The Journey Home

by NewLegend1

Settings may change, but conflict doesn't. Young Spyro finds himself in a world once inhabited by Humans, now left abandoned to dragons. Destroyed long ago in a war, only Humanity's ruins remain. His once peaceful city is shattered when a new creature arrives-a human. Alternate universe, M for violence. Now with new chapters!

17. Depot

Chapter 17: Depot

"Hey Spyro! Spyro! Wake up!" The voice came to Spyro, waking up the groggy dragon. The dragon groaned, rubbing his head. He opened his eyes, seeing a dragon standing before him. Spyro was in a darkened room, with the only light coming from a doorway behind the dragon. The light behind him was so bright that he could only make out the black silhouette of the dragon.

Where was he? He was on a bed, that much he knew. The room was so dark, he could barely make out any details. It… felt familiar to him though, like it was a room he knew. This whole place felt like somewhere he knew. The voice… the voice too was something very, very familiar to the purple dragon.

"Who… what…?" The young dragon finally managed to speak, lifting his head up to take in more details. Everything was so foggy… even the dragon's voice seemed to become a fog. Distant echoes came through his mind, making him question what was really there.

"Spyro? Spyro! Spyro…" The dragon talked again, the voice going through his mind. He squinted his eyes, trying to see. Finally, he did see.

A red dragon stood before him, in a room he had seen, many, many times before. He was home, in his bed. Flame, the fire dragon stood before him, a smile plastered across his face. A soft breeze flowed through the window leading outside, flowing across Spyro's face. It all felt so calm… so peaceful. Flame's smiling face, and the calm of his room, it was something Spyro never wanted to leave. Spyro couldn't help but smile and laugh back at Flame. The two dragons sat there in the room, laughing to one another as the soft sounds of his home resonated in his ears.

He could hear talking, laughing and conversation out his window, sounds he was so accustom to. Birds chirped outside his window, and he could see a bright and brilliant blue sky. Puffy white clouds scrolled across its surface, and an overwhelming feeling of… calm… embraced the young dragon. He got off his bed and walked to the window, looking out over it all. Flame trotted over and sat next to him, looking out over the scene. It was all so… peaceful, all so perfect.

"You know, you've been asleep all morning! You're going to miss out on everything if you do that you know." Flame turned to his friend, who snapped his head around to the fire dragon. Spyro smirked and shook his head.

"It was just so calm, I couldn't help myself!" It felt… odd to talk. Spyro didn't realize it until he had said what he did. Why was it so hard to talk? Flame looked at him with an odd look, as if puzzled. What? What was wrong? Something… felt wrong, but Spyro couldn't place it. Something was very wrong… he could feel it. There was a chill that ran down his spine, and it made him shiver in fear.

"Spyro? Spyro!"

"Flame? Flame what's wrong?"

"Spyro! Wake up Spyro! Wake up!" Flame was yelling at Spyro now, his paws reaching over to grip the purple dragon. Spyro's eyes widened, fear gripping his body. Behind Flame, a set of piercing yellow eyes began to form. They were looking at him… looking and staring at him with such power… such might. It was enough to make the young dragon freeze with fear.

"Wake up! Wake up Spyro!"

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

Spyro's eyes shot open, a sharp gasp coming out of the dragon. His heart was beating, his body to tense, tired. His face was wet… was he crying?

"Spyro? You alright there?"

Spyro's head snapped around, seeing Jericho sitting across from him on a rock. The human looked at the dragon with a bit of concern, which alarmed Spyro. It took a moment for Spyro to process this information but he eventually took in a soft breath before calming himself. He remembered now. He remembered all that had happened, and where they were. A frown came across his head, and he looked down at the ground.

"No… it was just a dream. Sorry Jericho."

"No it's alright. You just looked so tense."

Spyro sighed, shaking his head. Jericho looked at him for a moment before returning to what he was doing. He sat on a rock across from him, his armor and jacket off and resting next to him. He only wore a plain olive drab shirt, something that Spyro himself rarely saw. He was in the middle of accounting for all the ammunition he was carrying. One by one he loaded rifle bullets into magazines by hand, preparing them for any future fights. Spyro watched as he slipped in each bullet one by one. The soft metallic sounds of the rounds gliding into their respective place calmed Spyro for the moment, and occupied his gaze. His eyes were drooped, content.

"Anything so far?" Spyro finally snapped from his simple gaze, asking the human a question. Jericho continued loading the ammunition before stopping for a moment and looking outside. They were sitting in a small cave in the forest. Well, it wasn't so much a cave rather than a hole in a pile of fallen over rocks. Either way, it was enough to keep them warm and dry. They had been walking for two days since their… incident. This cave was the latest in their series of makeshift camps.

"No, nothing so far. It's been quiet out here."

"So much for forbidden…" Jericho turned to the dragon, frowning a bit. This forest, this place, it was all "forbidden." Whoever came here would meet a quick death at the hands of monsters, abominations. So far, they'd only seen birds and feral animals wandering the forest. They'd seen no such monsters or creatures of any sorts. Ever since they engaged the Sentinels outside the walls of Baltimore, they hadn't encountered anything of trouble. They had just… walked and walked since then, stopping only for a moment's of rest. Jericho had said that Sentinels did indeed pursue them into the forests but… they hadn't heard a single thing of them. They had likely lost their way, or perhaps had gotten themselves killed. Either way, they were safe for the moment.

Jericho turned over to a small fire that he had prepared. He had a small pot resting over the fire, heating up some liquid on a pot. He poured its contents into a cup he had, prepared from some brown powder he had earlier. He mixed the contents together slowly, blowing steam off of the top of the cup. He saw Spyro watching him and smiled. He offered the cup to the dragon, whom reached out and clumsily grasped the cup. Jericho had to help him since his paws could barely hold it in place.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting you don't have a thumb."

"It's alright." He spoke softly, his energy to talk still low and distant. He tipped the cup over to take a sip, but immediately recoiled at the hot substance, as well as the very bitter taste. "What is this stuff?" Spyro asked, taking in a whiff before going in for another sip. Jericho chuckled.

"It's coffee. It's supposed to give you a lot of energy, used to be drank in the mornings to help you get up. Well, that was before the war of course."

"It's really bitter… Is the bitterness supposed to wake you up?"

"Well, I don't think so. There's something else in it that wakes you up. I never drank much of it myself. it's always in short supply. You need a special ingredient to make coffee, and nobody here grows it."

Spyro leaned in to take another sip, the bitter taste making him grimace a bit, but the warm liquid going down his throat did at least feel pleasant. Especially on this cold day…

"I think before the war you'd also use milk and sugar to make the drink much less bitter. Used to be a good recreational drink."

"Milk? Why would you drink that? Isn't that for young mammals?" Spyro tilted his head in confusion. He had heard of milk before, though only from some anthros who fed their young breast milk. When they grew up, they stopped doing that and of course grew up into normal foods. Did… humans drink their milk as they grew older…?

"Milk is actually very good! It's very tasty when it's done right." Jericho came back in a defensive tone. Spyro still gave him a very confused and quizzical look. Jericho returned it for a moment before the realization dawned on him.

"Ooooh, you think that we… drink our own milk? No, no, we drink the milk from feral cows. Their milk is far easier to get then others. Even our own… No, yeah that would be weird."

"It's still a little strange… I'd never think to drink that as a normal drink… Don't think I've ever had milk before."

"You're missing out then. It's really good with breakfast, and you can turn it into all sorts of foods. You can make cheese out of it, ice cream, chocolate…"

"I've had cheese before but what's ice cream? And chocolate?"

"Man, I can't believe you haven't had either of those… Ice cream is uh… it's a frozen treat, prepared using milk, sugar and a few other ingredients. I'm not sure what goes into making it, I've only ever had it a few times. My father always used to say the ice cream he had as a kid was waaaay better. Our way of making it now is… well, crude."

"And chocolate? I think I've heard of it once or twice but what's that?"

"That's another really good treat. It's also really rare, I've only ever had it once. My father was lucky enough to come across some of it and prepared some fudge for us when we were young. Come to think of it, he probably traded Barley for it. The ingredients for it are really hard to get, they only grow in regions south of here. Far, far south of here on another continent. Again, way before the war."

"If you could only get it there, how was it so widespread?"

"Well, before the war humanity had a vast trading network in place. Plants and crops grown in the southern reaches of Earth could easily be transported and turned into different products in the north. Like… chocolate for example. It would be shipped up north and turned into all sorts of things like, chocolate brownies, fudge, chocolate milk, you name it."

"Never heard of any of those…"

"One of these days, somehow, someway I'm going to get you some chocolate. It's going to blow your mind."

"As long as it's not bitter like this stuff…" Spyro took another sip, still grimacing at the taste. Still… he kept drinking it. Talk about ironies.

"I promise it won't be bitter." Jericho leaned back towards the entrance of the cave, seeing the conditions outside. It looked to be nearing mid-afternoon. Dark clouds circled overhead, but they were patchy at best. It was getting cold outside now, cold enough that Spyro shivered a little. He wished he could have a jacket to put on, but it was still bearable for him. Least there wasn't any snow yet.

"We should set out before we lose our daylight."

"Any idea how far we are into the forbidden zone?"

Jericho pulled out his map, looking it over slowly.

"I haven't seen any road signs or land marks so it's hard to say where we are exactly. I'd say we're getting close to something though."

Spyro sighed, shaking his head. How much longer must they walk? They had walked for almost two days since they left Baltimore, since… everything happened. Spyro hoped that they would reach New York soon, or whatever it was that was out here soon. The sooner this was all over… the better. Yet, Spyro felt as though once this was over, he would not know what to do with himself. There was… nothing left to do.

Jericho saw his face change, seeing the sadness in his eyes as they drooped to the floor. Jericho took in a deep breath himself, setting his coffee down onto a small rock nearby.

