepared and split it amongst him and the tree dragons, the boar meat was enriched and hardened thanks to the heat of the fire but the knife he used to slice it up was sharp and resilient so it did not take much time at all, although, Spyro looked a little concerned since the back edge of the blade had metallic seams sticking out which made it look like a combat knife at first glance.

Zachariah finished prepping the food that he was about to serve, he divvied it up on three platers and handed it out to the two dragons, the fox ate bite after bite in a slow manner as he used utensils to do so, Cynder and Spyro took it a little slower, the two of them simply brought the food closer to them while using their claws and taking big bites of the meat, savoring the dishes one bite at a time. Cynder hummed after a single bite, it was far better tasting than the food she had grown accustomed to in the past weeks, the dragoness looked over to Zachariah and spoke up after swallowing the delicious mouthful of meat:

- Zachariah, this is amazing. What did you put on this?

Not wanting t divulge every secret related to his cooking prowess, the fox raised his right paw to point at the dish immediately in front of Cynder and answered her with vague truths:

- Just a small rack of spices that I acquired from the northern markets, near a group of neighboring villages beyond the forest. The right mix gives the meat a satisfying kick.

Spyro was soon seen eating bite after bite of his dish at a much faster pace, the dragon wished that the flavor could stay for longer in his mouth so he reduced the size of each bite while savoring every juicy bit he could before swallowing it. Spyro aired his own comment about the dish soon after his fifth or sixth bite:

- This is great. Has quite the kick to it and it lingers for a bit.

The dragon turned to finish eating not too soon after, he was so engrossed in eating his share that he even dropped the book he was holding so carefully on the ground so that he could focus solely on eating and leaving nothing on his plate but his own image reflected on the slick metal surface. Cynder finished her own portion soon after Spyro, she was more than satisfied and was looking forward with more time alongside Zachariah if it meant that the fox would continue to keep providing information for Spyro to compile and more scrumptious meals like that one. Zachariah raised from his seat after he finished eating, he collected the metal plates he had given to Cynder and Spyro, stored them away so that he would clean them up later and moved closer to his caravan to look for something that would make that meal last a little longer, maybe a drink and a small side dish that he saved up for a special occasion.

Zachariah turned back to face the two dragons, he showed a bottle hoisted by his left hand that he had retrieved from the caravan but it was a simple glass receptacle that only contained water, the fox had a few nights of drinking alone beneath the moonlight and he had practically exhausted his reserve of fancy drinks, he was holding the bottle precariously by only having his pointing finger and thumb wrapped around the neck piece while his other fingers were holding on to the handles of three small metal mugs. Zachariah also revealed rectangular box being held in his right hand, his fingers were clamping over the side of the box and he was making an effort to ensure that it would not open by accident which would cause the contents inside to drop all over the dirty floor beneath him.

Spyro and Cynder looked over and their eyes followed the fox until he sat himself back down on his original spot, he sat down and carefully placed the box he was carrying alongside on his seat, he poured water into the three cups and handed out one cup for each of the dragons, keeping one for himself and returning to his seat to open the box and take a selective look at its contents and giving little attention to the mug of liquid held in his right paw. Cynder drank the water she had received right away, she set the cup aside and turned her head to face Spyro, the dragon was still only halfway through his mug, taking slow swigs of the refreshing water, she let them finish as something else called to her attention. There was a different smell in the air and Cynder was the only one of the dragons to notice that at the time.

From Cynder's point of view, Zachariah was taking small dots from the box and eating them one by one with a satisfied look in his face, Cynder had no idea what those dots were but they smelled sweet, sweeter than the scent of anything else she had ever knew, it made her very interested. Cynder pointed a claw at Zachariah and asked of him while taking a short pause to once more absorb more of the smell she had sensed before:

- Zachariah, what are… those little things?

While still having a piece of the unknown treat being crunched between his teeth, the fox turned over to the dragoness and answered her whilst demonstrating he had just picked up a new dot to consume quickly as soon as he was done with the one he chewed on:

- This here? This is chocolate.

Cynder squinted her eyes, what for Zachariah was something so common, to the dragons sounded only as a meaningless noise coming from his lips. Spyro heard the words being exchanged between his partner and the merchant and became curious right away, finishing the rest of his water and setting the empty mug down before directing his eyes back to Zachariah, finding the fox staring in the direction of Cynder with a small dark treat being held by the fingers of his right paw. Already being able to tell that Cynder had no idea what he was referring to, Zachariah moved his head around, directing an identical look to both of the dragons sitting right across from him and asked:

- Don't dragons eat chocolate?