"Spyro, I'm sorry about what happened."

Spyro looked up at the human, the two having not actually discussed what had happened in the time since Baltimore. They had… quietly agreed none of them would talk about it. In fact Spyro had said nothing that first day, only walking in silence.

"It's… it's alright Jericho."

"If I hadn't brought you two along…"

"No Jericho… The Sentinels would have come after me one way or another. I'm special apparently… Even if I had surrendered to Vivex, I'm not certain how much of the bargain he would have held up. I… I just…"

"If it means anything, I don't think I would have ever made it this far without your help. Without any of your help for that matter… I probably would have died long ago if I had gone by myself."

"Then I guess its fate."

Jericho just smirked at the dragon who brought his gaze back down to the floor. Yeah, fate. Spyro kept telling himself that but Spyro wished fate would give him something else to work with. Jericho reached over, picking up his coffee and took another sip, the soft sounds of the fire crackling being soothing to Spyro somewhat. He looked at it for a few moments longer before Jericho walked over to extinguish the flames.

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

The soft sounds of the afternoon winds washing over the grass pleased Spyro, and brought some calm to him. The winter weather had turned the grass a yellow color, and the recent rain had made the grass moist and soft. It also meant that it danced pleasantly in the wind as the dragon and human walked through the grass. The dragonfly they had with them floated by their head, gleefully watching the scenery.

They had been walking for quite a few hours now. They had set out from their cave this morning, and had walked all afternoon through the thick forests until the trees and foliage started to loosen up. Small buildings rose from the tall grass, showing that there had been an old town here at some point. You could barely make out the structures against the trees and brush; time had not been kind to these buildings. To be fair, they were smaller buildings anyway, made of wood and old stone. Half of the buildings were toppled over or were in the slow and gradual process of collapse. Those made purely of stone still stood in defiance, but vines and shrubs had begun to slowly reclaim those structures as well.

Jericho looked around, switching between looking at the scenery and his map. Spyro looked over to the human.

"Anything?"

"No… there aren't any signs or landmarks here… There's nothing I can use as a reference."

Spyro sighed, looking around again. Without any way to find out where they were, they didn't even know if they were heading in the right direction. They were just going straight northeast, hoping they'd hit something soon. They'd been walking for so long, Spyro was starting to doubt Jericho's compass.

"Least the forest is lightening up a bit…" Spyro looked around, thankful that there was a little more breathing room here. The presence of a town seemed to keep the trees scaled back, letting the sky and sunlight filter through. They had been walking through a thick and vast forest for at least a day straight, so sky was a very welcomed sight.

They continued walking through the overgrown ruins, seeing a sign still standing alongside what Spyro could have only guessed to be the main road. Yes! A sign!

They both sprinted to it, hoping to find out where the hell they were.

"CAUTION! You are approaching a United States Army Evacuation Post. Please have all I.D. ready, and listen to instructions given by officials. You may not go beyond the bus depot unless authorized by US Army personnel."

The two of them looked at the sign, Jericho kicking a nearby rock.

"That doesn't tell us where we are…" He grumbled, crossing his arms. Spyro looked at him and sighed softly. Cars of various kinds and sizes were strewn around the sign, along the road and in places where Spyro doubted a road was. They seemed to pile up, leading to a structure near the back of the forest clearing. It was an ornate structure, with a vaulted ceiling and wooden façade. It was surprising it had survived all these years, but its sheer size probably helped. There was a single sign on its entrance, still legible.

"Oxford Bus Station," it read. Jericho looked up, seeing the sign as well.

"Oxford, Oxford!" He cried out, pulling out his map. He frantically searched until he found it, pressing his finger on the mark. He pulled out a marker and scribbled down a few notes before proudly standing back.

"We're just outside of Philadelphia, I'd say a… few more days at best. And from there… New York City." Spyro walked over, looking at the map. So close… but still so far… A few more days to Philadelphia, and then… a few more to New York? Spyro wondered what awaited them in New York. Would it be a hidden city, taken over by anthros? What about another race of creatures they had yet to meet? Was it just going to be another buried city, just like this one? Would it be at the epicenter of some massive event that destroyed everything? Since nothing seemed to live or come from these woods, perhaps Spyro could only expect for there to be nothing waiting for them in New York… The area was so thick with overgrowth that it was hard to see anything except pure forests. Still, Spyro had yet to see what was so "forbidden" about this forbidden zone. They had yet to encounter anything at all that was dangerous or threatening. Just… the occasional peaceful wildlife. The occasional tasty wildlife…

"It's getting late, let's check out that old bus station. There might be a roof we can sleep under this time…" Jericho packed his map away, making his way through the tall grass and rotting cars to the bus station. The trees and foliage almost seemed to converge on the station, the clearing ending at its point. It was hard to tell what was on the other side of it, the brush was too thick. Perhaps there was a wide open field, or just more… forest…

As they drew closer, Spyro could see more signs and posts, all reading "US Army" on them. Burned military-style jeeps lay along the side of the road, and Spyro could see the wrecks of one or two "tanks" resting nearby as well. Unfortunately for any would be scavengers, none of them looked to be in any recoverable condition. Something powerful had ripped them apart…

"So what is this place?" Spyro asked, trying to peer inside the door as they drew close to it. Jericho stepped over a fallen log, reaching over to grab the handle to the door.

"It's an old bus station. Looks like they converted this place to be an evacuation center during the war. What good it did them…"

"What's a bus station though?"

"Oh. Well, it's just like a train station or an air…station-port, place. It's a place where you'd go to get on a bus. It'd take you anywhere you wanted to go, so long as it was on a road, and on their route. Never rode on any of them myself…" He stepped through the open doorway, slowly making his way through the debris covered floor. Spyro watched him sink into the structure before tilting his head to look at the forest again. He could… see something in the distance. There, over the tree line on the left of the station, he could see goliaths off in the distance. They looked close, yet still far away in the distance. Unlike the village where there was only one, Spyro could see at least three from here. They stood ominously, their details obscured by a soft haze. Spyro turned, going into the station to join Jericho.

The inside was dark… only illuminated from the setting sun outside. A soft yellow hue cast itself onto the rotting and old wood, almost looking inviting in a strange way. Seats filled the large room that served as the entrance. Booths, ticket counters and stands all sat around the room, either fallen over or rotting away. Dirt and grass had come in from outside, the building slowly beginning to succumb to mother nature. There was a second floor to the room, though from this room it was only a balcony that ran along the edge of the room. The second floor looked to be far more expansive in the back of the building, beyond this entrance room.

All around there were fallen signs, rotted but still legible. "Where are we supposed to go," asked one sign, while another fallen evacuation sign had its words crossed out and the words "You liars," written across it in red ink. One desk against the wall had iron bars sealing it away, with a sign on it stating that the evacuation center was closed. Another sign on the floor detailing instructions for refugees had also been written over, with the ominous message of, "you were supposed to protect us…" It was all ominous, and sent chills down his spine. Bullet holes riddled the wall, and Spyro thought he saw what might have been old blood stains along the chairs and floor. Still… something was odd about this scene…

Suddenly, it hit Spyro. There were no bodies here. What looked like a hopeless last stand or place of abandonment was… devoid of any bodies. With all the discarded relics here and items… it would have made sense that they'd be accompanied by something at least… where had they all gone…?

"That's far enough, don't you move now." A gruff voice was accompanied by the sounds of a weapon clicking. Spyro looked up, seeing a large figure standing on the second floor balcony, looking down at them, a shotgun pointed right at the both of them. A thick jacket covered his body, and a gas mask obscured his face from view. Jericho stood up from where he was, and raised both his hands. Spyro took in a deep breath, startled by the figure. The figure suddenly stopped, however, as if surprised. He quickly lowered his weapon and reached for the gas mask obscuring his face.

He pulled it off, revealing the bearded and rosy cheeked face of a man- a Forger.

"My God... you're human," He said softly, looking at Jericho. Jericho stared back in disbelief himself, lowering his arms. Spyro looked between the two of them, the scene falling deathly silent as the two humans just stared at one another.

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

"Well now, that's quite the story you've got there." The human, who Spyro had learned was named Robert Masters, handed Jericho a cup of tea. Jericho took the cup and sipped on it softly, smiling at its taste. The man was rather portly compared to Jericho, though not too much. He had rosy cheeks that were lined with a white beard with small tinges of brown along their edges. He had a small but growing bald spot on his hair, showing his age. He looked remarkably older then Jericho, and Spyro would wager that he was in his late fifties, if not sixties. They had all gathered around a small little camp fire that Robert had made. It seems Robert had renovated the second floor of the bus station to be his personal home, with beds, furniture and the like. This little campfire even seemed to have its spot, with chairs and soft blankets around to keep them warm. With dusk settling in, the fire was a warm welcome.

"It's sweet…" Jericho remarked.

"Yeah, you like it? It's from my stash, don't get to enjoy it often." Robert poured himself a cup, taking a sip. He was halfway through it before he stopped and quickly got another cup, forgetting about Spyro.

"Whoops, almost forgot about you. It's… not often I've socialized with a dragon before…" He handed the cup over to Spyro, who clumsily held onto it. He had to pin it to his chest to keep it from tipping over.

"Well, I said the same when I first met him." Jericho smiled at Spyro, who chuckled softly. They had just finished telling Robert about their story, about their travels and their experiences. Robert was obviously fascinated with how a dragon and human had found company in one another. They in kind told him the same thing they had explained many times already. In desperate times, you'll ally yourself with anybody you can.

"This is quite the place you've got here for yourself Robert," Jericho said while taking a look over his shoulder at the renovated second floor. Most of it had been cleared out, though there were many crates and items scattered around the area that looked to belong to Robert. Electric lighting looked to have been fastened into place post war, all wired and connected to random generators that sat around the building. Most were turned off, probably to save on power. The building looked fortified, ready to take any assault or attack with most of the windows being secured and most major entryways and access points sealed off. It was a wonder they were able to sneak through the front door.

"Why thank you, it was an evacuation station from before the war, there was a lot of old gear here that I was able to salvage. Most of the supplies and equipment is from that era."

"Why out here, an abandoned bus depot?" Spyro asked, tilting his head towards the human. He smirked at Spyro.

"This place has a… personal meaning to me. We've had a long history together. I think it's rather fitting if I do say so myself."

"What about this place… the forbidden zone? This place is supposed to be cursed, and riddled with danger. You aren't also worried about the Sentinels at all?" Spyro came again with his line of questioning, but Robert merely shrugged it off, seeming to almost laugh at them.

"Son, let me tell you something. Most of those stories are so full of shit. I've been here for a few years now and I've never seen anything out of the ordinary. If there were "monsters" out here in these woods, they've since long moved on. These forests are all quiet, though I do have to admit, I may have taken advantage of those myths myself. It doesn't take much to scare away a would be traveler around here. Give them a little smoke and mirror show and they go screaming back to Baltimore!" He laughed as he talked, having to catch his belly which jumbled with each laugh. Spyro smirked back at him.

"So there isn't anything out here?"

"No dragon, I do believe these forests are as quiet as any other. Doesn't mean the occasional strange sighting doesn't happen, but I've never found anything… precarious…"

"Strange sightings? Like what?" Jericho asked, curious himself.

"Oh you know, the good old shadows in the tree line and strange sounds. Likely just random forest creatures. I pay them no mind, since they seemed to have kept their distance to me. I doubt they are any threat, and the fact that you two made it here undisturbed only goes to show how much those stories are bogus."

"It was rather quiet… very empty…" Spyro remarked, looking at the floor.

"You see? What'd I tell ya?"

"So there isn't anyone else out here that you know of? Is it just you here by yourself?" Jericho asked, changing topic.

"No, I'm afraid not. There are… a few people out in these parts, but they're closer to the shore, isolated traders. They're also further south. To my knowledge, I'm the farthest north anyone's dared to go."

"What about Sentinels, any of them around here?" The young dragon asked again about the Sentinels, making Robert chuckle. Spyro gave him an annoyed look somewhat, offended that he'd write them off. To Spyro, they were a viable threat, especially after what they did to him…

"Son, I'm not scared of a Sentinel. They're chumps compared to what I've seen. While there aren't any monsters here now, there used to be monsters who roamed the Earth long ago. Now those are creatures to fear. The Sentinels, they're predictable, easy to avoid. They also don't dare come north. It's like they, above anyone else, are terrified of what lay out here. Fine by me, they can believe those old stories all they want."

"So you say this place has a lot of meaning to you Robert. Why? How'd you end up here?" Jericho decided to change topics, the human softly taking a sip from his cup.

Robert placed a hand on his hips, looking up as he began to think back.

"Well, you see this used to be an Army evacuation post during the war. I was alive during the war, I think I was about six or seven at the time. My family fled our home in Kansas for these… 'Safety Zones' that the Government had set up. A bunch of hogwash they were… We first went to US North, but I'll give you three guesses as to what they did when we got there." He pointed at Jericho, who sat for a moment before answering.

"They closed it?"

"Exactly." Robert picked up his cup and drank the last of what was in it before quickly pouring himself another. He rocked back and forth in his seat as he talked, his almost jolly disposition making Spyro chuckle somewhat. He was about to take another sip before he stopped, instead continuing his story.

"That's why we went east to US East, but guess what happened when we finally made our way aaaaall the way to Charlotte." He turned to Jericho, then Spyro.

"They closed it, didn't they?" Spyro offered a response, remembering the visions he had of what he could only surmise to be US East. It had been closed, shut away from all incoming refugees.

"Exactly. See, dragon's smart! Our only option was to go north then, to US Northeast. Well, this is where we ended up, in this exact depot. I think you saw the signs along the way to tell you what happened." He brought the cup back up to his face to take another sip of tea.

"They closed it, just like all the other safe zones… Why did they do that? Why'd they close the safe zones?" Spyro turned to the human who set the cup down, his mind racked with deep thought.

"It was US Army protocol, to shutter the zones if the enemy got too close. All except for US East. They closed it whenever the sky opened up, and those beams of death shot down. It was like the Army was expecting it."

"Beams of death? You mean HADES?" Jericho asked now, making Robert turn to him.

"I'd suspect. I'm not entirely sure of what happened, I just remember one day those beams shot down from the sky, and nothing was ever the same. Entire swaths of land became unrecognizable. Power was knocked out across the continent, and aircraft just fell from the sky…"

As Robert spoke, Spyro couldn't help but have flashes, flashes of the dreams he had. He visualized everything he spoke of the lasers, the aircraft falling from the sky… the land changing and buckling under the demands of the lasers… and the strange things left in their wake.

"It was also when the Army started to lose the war. Well, that's what the soldiers told me. Even the most perfect defensive line will not hold if beams of death come raining down everywhere. Everything kind of fell apart after that. I was surprised when they re-opened US Northeast when they did. Didn't matter though, did it? We never made it farther then these gates. They had closed it again when we arrived, the creatures were getting too close. We had to flee into the countryside. The monsters came not long after we did… whoever was still here paid their dues." Robert took a soft and solemn sip from his cup, staring down at the liquid with remorse in his eyes. Spyro watched his eyes and frowned a bit.

"So then how'd you get away? Where did you go?" Jericho asked, leaning forward a bit.

"We fled towards the ocean, hoping we'd find salvation on a boat, or something like that. It was then that we found an isolated fishing town, nestled along the coast. It was guarded by a cut off platoon of soldiers, who all knew the inevitable. We hid there, and formed a community. A community that's thrived since those days I'm happy to say."

"You're… here though now, aren't you? You left the town, why?"

"I can't tell you the full truth honestly. There's something about this place, something I can't shake from myself. Here many people came, including my family and I to seek salvation. Many of them never made it beyond those gates. I guess I'm just an old sentimental bastard, standing here at these gates… just like my family did." He picked up his cup and once again downed its contents without a second thought. "Yeah, I guess I'm just an old sentimental bastard."

Spyro looked at Robert, he looked at the way the human had turned and was gazing out of the back window. He looked out at the landscape back there, and Spyro could see the glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.

"Then why not go?" Spyro asked, picking at that curiosity.

"Hmm?"

"Why not go, 'beyond the gates' as you say. Why not just see what's out there?"

Robert smiled and turned to Spyro, his eyes drooped and low.

"Now, that would be far too easy. Besides, there's nothing out there. There's nothing out here… Anyone heading in that direction is a fool. Nobody's ever crawled back from that way and claimed to find something. I've known many foolish bastards to try, and none of them ever come back. Hell even those anthros come clawing their way up north, only to vanish in the forests around here."

Jericho looked down at the floor, a frown crawling onto his face.

"I guess I'm one of those foolish bastards then…" Jericho muttered softly. Robert turned to him.

"You're going north? Where to?"

"New York City." Robert grimaced and sat back in his chair at the words.

"Son, I'd hate to disappoint you, but there isn't anything out there. There's no radio broadcasts, no signals… Everyone that I've ever talked to has never heard of anything coming from the north. There's always rumors and whispers but they're always just that. Some crazed fools spotting unmarked boats or aircraft… I think they're just seeing ghosts from the past. I don't know what you'd ever find if you headed in that direction."

"I have to go, I have to find out."

Robert looked at Jericho for a moment before smirking, deciding to relax his posture, seeming inviting now.

"Alright then, I can see I'll never discourage you. Why the rush to go up north?"

Jericho reached into his jacket and retrieved his USB. He let it dangle from the necklace it was attached to, just enough for Robert to see. The old man sat forward in his seat and observed it over.

"Oh… and old USB device… It's been years since I last saw one."

"It was given to me by my father, and to him by his father. It was my grandfather's mission to deliver this device to New York City. I don't know why, or what's even on the device. I do know that the Sentinels want it… They've hunted me from my home in Ohio, saying it's going to be the beginning of their new world, or some shit. I don't even know if the device still works."

Robert reached out for the device, and Jericho let it slip into his hands. Robert ran his fingers over it softly, examining it. He eyed the words "Aurora-Borealis," watching how the light reflected off of the engraving. He frowned.

"I've never heard of "Aurora Borealis" before… though I might be able to answer one of your questions."

"Oh?"

"Come on, I'll show you." Robert stood up and walked towards a flight of stairs that went down to the first level. Jericho turned to Spyro, who could only offer a shrug. The two of them stood up and quickly followed the human who had already disappeared into the depths of the bus station. They found themselves in a hallway branching out to several rooms. Robert called out to them from one, and they quickly followed the voice to find themselves in a small office.

Robert stood next to a small portable generator, turning it on. Some electric lights in the room flickered to life, revealing a small table with a strange device resting on it. The device was connected to the generator, though all Spyro could see was that it was a metallic… tile of some sorts. Robert grabbed the tile and lifted up, revealing that it folded up! Spyro walked around the back to get a better look at it, seeing that while it appeared to be a flat tile at first, on its insides there was a screen of some sort, and keys on the other.

"An old laptop, I think I had one like this at my home!" Jericho said, smiling at the sight.

"This one was my own when I was young! I'm surprised I've managed to keep the damn thing working. I've burned through so many parts but this old girl keeps ticking." Robert sat down in a chair before cracking his knuckles to get to work. He pulled out the USB and removed a cap on it, revealing a small silver metallic box that was much smaller than the USB itself. He slowly inserted it into a corresponding hole on the laptop, as if the two were built for each other. This was amazing! Spyro had never seen such a thing!

"Now… if this USB has anything left on it, we'll soon find out…" Robert fiddled around with the laptop, different screens and icons flashing on his screen. Spyro had never seen a fully working computer before, there were so many colors! How could you fit all those images onto the screen like that? Spyro had seen… televisions before but this screen was so small! How did it all work?