Spyro shook his head from side to side with moderate speed before answering:

- I have never heard of such a thing.

Zachariah raised from his seat, putting the treat he had just snagged back inside the box, hoisting the whole thing up with both of his hands on it and saying:

- If that is truly the case then you have to try it.

Spyro was a little hesitant, the purple dragon made his head retreat for a moment as he saw Zachariah approaching them once more with short but quick steps, the fox presented the box with treats to Cynder first as the dragoness seemed far more interested in trying that new delicacy for herself. Zachariah showed the box and its contents to Cynder and the dragoness wasted little time reaching inside with her left paw, demonstrating care and consideration as she roamed around before picking up a single piece of chocolate. Cynder held the little treat between two of her claws, she studied carefully as she moved her wrist about and looked at the morsel through every angle, an almost perfect sphere in her hold with a sweet scent that only got stronger to tease her even more.

Cynder opened her mouth and deposited the little treat within, she gave it a few seconds before she began crunching it between her teeth but what she felt as soon as she did so shocked and amazed her. Cynder could feel the outer crust of the chocolate melting away in her mouth, her teeth were sharp and strong so she felt no resistance as she chewed on it until she found a small pocket of resistance at the center. The pure dark treat shattered between her teeth and the flavor invaded every corner of her mouth, her tongue moved around frantically, trying to catch every remnant of the sweet flavor, she began to salivate a moderate amount as the enzymes within her mouth broke down every trace of the chocolate before she swallowed it. The taste of that single bonbon was beyond anything Cynder could think of, she felt a shiver of pleasure as her tail swished around behind her, her wings opened and her head raised, showing in clear view that she swallowed the treat after enjoying every bit of its consumption, the dragoness displayed a face with a smile of utter bliss cemented on her lips, Spyro was actually a little worried after seeing that.

After Cynder swallowed the chocolate treat, she looked around to the other two beings present around the campfire and she had nothing but good things to say about what she had just experienced. Spyro did not give time for Cynder to collect her thoughts and say anything as he asked directly:

- Cynder, are you feeling okay?

The dragoness took a short breath and answered with tons of energy in her voice:

- I feel way past okay. I feel amazing. This.. 'chocolate' thing taste is incredible.

Cynder proceeded to reach for the box and grabbed another sweet treat but this one was destined for Spyro, she picked the treat and directed it in clear view of Spyro before telling him:

- Spyro, open your mouth. You got to try this.

Spyro was still a little defensive but he trusted Cynder and her expression of happiness ultimately convinced him to try the chocolate for himself. Cynder waited for a few seconds with increased expectations for the purple dragon to open his mouth and Spyro did so as he slowly did, opening his mouth and revealing for all present to see the unrestricted nature of his fangs and tongue. Cynder calmly placed the treat inside Spyro's mouth and the purple dragon closed his maw as he felt the subtle pressure of the treat over his tongue, Zachariah kneeled down to the ground and waited for the young dragon's verdict on the new flavor that he was about to come into contact with. Spyro chewed the chocolate between his teeth and he felt a pleasant rush that only lasted a few seconds until he swallowed the treat, he enjoyed the chocolate only in a much smaller degree than Cynder.

- Wow, this is really good.

Spyro said so and that was his honest opinion on that but Cynder intervened as she spoke out:

- 'Really good'?! Try heavenly! This is the greatest thing I have ever tasted in my life.

Cynder spoke with such an excited tone of voice, the one thing she wanted more than anything else at that moment was to try more of the delicious new delight she had just eaten. With a quick motion of her head, Cynder turned to look at Zachariah and ask of him:

- Do you have any more? I want more and I shall have all of it.

Cynder made the last part of her statement sound like an order, almost like a demand, after a single taste the dragoness was hooked on the amazing sensation of flavor provided by the sweet and she wished to have more of it as soon as possible. Zachariah showed the plam of his right hand as a sign asking for the dragoness to slow down and be patient, he raised from the ground and walked back, far from the dragoness reach, as he explained:

- Easy, miss Cynder, I only have these chocolates with me and they are not cheap to obtain. Also, you cannot keep eating them, it might make you sick.

Only seeking the gratification of consuming more candy for herself, the dragoness puffed her chest and spoke in response to that:

- It will be worth it.

Spyro laughed after hearing that and the night evolved from there, more conversation about magic and its applications unraveled between Spyro and Zachariah while Cynder took her time asking the fox about a few more details about the structure of the kingdom as well as how chocolate was made, she had hopes to discover a way to make more of her own but, as soon as she discovered that the fruit used to make the delicacy was located in a climate far away from the one they were currently located, she could do little more than express thorough dissatisfaction. By the end of the night, Spyro and Cynder retired to their cave while Zachariah entered his tent, falling fast asleep before dreaming of more exuberant tales that the dragons would share with him in order to feed his own interests to discover and piece together more about the true nature of the legendary beasts he had heard so much about in his youth.