"I guess that's it?" Jericho pointed to something on the screen, which Robert quickly found and accessed. Spyro tried to see, though all he could recognize was a large box with icons on it, with one reading… "AuraBor," or something like that. Robert accessed it, but suddenly sat back as a flashing warning came onto his screen.

"Well… that's new," he said, taken aback.

"What's new?"

"This device, it has an old military encryption on it. Pre-war military encryption, done by the US Army. I've seen a few of these before… but this is one tight encryption… Where'd your grandfather get this from again?"

"I don't know... my father never told me that. Only that it was supposed to arrive in New York City at all costs…"

"Well, with this kind of military encryption, it's a no wonder why the Sentinels might want this… I don't think I'd be able to tell you exactly what it is, though. Sorry." Robert turned to Jericho who just stood looking at the screen. There was only the emblem of Aurora Borealis, as well as the United States Army. Other than that, there were no other indicators of what might be on the flash drive.

"Son, I know what you're thinking. You still want to go to New York, don't you?"

"I do. You said you have an attachment to this place, I have an attachment to getting this to New York. I won't stop until I do."

"What makes you think the US Army is even still there? There's been no radio signals that I've seen and nobody I've ever met has seen anything beyond their little villages or networks. There's just silence."

"Well, maybe I'll find something that'll surprise me." Jericho leaned back, smirking a bit. Robert just shook his head.

"Well, you're more then welcome to spend the night here. Once you're all well rested then I guess I'll have to see you off. I do hope you find something out there…"

"Thanks Robert, I really appreciate it." Jericho extended his hand out to shake Robert's. Robert smiled at him, grasping his hand in his own.

"Well what can I say? When humans are this scarce, you can't help but extend whatever olive branch you still have left."

Night quickly settled onto the bus station, and their conversation slowly began to dwindle with the waning sunlight. Robert treated them to a nice, quiet dinner. Hunted food was on the platter, along with some drinks from Robert's stash. He called it, "fruit juice." It was very delicious, and sweet! Though, it hardly tasted like any fruit Spyro had eaten before... He was curious as to what might have been in it. Robert just said it was a drink he had when he was a child, a pre-war drink. Man, they must have some strange stuff.

Soon, Jericho had fallen asleep, as did Sparx and Robert. Spyro however, couldn't sleep a wink. He had tried, over and over but was just so restless... Eventually he got out of his little bed set aside for him in one of the more open "waiting rooms" in the station. He walked passed Jericho and Sparx who were sound asleep. Robert's bed was empty, which made Spyro curious. He walked down towards the stairs and desended back to the first floor. He saw a faint light coming from the room where they had looked at the flashdrive on Robert's computer. He stepped over towards it.

Inside, he saw Robert sitting at his chair, looking over something just outside of the dragon's view. His eyes looked drooped with sadness, as if he was remembering something. Spyro thought it might be best to let him be for the moment.

"I know you're there, dragon," Robert said, not taking his eyes off whatever it was that he was holding. Spyro stopped, slowly looking over with a nervous smile.

"Sorry... I was just restless," Spyro responded. Robert just smirked himself, looking over.

"I figured that as such." Robert moved his hands, placing the item on the table. It looked to be a piece of paper. No, Spyro recognized it, that was a photo! Spyro had seen many of them before, Forgers used to have lots of them, pictures that they had taken of their world. It had been a long time since Spyro had seen any though.

"Is that a photo?" Spyro asked, tilting his head a bit.

"A photo? Oh, yeah, I guess it is." Robert looked down at it, almost surprised that he even had it. Spyro raised an eyebrow. Was he distracted?

"Who's it of?"

"Man, Jericho wasn't kidding when he said you were curious. It's uh... of my wife."

"Your wife? You have a wife?"

"Had."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, no, it's alright. It's been... a long time now. Don't mind me, I'm just an old man, remembering things."

"What happened to her?" Spyro stepped forward into the dim candle light, his eyes and face looking so innocent, something Robert couldn't help but give a soft laugh at. The laugh caught Spyro off guard, something he wasn't expecting at a solemn moment like this. Robert saw this, and shook his head and hand as if to dispel any theories Spyro had.

"Sorry, it's just that Jericho really WAS right about you. You truly are something else. Well, if you must know, she died of a sickness years ago. It's... a sickness that only us humans can get, and a very deadly one."

"Oh?"

"There's no... official name for it yet. Magic lung, New World Plague, Magic Cancer... the names go on. Yet, all the communities I've ever seen it's the same thing. Some people can live through it while others can't. It's... something about this world. Something about what happened to it, and the new 'energies' that were infused deep into the Earth's crust. For some of us, exposure to too much of it can be fatal. That's what happened to my wife. Too many years exposed to "enchanted" winds coming from the west. It was like a slow acting poison to her."

"You weren't affected? What about the others in your village?"

"No, for many of us it takes a lot more to hurt us, or sometimes it just doesn't affect us at all. It's really funny how that works. There are certain things in this world that'll kill us but is harmless to you, while the same is also true in reverse. Things that'll kill you are harmless to us. Radiation and magic... two strange forces indeed."

"Yet 'magic' still managed to kill your wife?"

"Precisely. Even though 'magic' has little effect on us, there are many elements to this new world that are fatal to us. 'Magic,' isn't the only new force out there. This is now a very hostile world to us, regardless of the Sentinels."

" Is that… why you came here then?"

"What?"

"Is that why you came to this bus station? You lost your wife, so you came here?"

"I guess you could say that. We lived many long years together, but she had also been rendered sterile because of the contamination in the air. So yeah, I guess I just wanted to start anew after that. Can't blame a man for wanting that..."

"You're out here, all alone though. Don't you miss your companions, or friends?"

"When you lose the person you love, the person who you've fought for... sometimes you just want to give up. You lose the reason why you've fought and you're just so tired of it. I've lived so many years doing that... my fight is done. I'm ready to be on my own, let it all go."

Spyro stared at him, frowning. He found it hard to believe that one could give up and just take off to the forest when he lost everything. Surely, you could still find the energy to continue on fighting, right? It had to be worth it, right?

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Same as always, enjoy the peace that these forests have to offer. Enjoy what peace life has left to offer me. Then when it's all done, I'll be all done." Robert saw Spyro's displeasure to his answer, but didn't make any other attempts to change his stance. "I know you're still so young dragon, and have many fights left in you. We humans don't live nearly as long as you do, we age much faster. We'll experience the emotional and physical drain you do in your life time but condensed into half the time. It drains us... and in the end all we want is peace. When the world goes to shit, and you lose everything you held precious, all you want at that point is peace. I've seeked my peace out, and this is it. I hope one day perhaps you'll find yours."

Spyro sighed, still unable to accept that answer. Robert just smiled at him with his wide, rosy red smile. He picked up a glass and poured more 'fruit juice' into it, offering it to Spyro. Spyro looked up at him before taking it and drinking the cup down. Robert nodded to the dragon who himself smiled at the sweetness.

"You seem like a good kid. I never thought in all my years I'd say that about a dragon. I guess you learn new things every day."

"I never thought I'd get to meet a Forger. I thought all you guys were long gone; extinct. Now, I've met two." Spyro returned the smile, which made Robert laugh.

"Well run along now, I've got a few more things I'd like to remember." Robert picked up the picture, Spyro able to catch a brief glimpse of a young human woman in the photo. It was a young woman and a man who looked like a younger version of Robert. The photo was old, and aged. Yet, in that brief moment that Spyro was able to see it, he saw happiness and peace in their expressions. Peace... Spyro wondered if that was something attainable in this world. Well, clearly it was because Robert had found it. Was it attainable for Spyro? He had already lost his best friend... and Cynder's fate still lay in doubt. To be honest, Spyro was far more chipper then he expected himself to be. Maybe... maybe peace was something he'd have to find... though none of it sounded easy. He nodded to Robert finally before turning to exit the room. At least he could try getting some sleep before the night wore thin...

/Transitioning.../
[Done]

Spyro yawned, feeling relaxed after a peaceful night's rest. Soft yellow light filtered in through the windows of the station, and Spyro turned his sleepy head around, seeing Jericho was still asleep next to him. A falling piece of dew from the ceiling had awoken Spyro, and he hadn't felt fit to go back to sleep. Why sleep now, when you had the entire station to yourself? Spyro decided it was time for some private exploration…

He worked his way through the bus station, exploring it fully for the first time. The place was fairly large, though not enormous. The upper level that they were sleeping in looked to be a large open waiting area. Perhaps for the buses downstairs? Tables and chairs were spread out inbetween the large wooden beams that held the roof up. The smaller rooms were Robert had his laptop were all downstairs, and looked like little offices to run the station out of. Most were empty, though a few had some items in them. They were presumably Robert's. Spyro didn't want to be disprespectful for snooping, so Spyro continued onwards. He found himself back outside, using a small side door to access a grassy field that bordered the side of the station. The sun's lights were begining to rake over the treeline, highlighting the silhuettes of the giant goliath walkers that rested int he distance.

Spyro gripped his head, suddenly getting flashes of the walkers moving, fire and destruction surrounding them. He grit his teeth, his eyes quickly returning to reality. What were they exactly? What were they like? Spyro intended to find out, on his own time. He flapped his wings, shaking the light layer of dew that had accumilated on them and took to the sky. The cold, brisk air was enough to keep Spyro awake as he soared high above the trees.

The young dragon soared up into the sky, hoping to get high enough above the trees that he would be able to get a good lay of the land, and get a good idea where the Goliaths were in relation to him. He could see them, far off in the distance, beyond the trees. There was… something else there too. There was a soft blue light, coming from the base of one of the goliaths. What was that…? Whatever it was, it was with the goliaths, so he'd be able to investigate both, at once!

The goliaths sat not too far from the station, though far enough that they would have taken a little amount of time to walk to. He flew across the trees and over a large set of rolling hills that bordered a massive field. The hills looked very barren in comparison to the thick forest, almost like all the trees had been cut down or burned around the hills. Past the hills lay the massive Goliaths.

They stood in a large and open field that seemed to go on for miles, disappearing somewhere along the horizon. Two massive mountains bordered the fields in the far distance, giving some context to the size of the Goliaths. One sat off to the left and was smaller, but more jagged. The one on the right... was larger around its base, not as tall but took up more area. There were many that dotted the area, some close and some very far away. They made up a jagged sort of line that spread themselves out, as if they were an advancing wall. The distances between them ranged from maybe less than a thousand feet to maybe even a mile for some. Spyro could make out a few of them far to his left and right, obscured by forests or trees. To his right, he could see a very large hill, or even a mountain that nestled itself between a few of the goliaths. While he had observed the mountains in the distance, this one was… odd to him. It looked like a regular mountain but seemed unnatural at the same time. There was just something about it, something he couldn't quite place his talon on… He let it go for the moment, as he turned his view back to the other goliaths in the field.

It was then that the dragon realized that the blue light he had seen earlier at the base of one of the goliaths was gone. There was no trace of it, and Spyro felt somewhat disappointed he wasn't able to find out what it was. However, Spyro quickly realized that the blue light wasn't the only thing in the field here… no, there were other objects here, and he was surprised he didn't even notice them before. They were both in the field, and along the hills. Yes, Spyro could make them out now!

Tanks, jeeps, burned and rusted husks all sat in the field, specifically along the raised hills that acted as the edge and barrier to the field. A large tubed shape husk also sat in the field, one Spyro could only guess to possibly be a large aircraft that had lodged itself at the edge of the field. The rusted and burned husks were blackened from whatever it was that happend here, contrasting nicely with the light green and oranges of the fields. There were... so many of them here. It would be like a scavangers daydream come true if they didn't all look so horribly damaged. They dotted the entire stretch of the hillside, and it suddenly became no mystery as to why the hills were so empty.

There were other things in the field here with the broken and destroyed tanks. Black and silver husks lay scattered farther out, in the field approaching the hills. They looked like nothing Spyro had ever seen before. They looked... kind of like bodies, but the husks of bodies. Husks of bodies, and statues. What Spyro could only describe as statues of these creatures stood in the field, mixed with the fallen husks. They looked... creepy, as if the creature had been frozen in its place, a snapshot of its life. The fallen husks on the ground looked more inviting then the solid statues. There were no bones amongst them to speak of, but one could definately make out a form from the pattern at which the husks were laid out. It was... almost like their armor, or a 'husk' of their bodies was left over, and whatever had sat inside had long ago faded away. He also used armor lightly, it didn't look like armor he had ever seen before. It looked like thick stone, but it didn't look brittle like stone was. It was... different. As for the statues, they had far more details then the husks, as if whatever was in the armor never faded away. Spyro could see... intricate details on the frozen ones. He could still see their arms, the skin, even their face and teeth. Yet, they were all stone now, just like the goliaths. Many still carried their weapons and shields... ready for battle. What was the difference between the husks and the statues? Had the husks... been killed and these not? Even so, what then petrified them?

There were also many, many different ones ranging from ones looking like the gorillas to large feral beasts, tall anthro warriors and some creatures that bore wings. There were also skeletons mixed into the group, but they looked to be normal skeletons, lacking the armor. Dragon skeletons... anthro skeletons, they were all here, along with the crystals that accompanied dragon bodies. The crystals were large, easily reaching twenty feet into the air, showing that these dragons had been dead for a long time.

Spyro circled above, now also seeing human skeletons mixed into the fray. They were more spread out along the hillside, amongst their burned out vehicles. There were a few going out towards the field, intermixing around the center. This looked to be where the fiercest fighitng happened... Spyro hovered about twenty feet off the ground, surveying everything that sat here. There... was so much death here, it was hard to tell exactly how everything played out.

It didn't take long for that question to get answered... A flash suddenly took over Spyro's mind, showing the creatures fully animated and moving. The disgarded and fallen husks and armor took the form of large warriors wielding glowing swords and massive shields. They reminded him of knights from old human mythology, with their large shields and swords, and the way they marched against the humans. The gorillas and ferals were large and ferocious, just as Spyro remembered. The winged beasts took to the air, their howls making Spyro's ears tremble. He... also saw the massive goliaths, moving. Soul moving howls came from the massive beasts, and two bright, yellow eyes stared aimlessly forward as the beast marched... Great evil radiated from them, and the entire Earth shook with each foot fall.

Bullets and explosions followed next as Spyro whitnessed the human soldiers firing their weapons at these creatures. Hundreds of human soldiers sat posed upon the hill, their weapons flashing brightly as they expelled their ammunition towards the creatures. Tanks fired their massive main canon, the shells traveling downrange and impacting hard. The slow marching knights were hit, blown clean in half from the shell. More took their place, and they all marched closer and closer to the line of humans. Dragons and other creatures raced wth them, all moving in unison towards the defenders. They stood undetured, holding the line as volleys of tank shells and gunfire erupted from them. One of the goliaths in the back opened its muzzle, a soft sphere of bright purple beginning to form in its throat. The sphere soon grew larger and larger before the creature tilted its head back, opening its mouth fully. The sphere shot forth as a beam, it carving a bright path of heat and destruction through the air until it hits its target...

The flash ended, leaving the dragon back in the empty field. He took a sharp gasp, having to correct his wings as he had began to hover to close to the ground. They were all dead, all of them. All the humans... and all the creatures. The statues and goliaths stood out the most to Spyro, making him think of an army frozen in its steps, frozen in its conquest. None of the regular creatures, the dragons or anthros seemed to have been frozen. Only these new... creatures, and only a few of them as well. It was just all so... strange.

With a sigh, the young dragon turned back to where he had come from, and saw the roof of the bus depot poking over some trees in the far distance. It looked like the soldiers here had been defending the station from these guys. Spyro wondered, if they were successful at all. He wondered if the people inside ever got away. The lack of bodies was comforting to Spyro, but of course, that wasn't always the entire story…

He turned back, looking at the goliaths now. He stared at them for quite some time before he noticed that strange blue glow again. Spyro's eyes went agape, surprised at its reappearance. It had vanished when he arrived, and now it was back… It was much brighter now, so intense.

He walked closer and closer, moving passed the frozen soldiers and creatures, finding he was drawn to it somehow. He… couldn't stop himself from going towards it. It was like he was a bee, attracted to sweet nectar… What was it…? What could be making it…?

He gripped his head, a sharp pain coming across it. It was… hard to see, and hear now. He just felt a sharp pressure now in his brain. He clenched his eyes shut, hoping it would go away. It became so intense, that Spyro couldn't comprehend, or perceive anything else.

/Transitioning.../

[Done]

It was so cold… so dark. Where was he? When… was he?

Spyro opened his eyes, and was met with a vision of both twilight and reality, all at once. He was in a dark room, with only some light coming in from windows along the edges of it. Saturated purple light came in from outside, doing little to give the young dragon an idea of what was around him.

The room was circular, with desks and a counter lining its edge. Looking behind him, towards the windows Spyro could see a line of doors that lead outside. They were barricaded, and sealed shut. There was no way to open them… Spyro turned, looking towards the other side, towards the darkness.

There was a long hallway that went deep into the bowels of the structure. Spyro felt… a shiver run down his spine. This place, this building, this room… it felt familiar, and yet very evil at the same time. Was this another vision? Was it another dream? He certainly wasn't in the bus depot anymore.

Spyro took in a deep breath, and decided to venture into the darkness. He walked forward, creeping slowly into the hallway. It was dark… very dark. Spyro could barely make out any details of where he was going. Debris lay scattered all around, telling him that this place had been abandoned for quite a long time. Pieces of stone and rock fell from the roof, creating echoes that reverberated off the walls. This place seemed massive.

Hallways went off in every direction, splitting left, right, forwards and every direction in-between. Spyro thought to himself where he might go, but he caught a glimpse of something… something farther in.

From where the roof had caved in somewhat, Spyro could see a towering structure in the distance, embedded in the side of a mountain. Clouds swirled around the peak, as if they were being summoned above some evil lair… Orange fire and light came from behind the clouds, and the distance. It looked to be night, but Spyro couldn't tell if it was dusk, or if there was something else creating that large orange light. It all sat ominously where the hallway went off into the darkness, alluding to where these halls might lead.

Looking back down to the hallway, Spyro noticed that there was something else… odd about this whole place. It seemed so… fuzzy… almost out of focus. Things and items nearer to him were clear, very visible. Yet, as things went farther into those hallways, into those mazelike tunnels, they got fuzzier, even more saturated and gray. What was all of this…?

"So you are the one, that they call Seer."

Spyro spun around immediately, and was met with the sight of someone who he couldn't believe.

"Flame?!" Spyro gasped, seeing his friend standing before him. Flame didn't smile, as was the usual thing he did when they met… instead he gave him a silent and unwavering stare.

"Flame? Was that his name? I will remember that." He spoke with no emotion, as well as having few if any inflections within his voice. His voice was deep… resonating. He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if every word he said had a purpose.

"You… you're not Flame, are you?"

"No, I am not. This form was given to me, by you."

"Me…?"

"He's frequent in your thoughts. It's so powerful that his memory seems to have cast itself onto me. I rather like this form."

"What? What do you mean? Who are you? Where… where are we?" Spyro looked around, wondering if this was another vision… or a memory or something. It was hard to tell anymore.

"I… am all there is, and ever will be. I am all that is left."

Spyro craned his head, still looking confused as Flame looked right at him, his gaze unwavering, unchanging.