---

The following day had arrived and Spyro was the first to wake up inside the cave, he opened his eyes and found the cave around him dimly lit while Cynder was still peacefully snoozing next to him with the right side of her head nearly sunk over the pillow. Spyro rose from his side of the nest and yawned before rotating his shoulders and stretching his body out, he did not feel like sleeping anymore so he decided to just get his day started right away as he began to walk in the direction of the cave's entrance. Spyro exited the cave and took a quick look around, to his surprise, Zachariah was nowhere to be seen, the fox had abandoned his campsite and undone his tent but his caravan was still parked on the very same spot as the night before so Spyro at least know that he had not departed without saying farewell.

Spyro became a little concern about Zachariah's whereabouts, the purple dragon decided to track where the fox had gone which, admittedly, was not too hard since the vulpine had left a clear trail to be followed, his scent traced off past the thin forest line to the left and there was a faint dotted line on the ground, his foot prints accompanied by his the pins of his walking stick. Spyro walked back inside the cave, his eyes turned over to his work bench but there were no more notes he wished to review or points he wished to add so he did not even bothered with grabbing his pen or opening any tome, his body had the energy to press on that morning but his mind was still slowly coming to terms with that, he went back and forth between starting on his regular routine or returning to his resting spot alongside Cynder.

Spyro looked back and forth, fraught with indecision, that is, until he looked over to the lower shelf on the wall and noticed a piece from the previous adventure that he forgot to mention to Zachariah, the sealed scroll with an insignia placed on its side, the dragon had taken it from its holding place from the vault's inner chamber but he set it aside, not even bothering to open it. Spyro reached for the scroll and began analyzing it, not much interest was placed over it by the dragon, that is, until he tried to open it for the first time, he discovered that there was a safety latch behind the insignia, the secrets of that scroll were secured and to uncover them the dragon would need a more delicate touch.

Spyro decide to head outside, he thought with well-intentioned logic how the fresh air and better lighting would aid him much more thoroughly in discovering away on how to open the scroll, he also figured that some distance may be prudent in case an attempt on opening the scroll would fail and frustrate him, he did not wish to wake Cynder up abruptly if that would end up being the case. Spyro stepped outside, he sat down on the ground and placed the scroll over the surface of a rock close to him, the light of the morning was just perfect for him to solve the lock and he did not let the lack of precision tools discourage him, he thought that if ingenuity would not be enough to solve that lock than sheer brute force would have to do.

Spyro began his analysis of the scroll locking mechanism by look, holding the scroll aloft with his two paws and turning it around in different angles to see if there were gears or switches in clear view that he could use in order to open the scroll, he did not have to look for too long before finding a circular gear at the lower part of the frontal insignia that could refer him to a further understanding of the lock. With his thumb claw positioned over the circular mechanism, Spyro began spinning it counter clockwise and the results immediately began to show as a single turn of that little wheel began to change the insignia on the lock in strange ways.

- Hum… that's interesting.

Spyro whispered to himself and return to quiet observation and experimentation. Spyro soon discovered that the insignia on the lock was actually a multi-layered puzzle, the circular mechanism the dragon had discovered was connected to two others and a series of gears that would rotate every layer of the insignia until they all fit into place and formed the image it was meant to be. Spyro decided to keep trying to solve the lock by himself, with his eyes fixated over the metal indentations he turned the thin wheels from side to side until the latch undid, the dragon was tired but satisfied with his accomplishment as he could finally see the secrets of the scroll as well as the insignia at the front for what it really was, a shield with the markings of a bejeweled star pierced by a sword and a rotating tool in the crest, clearly that scrolled belonged to a family of great renown before it was found by the dragons.

Spyro took long breaths, he closed his eyes for an extended amount of time as he prepared himself to unravel the scroll and read it for the first time, in truth, he closed his eyes mostly because he was tired of looking at the metal glinting in front of him without blinking for far longer than he intended to. Spyro held the metal cover of the scroll as delicately as he could before he began moving his paws away in a vertical manner but, before he could see inside the scroll, a friendly voice called out to him and required that he directed his focus somewhere else:

- Good morning, master Spyro.

Spyro turned around and saw Zachariah approaching him with a moderate rhythm to his steps, clanking his walking stick against the hard floor and occasionally releasing a sound against the hard rock beneath him. Spyro greeted the merchant and asked where he had gone off to on that morning, the fox simply answered that he went for a scenic walk to see for himself how much the island had changed since his younger days.