"Memories. I am the collective thoughts and memories that the ones you call 'Spirit Walkers' have collected. I have given all of these thoughts and emotions that have been burned into this world a voice. I am the collective conscious of this world, of all that have come before."

"Memories? You're the embodiment of… memories? Do… you have a physical form?"

"No, I take on the form of whatever I choose, and only exist in this strange twilight world of memories. It appears you have given me a form, Seer. Your ability to read and see the faintest of memories, and bridge worlds with them is unmatched. It is why I have wanted to see you, for quite some time."

"So it was your Spirit Walkers in the field then! They're the ones who brought me out there! Have you been following us?"

"Since we first met in the deserts near the fallen satellite. Then, I did not quite know who you truly were. Once I realized what you were, I wanted to speak with you- directly."

"So… this is the only way you can speak to me? In this… twilight world? What is this place anyway?"

"This is the world of dreams, of memories. This strange twilight world is where they can come alive, and you can watch those who have come before. It can be bridged with the real world, and one can even use it as a way to connect memories into reality. One could even turn back the clock, and plant themselves with those memories. You have done such things before, as you've been here quite often."

"You… you're talking about time… traveling?"

"If you wish to call it that. It could be time traveling, or making memories a reality. Your abilities are quite special, as they are based off of a strange, but powerful energy source. It's one that flows through your body, and animates this world."

"I see…"

"Do you, Seer?" He cocked his head, and narrowed his eyes. He seemed to catch Spyro off guard.

"I… I probably don't actually… There's a lot about myself that I don't know. There's… so much about this I don't understand!"

"There is much to this world to understand. Perhaps it is impossible for you to understand everything there is."

"Do… you understand everything there is?"

"No. I am only a memory. If I cannot remember it, then I do not know."

Spyro turned, sighing. He looked to the towering structure embedded in the mountain off in the distance. He watched as the clouds swirled overhead, giving soft chills to the young dragon. He turned back, facing Flame.

"If this is the world of memories… what memory is this? Where… is this?"

"That, I do not remember. However it is why I wanted to see you. This is a memory, that I have had for a while, but the memories of this place are so shattered and broken, that it is hard to see exactly what lies within."

"You… were hoping that I could help with that, weren't you?"

"Exactly."

"I… well, I don't exactly know how I can help. I don't even understand how my powers work in the first place."

"You can make connections with the world, and see the different perspectives they offer. Why not then, take a walk?" Flame turned to Spyro for a moment before starting to walk down the hallway. Spyro watched for a moment before following himself, slowly sinking into the darkness. It felt so cold as they walked on, and the darkness of the halls seemed to encroach onto Spyro with each passing moment. He also noticed that… fuzz he had noticed earlier. The halls became more gray, and the environment around him began to lose its focus.

"What's happening? Why is it… so fuzzy, hard to make out?"

"That is because the memories of this place are fragmented. When you came to this world before, you did it through the source memories themselves. You had the land, the ghosts and their memories. Here, you only have me, and my memories that I've gathered."

As they continued walking, Spyro noticed something in the distance, a figure. It was… very hard to make out. The figure looked humanoid, but looked very disfigured. Its back was bulbous, and its limbs were very thin and frail. Its head looked to be that of a canine, but it lacked fur of any kind. It covered its head with its hands, and shivered in place. The creature didn't move, but rather stood in its single place, covering itself as if out of shame or pain.

"What is this creature…?" Spyro asked, looking the sad creature over.

"This is the creature who's memory I draw from. Its thoughts and memories are very fragmented, as its mind was left incomplete."

"Left… incomplete? What do you mean?"

"I mean that this creature was birthed here, and then turned away. It was rejected by its father, its creator. This creature only knows sadness, and pain."

"By the ancestors… So, are there more of these things… er, creatures?"

"It can only remember a few, but yes." Flame looked up, as did Spyro. They saw several more figures just like this one. They took on all forms, looking to either mimic or originate from different species. All of them were horribly disfigured and mutated, and all either stood in place, or walked in incoherent patterns and paths. Some sat huddled on the floor, and others gave low whimpers and cries as they sat in the darkness.

They walked through the halls, amongst and around them. They sat in silence, unaware of their presence. They seemed like ghosts to Spyro, just as he was sure he was to them…

"These creatures… you said they had a creator? Who? Why? Why make then… reject them?"

"That, they cannot remember. Just that they came from there." Flame pointed to a large door, farther down into the complex. It was a solid steel door, and it was massive. Spyro and Flame walked up to the door, and stopped just in front of it. All the paths and hallways came to this point, and it looked like it blocked access to the inner sanctum. From windows located on the side of the hallway where the door was, Spyro could tell that the massive tower and mountain were sealed behind this door, in a separate part of the facility.

"How're we going to get passed that door?" Spyro asked, looking it over.

"For the moment, sadly we cannot. I don't have clear enough memories of what is behind it. You aren't ready to open it."

"I wonder what's behind it…"

"It's the beginning of this world."

Spyro turned to Flame, watching as the dragon looked off into the distance, as the structure in the mountain. A beam of purple light came down from the heavens and connected with the tower, causing a distant thud, and a wave of energy that washed over the facility. All the creatures nearby shrieked and covered themselves as the energy washed by, and Spyro couldn't help but feel as though it felt all too… familiar.

"The beginning of this world…? That place, up there, I think I know what it is…"

"You might, I believe you've seen glimpses. Glimpses to what little I can remember to that place, beyond the door."

Spyro's eyes widened as he remembered that room… that large room with the platform in it. He had seen that room a few times, with that strange dragon sitting in the center. The dragon… and those two yellow eyes… He had seen them before, was it all him?

"I… I remember! The room, the dragon… is… is that what's up there? You've been showing them to me?"

"Yes. As I tried to make contact with you it appeared our combined conscious would connect for only the briefest of moments. I was able to show you so little of what I could. I was hoping that you could make more use of it."

"I… I'm sad that I couldn't."

"Well first we have to open the door. There might be more ways than one to do that." Flame turned, looking back to the hallways and corridors of the section behind them. Looking around again, Spyro noticed that the complex formed a sort of horse-shoe shape around the sealed door and its section. To the right and left there were hallways that ran along the metal door, and seemed to go to their own sections of the complex. Straight ahead returned them to the maze like corridors and hallways from before, with the creatures.

"What's down that way?" Spyro asked, looking either way towards the other two sections.

"Other parts of this complex." Flame stated, looking forward towards the entrance.

Spyro turned to his right, peering down one of the long, curving hallways. He started off in that direction, prompting Flame to slowly start following.

Spyro didn't know why, but something drew him in this direction. He felt… something over here… The darkness and gray haze that accompanied the earlier hallways lifted, and Spyro could feel some sort of clarity in this direction. Eventually the curving hallway came to its end, to another large metal door. This one, however, wasn't sealed. It sat slightly ajar, with its hinges melted and scorched. It looked to have been forced open from the inside, by something powerful…

Flashes blasted their way into Spyro's vision, showing Spyro so many scenes, so fast, so quickly! Scenes of people, of humans walking around, then of chaos, destruction and death. Screams, fear… chaos… it was all around. Loud explosions and thundering bangs assaulted Spyro's hearing, making him clench his eyes. He finally opened them, seeing the room dark and dimly lit again. He looked all around the floor, and startled himself when he noticed human remains scattered across the floor.

They were old, all decayed. Only their skeletons remained, telling Spyro they had been here a long time… Tattered clothes remained on some, ranging from white science coats to fatigues and old body armor Spyro could attribute to soldiers… Some bore familiar insignias while others… had different flags attached to their shoulders. Spyro didn't recognize it… it must not be from here.

"It appears as though you have opened one of the doors." Flame said as he walked into the room, observing the bodies.

"There… there was a battle here. Many battles, a long time ago." Spyro shook his head, trying to make sense of the information. Empty shell cases and rifles also lay scattered everywhere, only adding to that theory… What baffled Spyro was the presence of scorch marks on the walls of the room, as well as claw marks. Some of the soldier's skeletons were even split in half, or even crushed. Something large and powerful must have done this. Something inhuman.

"I can't remember the battle, but its signs lay all around," Flame stated as he stepped over one of the bodies.

"What could have done this…?" Spyro looked around, stepping over the bodies as they lay all around.

"The creature remembers that. It was his master."

"His… master?" Spyro turned to Flame, who only silently nodded.

"His master, so his… creator then." Spyro looked over to the door, feeling a certain cold coming from it. It was a cold that spoke to him, through a silent language that Spyro was somehow able to interpret. He wanted to go inside, see what lay beyond that door. Yet… he didn't at the same time. Spyro was beginning to become more attune with the environment, and he could feel… different emotions and thoughts resonating through it. It was true, what this… figure had told him, along with Elena. He was able to make connections with this strange world… and read so much about it that was lost to others. What he was reading though, made him fearful of what lay beyond that door.

"I can feel… sadness coming from there. Sadness, loneliness and betrayal… Anger, hatred, I can feel those too."

"You can feel it then? You're connecting with this world, with this memory. You can feel them, as if you are there."

"I only feel sadness… and anger from whatever it was that was here. This… 'master', this creator. Did… did he live there? Did something live in there?"

"Possibly. I cannot remember it. There is one way to find out, go inside."

"I… I don't know if I can. There's too much coming from in there… too much anger, emotion… I don't know if I'd be able to take it all in."

"Well, it appears that the memory is about to come to an end."

"What, what do you mean?" Spyro turned to Flame, confused as to what he said.

"The memories I have of this place, the only fragments I can piece together to animate this place, they all come to an end very shortly. It's what keeps this place a mystery. Perhaps you can help me extend this memory." Flame turned, looking back towards the hallway where they had come from. Spyro could… hear something coming from outside. It sounded familiar to him, it sounded like the spinning rotors of a helicopter.

Spyro dashed forward immediately, followed by Flame. They raced down the hall, and came back to the first door they had found, along with the central hallway that ran from it, to the entrance where they had started. Above, through the holes in the ceiling they could see lights flashing, as well as large forms moving above.

"What… what is it..?" Spyro asked lowly as he peered up through the cracked ceiling. They looked to be helicopters, much like the Osprey and others Spyro had seen before. They were dark… hard to make out more than their silhouette, and they were hovering low, just above the roof. Ropes fell from the helicopters, and black hazy forms fell from them. Spyro backed up as the forms fell down through the ceiling and touched down onto the ground. He could barely make out anything about them! They were hazy and unfocused, much like everything else here! They moved quick, and they had piercing yellow eyes… Flashes of light emanated from their forms, and Spyro could see as the creatures within the halls died one by one. The sad creatures they had passed before came to life, shrieking and roaring out as they charged these black misty apparitions, only to be cut down by the flashes of light.

"What… what are these things?!" Spyro was taken aback, unable to make out anything from these black forms. Flame seemed unmoved, sitting still as he watched from behind Spyro.

"This is what the creature remembers. This is all he can perceive. These black forms are all he can see. They do not appear to be the true forms of these attackers. Perhaps you, Seer, can clear the fragmented vision." Flame turned to Spyro, who snapped his head towards the fast moving black shadows. He took in a gulp before walking over to one of them as they continued to kill the creatures. He reached out to one, and touched it.

In an instant, the world changed. The hallways lost their black and fuzzy demeanor, and color returned to the building. Well… what little color there was.

The black forms changed from hazy and unreadable figures to those of human soldiers, adorned in full combat gear and touting rifles that Spyro had seen before. In fact, he recognized their armor too. It all struck him as very familiar, but Spyro could not quite make it out. The soldier Spyro had touched struck him as the most familiar, as there was something about him that reminded him of someone else he had already met. Even though he was weighted down with all the combat gear, and a helmet that almost obscured his entire face, there was something about him… something that Spyro couldn't quite place.

"You've done it Seer, you've established a new connection. Now, I can read his memories, and add them to what I have. I will remember this."

"Is… is it enough to see what's going on here?" Spyro turned to face Flame, who closed his eyes for a moment before turning to the large sealed door behind them.

"Perhaps. The memory can now continue. Before, it would always end, as the shadows killed all the creatures here. It would end as all the fragments I had were all shattered. Now, I have a much more pure memory to read…"

Spyro turned back, watching as the soldiers continued systematically killing the strange and mutated creatures. Spyro felt a pang of sorrow in his throat. These sad and lowly creatures… they felt so isolated and cast off. They probably only truly desired to be loved and accepted by their master, whoever this strange 'master' was.

The soldiers continued fighting off what was left of the creatures before assembling together in the central hall. There must have been more than three dozen of them, all sporting heavy combat armor and gear. It was far more advanced then what he had seen in the field, just before. It was far more advanced then any of the other forger soldiers he had seen in the visions. Who were they? Why were they here?

The human who Spyro had established the connection with seemed to be one in charge. He waved his arm, commanding squads to move this way, or that way. He ushered a hand towards the large sealed door, ordering the soldiers forward. They marched in two single-file lines up to the door, their weapons glinting in the orange and purple lights coming from outside. Spyro could hear the helicopters peeling off and landing somewhere, their rotors still resonating within the mazelike hallways.

Two soldiers ran up to the door itself, and planted something along the right edge of the door, where a large metal clamp held it shut. They backed off, and a large explosion broke the clamp free from its position. The door jolted and slowly began to open with a loud metallic creaking sound. The soldiers stood a distance away from the door, their weapons drawn.

At once, activity started to pour forth from the doorway. Large armored knights, just like the ones from the field, came forth from the door and rushed the soldiers. They immediately opened fire, unleashing a volley of fire that cut down the first group of knights, but failed to deter the ones behind it. They marched forward, attempting to break into their lines and crush them. Two soldiers from behind fired grenades against the rushing knights, blowing them clean in half! More concentrated gunfire kept more creatures from overwhelming the humans. The other creatures accompanying the knights were hardly a challenge. Most were like the castaways in the hallways, mutated and disfigured. Others looked draconic, some full on dragons while others seemed to be… hybrids of sorts. Either way, they were no match for the concentrated fire from the group of forty or so human soldiers.

The doorway became quiet as the final group of rushers was cut down, leaving only a heap of bodies resting along the doorframe, along with many more piled in front of the soldiers. The commander ordered his soldiers forward, and several rushed with him into the open door, and into the large passageway beyond. Spyro and Flame followed, keeping close to them.

Beyond the door, the hallways were far more spacious, and seemed to take on a different tone entirely. Unlike the rest of the complex, which lacked power and was in a general state of disrepair, this section was fully lit, and looked to still be in good condition. Large metal struts held up the large hexagon shaped hallways, and flashing yellow lights illuminated the otherwise darker gray concrete.

Soldiers peeled off from the main group, stopping at doorways along the side of the hallway and clearing them. There was little resistance beyond the door, though some smaller creatures seemed to remain and contest the human's progress. It seemed as though the only welcoming party for the humans was that first group. The humans would seem to have taken this place by surprise…

Spyro stopped, peering into the different doorways as they passed. The rooms were large and spacious, and seemed to have at one point been offices, or used to house other pieces of machines. They sat empty for the most part, but something struck the dragon as odd. There seemed to be a lot of organic matter within the rooms, as if they had been extensively lived in. Had those creatures been living in those rooms? Had they been used to store them…?

"Seer, we are getting closer. We wouldn't want to miss this." Flame said, taking Spyro's attention. Spyro turned, seeing the human commander dashing up a large ramp that ascended into the heart of the complex. It likely lead straight to the towering structure in the mountain, where this had all began…

It was the center of the darkness.

Spyro raced forward with Flame, moving along with the soldiers as they were weighed down with their heavy combat gear. Spyro followed the commander closely, curious as to his identity.

Up, at the top, two knights came over and fired bolts of charged energy down at the human soldiers. It impacted hard, blasting two into the air. The soldiers fought back, firing their rifles, creating a brilliant staccato of loud cracks. One knight was killed almost immediately as the intense gunfire found its way into the small breaks between his thick armor. Very little of the gunfire these soldiers fired even impacted his armor; it was all concentrated towards the creature's weak points. These soldiers were no grunts, that was for certain!

The second one took cover before coming to fire again, stalling the soldier's progress. Flame saw an opportunity and raced forward, going passed the knight.

"Come Seer, I cannot waist this chance to see it. It is close." Flame said before turning and going passed the knight at the top of the ramp. Spyro watched before going right after him, passing up the knight just as the soldier's unloaded more rounds onto him, causing him to fall over. Two more knights were running forward from an open door down the long hallway, accompanied by several smaller creatures similar to the hybrids that Spyro had seen earlier. Two dragons followed right behind them, creating a fairly sizable group to resist the humans.

Spyro passed them up, and ran along with Flame as they both bolted towards the open door. It was just like the first, thick steel that seemed immovable with any normal forces. There was another ramp going up at the end of it, going to another level that they couldn't quite see. The door started to slide back to its closed position, meaning they didn't have a lot of time.

They both slipped passed just as the door slid closed behind them. It shut with a metallic clang, and Spyro could hear the gears and other mechanical parts turning inside the door to seal it shut. A large tall hairless ape stood next to the door, cranking a lever that sealed the door. It looked jury rigged to open and close that way, since Spyro was certain the ape did not know how to use the normal means of opening that door…

They passed him up, and dashed up the ramp. At the end of that ramp was another hallway, except this one ended in a smaller door that emptied out into a large room. Something felt… odd to Spyro. He… he felt like he knew this room, like he had seen it before. Flame started walking forward, along with himself. They both slowly walked over to the door, craning their head from side to side as they entered.

The room was large, absolutely massive. It was in the shape of a cylinder, with a large raised platform at its center. Large metal struts sat against the wall, holding it up. The struts ran from the wall to the platform itself, connecting with a myriad of machinery and different components on the platform. It was like the entire room was one large device. It was then that Spyro realized where he had seen this room from before.

"This is it, this is the room from the vision! This is the room you were trying to show me." Spyro turned to Flame, who nodded.

"I only ever had fragments and brief glimpses of this room. Now, I can see it fully."

Just like from the vision, the roof had been blown off, and the swirling sky could be seen above. Just as in the vision, a beam of light came down from the heavens, and struck the center of the platform, creating a large sphere of energy that cascaded throughout the entire room. Sparks of energy came off of the wall, and Spyro could feel immense power coming from the sphere in the center of the room.

"What is that?!" Spyro cried out, feeling his body being tugged towards the center. He had to grasp the ground tightly as to not slide in that direction, as did Flame.

"That is it. It is the bridge. The bridge between worlds."

"Bridge… between worlds? Your walkers! They talked about it! Between two worlds they said! Is this it? Is this really it?"

"Yes… this is where the two worlds met, and became one. I can finally see it… and feel it… What about you Seer, what do you see? What do you feel?"

"I feel… I don't know! There's… so much! Too much coming from that to understand!" Spyro grimaced a little, feeling overwhelmed by the sphere of energy at the center of the platform. Figures began to materialize from the sphere, resembling the knights from before. They lumbered out of it, and staggered to the doorway. It was as if they had been born in that same instant, and were still getting their bearings of the world.

"What now? What does this all mean? What happens next?" Spyro turned to Flame, who only kept watching the portal. He seemed so… fixated by it, obsessed even.

"Flame…?"

"There is so much to see in there Seer… I wish to take that portal, but I fear what is on the other side. I fear of becoming consumed by it."

"I… I do too…" What did lie on the other side of the portal? Spyro could feel a little of it… but he was just so uncertain of what it really was. Was it another world? Another time…? Was it something completely different, something Spyro couldn't even comprehend?