Spyro went ahead and showed Zachariah the scroll which was not even opened yet, telling the merchant that it was an artifact found inside the vault and asking out right if he would be able to identify any important detail from it. Sure enough, after a single glance, Zachariah was able to tell Spyro precisely what that was:

- This is a personalized bolt scroll. Monks and scholars pay for scrolls like this to be made by metal workers from all over, it is an instant guarantee that the information contained within them is important enough to be locked and guarded. There aren't many willing to pay full prize to make these anymore, the few that are still around are all contained within private libraries and collections.

After finishing that explanation, Zachariah placed his walking stick on the grip of another hand so that he could get a better grip on handling the scroll and simply opened the scroll up to check on what its contents were, not even using any finesse or restraint to do so, Spyro was concerned that such action might damage the scroll in some way but the paper was thick and it did not rip due to the fox's rushed motion. Zachariah kneeled down so that he would make an approximation of Spyro's height, the merchant wished to show the dragon the secrets of the scroll and Spyro hopped closer to check on it himself, there were many inscriptions on the old paper but the ink was very well preserved so all of the pictures were easy to understand and the words were easy to read. Spyro was marveled to see all of that, he could not wait to translate that text, his mind was percolating once more with the prospect of further discovery but his expectations were severely lowered once he heard the unenthusiastic tone that Zachariah used after he took a good look at the inscriptions:

- Oh, well.

Spyro tried to position himself a little higher, stretching his neck and adjusting his shoulders in order to get a better look at either the scroll or Zachariah, trying to investigate what the fox had seen. Spyro turned his eyes to the left to look at the fox's face and ask of him:

- What is it? What do you see?

Zachariah handed the scroll back to Spyro, leaning his upper body in the direction of the dragon and passing the object over to him, Spyro directed his sight to the scroll before accepting it back, taking care to not drop it on the ground. Zachariah explained himself, he switched the hold on his walking stick once more, putting it on his right hand, and used his left hand to point at the scroll and give a brief summarization of its contents:

- That scroll contains information passed over to the military, it is a lengthy text about Armament-soul.

Spyro had never heard that name before but it did sound like something of considerable importance, he also understood that it might have been information that Zachariah had seen before since the fox had been a soldier before becoming a merchant. Spyro looked away from the scroll but he still held it tightly in his paws as he asked:

- What is this 'armament' you speak of? Is it dangerous?

Zachariah gave a single step in the direction of the dragon and explained the nature of the text in detail as it was explained to him once before by his mentor:

- Armament-soul is a form of combat magic that any individual with some dominion over elemental magic can perform. It is a way to have your magical energy protecting your body naturally over the course of a fight, it may even enhance your spells and become stronger over time, many soldiers employed by the royal forces use this technique in order to become better fighters. If I am reminded correctly, you have seen me use it before.

Spyro searched his memory for a short time, he had indeed seen the fox performing a feat of magic manipulation never seen before by either him or Cynder, the way he made his energy pass over from one arm to the next and surround his walking stick when they first met was a very intuitive way to use magic but Spyro did not think about that for a long while, he dismissed it as just an act of magic unique to Zachariah. Spyro opened the scroll further, his eyes glossed over the text, only picking a few words at a time to translate, he was far more interested in the visual aid provided through the scroll, the drawn images of humanoid beings channeling energy through their bodies in different ways interested the dragon so much that he wished to learn more about it but a new thought crossed his mind as he got near the end of the reading spread, sayings on a piece of paper would only teach him so much about this advanced form of magic control.

Spyro closed the scroll and looked in the direction of Zachariah, the fox had a far off look as he turned his head and looked over towards his caravan, the forest, the sky, he seemed to have his attention split throughout the entire environment around him, it was a radical change from the bustling roads and towns he spent most of his nights. Spyro closed the scroll and set it aside, he had to ask Zachariah an important question and he started by poking the side of the fox's right leg to call on his attention and speak out:

- Zachariah, will you teach me?

Zachariah turned his eyes towards the young dragon and asked for clarification on his question:

- 'Teach' what to you, young dragon?

Spyro was quick to answer:

- Teach me how to use this armament, teach me how to improve the control of my magic.

The merchant was shocked to hear that, he was surely honored that the dragon would consult him on such a matter but he was also slightly confused by it. Zachariah proceeded to turn his entire body in order to face Spyro completely and ask of him:

- Why would you need my help in order to learn such a thing? It was of my understanding that dragons were the ones to create such a way to control magical energy.

Spyro was fast as he managed to formulate an answer to that:

- It may have been as you have been told but I was never taught about magic in such a way. My magical elements and the control I have over them is remedial at best, in big but short bursts of power it takes a great deal of energy for me to use my magic and I think a lesson in control may help me become stronger and more apt for fights.

Zachariah could feel the plea of the dragon, wanting to be more capable, stronger, more suitable for greater tasks ahead. Zachariah could not help but see a bit of himself in the young dragon's eyes, someone avid for power not because it would satiate some primal urge to subjugate others but because it would be the best way to assure the safety of the ones he cared about would be maintained. Zachariah lowered his head, showing that he still attained some hesitance, before he spoke up:

- Very well, young dragon. If it is truly your wish to learn the boundaries of your magic and how it can be better used, I shall teach you how to do so.

Spyro hopped in place, excited to continue his studies in a more active role and having someone with more than enough experience to act as his teacher in that strange new realm. Spyro sounded of a gasp as he quickly took in some air into his lungs before asking:

- Really?! You'll teach me?

That was when Zachariah pointed a finger of his left hand straight at the dragon's face, making it clear with pomp and impact that he had strict conditions about how he would be employing his teachings. The fox spoke up:

- However, I do have some conditions in the matter. Two of them, in fact.

Zachariah showed his pointing and middle finger extended as he spoke of the two conditions:

- Number one: You shall heed my lessons diligently and do as you are told, your learning process will be grueling but it will be worth it.

Spyro nodded his head and answered:

- I understand.

Zachariah accepted the dragon's confirmation and proceeded with the second condition:

- Number two: Once you start on this path, there will be no turning back. The inner workings of your own soul, as well as the limits of your body, will be put out in the open. If you choose to give up at any point during the lesson, I will not teach you any longer, no matter how much you ask me to change my mind.

Spyro could see that Zachariah was serious, the merchant was now behaving more like a regimented soldier than ever before, one more facet of the fox that the dragon was seeing first hand. Spyro had a solemn look in his eyes as he spoke up:

- I understand. I accept your conditions.

Zachariah nodded and went on to get ready, walking in the direction of his caravan and thinking of much along the way. It was a short walking distance but many thoughts crossed over the fox's head, mostly questions about if he would be a good teacher for the young dragon and if his own teacher's methods would be enough to show Spyro how magic could be shaped in admirably different ways. Zachariah approached the side of his parking caravan, he was about to reveal another hidden secret of the remarkable vehicle as he kneeled down to the ground, placed his walking stick close to the front wheel lock and reached under the carriage in search of a hidden mechanism that had not been activated in a long while.

After finding the switch and making a simple flicking motion with his fingers, Zachariah could hear a myriad of small gears turning within his caravan, everything was still in working order, one second later a large drawer opened up at the side of the carriage revealing a stockpile of weapons, safely hidden in the compartment. Spyro walked next to Zachariah to take a closer look at whatever the merchant was looking for, the dragon expected to witness some epic set of armor or a forbidden weapon imbued with immeasurable power but, to his surprise, the hidden drawer revealed a set of training weapons that were all mad e of wood. Zachariah passed his right hand over each one of the weapons, trying to select the one that would be most appropriate at that specific time while letting Spyro keep an eye on him, leaving the young dragon perplexed with the fact that weapons such as those needed to be hidden for whatever reason there might be to do so.

Zachariah continued with his smooth selecting motion as he passed his hand over each weapon, recalling in silence why they had those made and the many uses they could have. There was a large wooden sword made to look like a double-edged claymore, two short swords made with symmetrical designs, a set of wooden daggers with guarded handles, three cross shaped boomerangs, two hatchets, one battle axe with two sides and, finally, the weapon that truly struck his fancy for that moment, a large straight staff with beautiful markings covering most of its length. Zachariah grabbed the wooden staff, removing it from the wide selection, and closed the drawer leaving all the other weapons to be chosen for another time, the merchant turned over to Spyro and demonstrated the weapon in clear view of the dragon, a simple staff made of dark wood and with intrinsic detail stamped over most of its extent. Zachariah tapped the lower tip of the staff against the ground and spoke up:

- This is the least lethal weapon that I own, to the untrained eye it may not look like much but it is the one I am most comfortable with using. We shall begin our training whenever you are ready.

Spyro pumped his chest, raised his head and opened his wings up until half span while he was gathering the confidence to start. The dragon had taken practical courses before with the help of his teachers but he had the feeling that this particular lesson would push him harder than any other he had witnessed before in his life. After releasing a puff of air from his mouth, Spyro said:

- I'm ready.

To which Zachariah replied:

- Excellent. Let us begin.