"How is this even happening? Do you know what is causing this portal? Who made it?" Spyro turned to Flame, hoping he could clarify.

"I'm sorry Seer, but I cannot remember that." Flame turned to Spyro, and for a brief moment, Spyro thought he caught some sort of emotional response from his tone, as well as his face.

Gunfire coming from behind them broke them of their talk, and caused them both to turn around. The human soldiers had broken through the door, and had arrived to the top of the second ramp. They fired their weapons at two apes who rushed from side rooms, cutting them down quickly.

They poured into the open door to the central room, and they began to fan out. The human commander walked up to the platform, and his mouth and eyes were agape at what he saw.

"Sir? Orders?" Asked one of the soldiers as they had secured most of the room.

"Shut it down, take out those struts, it's stabilizing the field!" He barked, waving his arm off. The soldiers nodded and dashed off to one of the four main struts. They began planting charges along its base. The human commander just continued to stare at the sphere, while trying to hold himself in place from the drastic force the sphere was creating.

As they worked, a loud groaning sound echoed through the room. It was loud enough to overmatch the power coming from the portal, which lay silent aside from the energy it was giving off. The other soldiers in the room looked around the room, their rifles swaying as they attempted to locate the noise.

"What… what is it? Can you remember?" Spyro turned to Flame, who closed his eyes for a moment.

"I can. It is their Master." Flame simply said, before opening his eyes and looking forwards.

A door on the opposite end of the room blew open, sending large slabs of metal flying across the floor. Spyro could barely see from behind the portal, but he could see something massive lumbering into the room. The beam coming from above stopped, and the portal began to dissipate before disappearing completely.

It was then that Spyro could see a large black figure standing at the opposite end of the room, staring the humans down. With the beam and sphere gone, the room had gone dark, save for some dim electric lights, and the dim light coming from outside. It was hard to even see what kind of creature it was. The humans sat silent, each of them training their weapons onto the creature. There must be at least a dozen humans, against this one creature. Yet… somehow Spyro wondered if that would even be enough…

The creature opened its eyes, and Spyro saw those two glowing yellow orbs again… those two piercing eyes. The room grew cold, sucking the life out of everything from this creature's presence. Fear, Spyro could feel fear, coming from the humans. It came from just about everyone but the commander. He stood defiantly before drawing his weapon out and pointing it at the creature. The creature seemed to notice this, and began to lumber out of the darkness.

He flexed his forward legs, and brought them into the light. His wings came out, unfurling and revealing themselves. He brought his head up, and looked down at the human, as his purple scales were revealed to Spyro for the first time. It was a dragon, a purple dragon!

The humans stood their ground, even as the towering creature must have been almost forty feet tall! Maybe even fifty! Spyro even begun to back up, feeling intimidated himself.

There was silence… a very chilling silence as the dragon smirked.

"You…" The human only spoke one word before opening fire at the dragon. The others followed suit, filing the room with bright yellow flashes. Their bullets pinged off of his chest armor, and he began to move. His wings flapped open, and his large tail came slashing out. He slashed his massive tail to the side, striking some of the soldiers and sending them flying. More dodged and rolled to the side, but his massive claws struck them next. The gunfire did little to the mighty creature, but it did start to crack at his scales. The dragon reacted to this, backing up for a moment before unleashing a powerful blast of fire from his muzzle. Some of the soldiers rolled into cover but those who could not were caught in a blazing inferno. The commander leapt into cover himself, and just as quickly as the fire had dissipated he flung himself back up, and began firing his rifle again.

The dragon brought his forearms up to block the rounds from his head before making a run at the human commander. He paid no attention to any of the other humans in the room, only him. There was… a deep anger and hatred between the two. There seemed to be previous history. The dragon reached the edge of the large platform and brought his claws down onto where he was standing. He rolled to the side, dodging just in time. He leapt onto one of the struts and used it as a way to quickly dash behind the beast.

The dragon turned, and breathed a jet of fire right after him. This forced the human onto the other side of the strut, using its mass to block the heat. The dragon gave a low huff, and slammed his claws against the strut. He continued slashing away at wherever he went, but the human was small enough to dash away from his large, lumbering claws.

Finally, the dragon grew frustrated and brought both his claws up and slammed them into the ground, sending the commander flying. The other humans who had been in the room were also thrown off of their feet. The commander was sent off of the platform and he slid on the hard concrete floor for a few feet before coming to a stop. His rifle had fallen several yards away, and the dragon chuckled as slammed his massive claws into the ground, approaching the human.

The human growled and got back up immediately, unwilling to surrender. He grabbed his side arm, and began returning fire to the creature. The smaller rounds did little, just as the rifle rounds had. The dragon smiled before opening his muzzle, as if to unleash another attack again. That's when the human struck, aiming right for his open muzzle. He fired in quick succession, sending off quick PAT, PAT, PATs. They flew straight into his open and vulnerable mouth, causing the beast to let out a deep groan while tossing his head back. The bullets had found their mark, and blood began to drip from his face.

The dragon let out a roar before refocusing his efforts. His eyes glowed with hatred before he charged the human again, who had to move quickly before getting crushed. As the massive beast slammed forward, the human rolled to the side, and quickly dashed towards the dragon. As the creature was busy reorienting himself, the human had managed to leap onto one of his forelegs, and had begun crawling onto the creature's back. The dragon was having none of this, and began flapping his massive wings to throw the human off. It was too late now, and the human had successfully straddled the dragon's back in-between his wing skins and membranes. He was right where his neck met his body, right along his spine. The dragon lifted himself off of the ground, and tried to tilt his head back to attack the human. He grabbed onto the large spins on the dragon's neck, and had managed to keep under his muzzle, sliding to the right or left to keep one step ahead of the creature's attempts to kill him of knock him off.

The human finally caught a quiet moment and drew out his side arm, and pressed it up against the creature's scales. He pressed it right at the spot where his neck met his body, and he fired off his entire magazine into the beast. Round after round came from the pistol, and at first they bounced off the creature's scales. Eventually, Spyro could see his scales beginning to crack, before shattering. Just as the human had revealed a weak spot in the creature's neck, his pistol clicked. He was out of ammo. The human grunted, and tried to reach for another magazine, but the dragon wasn't stupid. He knew what he was up to! The dragon flung his back out, and caused the commander to drop his side arm onto the ground. The human held on tight, not letting go, but he had lost his weapon. The human thought fast before reaching onto his chest and pulling out a large knife from its housing on his armor. He brought the knife up, and then slammed it down hard for the strike. It sank in deep, going easily into the creature's flesh.

The dragon let out a loud and pained roar as the knife entered his neck, and his body began to flail from the shock. The human was tossed free, and the dragon began to writhe on the ground nearby. The commander groaned as he slowly picked himself off of the ground, clutching his side where he had been struck by one of the dragon's sharp spines. He quickly walked over and collected his weapons. He reloaded his assault rifle, and looked across the room. All the other soldiers who had entered with him had died, and he was the last one here. He turned, looking over to the dragon, who lay still on the center of the platform. He raised his weapon, looking like he was unwilling to accept this moment of peace.

Surely, it was over, right?

Movement came from the dragon, quickly crushing that hope. The dragon let out another huff, and his wings began to rise again. The creature picked himself off of the ground, and his head craned over towards the human. Smoke rose from his nostrils, and the dragon had started to stand up fully. The human aimed his weapon at the dragon and started to back up. Both were poised for the strike, but Spyro wondered what the human was waiting for. The dragon opened his muzzle again, quickly unleashing fire before the human could open fire. The fire raced out towards him, and be had to take cover to dodge it. The dragon halted the flame, and began advancing towards him. It was then that the human stood up, but not with his rifle. This time, he had something else in his hand, some sort of switch. He clicked something on it, and it beeped. The dragon saw this, and his eyes went wide.

The explosives that had been placed on the strut to his right went off, creating a huge ball of fire that split the strut in two. It shattered the concrete wall and pieces of debris began falling. The strut fell down from above, and collapsed right onto the dragon. This seemed to cause some sort of reaction in the room as there seemed to be some sort of field of energy still present in the room even after the beam from above had silenced itself. As one of the struts had fallen silent, the others began to glow an ominous bright white before discharging their energy, blowing out the entire room. It sent Spyro flying backwards, along with the human. The room started to collapse, and the clouds above parted from the massive wave of energy.

The blast sent Spyro's head against the wall, and he blacked out quickly.

/Transitioning…/

[Done]

"Well this is an awfully interesting place to take a nap."

Spyro awoke, opening his eyes to see Robert standing over him, looking down at the slumped dragon as he lay in the tall grass. Spyro immediately shot up, gasping for air as he tried to collect himself.

He was… he was back in the field. It was mid-morning now, and the wind silently whipped against him as the silent and frozen knights and creatures rested all around him. He kept looking around, trying to still cement the idea that he was back, back in the real world. It finally took a grumble from Robert to bring his attention to the human standing in front of him.

"Oh… right. I uh, yeah, I guess I fell back asleep. This… field, it was um…"

"Interesting?"

"Yeah, yeah it is."

Robert chuckled, his belly bouncing a little with his soft laughs. He placed his shotgun against the ground, and leaned on the butt of the weapon while taking a short glance himself. Spyro sighed, figuring he'd need to give him a better response.

"Sorry, I uh, well I was curious. I saw those goliaths in the distance, and wanted to get a closer look myself."

"Well it seems they've brought you to one of the few untouched battlefields left over from the war. This here is where the Twelfth Infantry Division set up a defensive line, up there in those hills. They had full tank support, artillery, aircraft, you name it! Doesn't look like I t helped too much, did it? You saw the bones mixed in that field, no?" The human leaned off of his shotgun, bringing it up while swinging it around for emphasis.

"I... did. A good friend of mine… well, a lot of people keep telling me the same story. It's about how you guys destroyed yourselves, and now I hear that it was instead dragons. These… these creatures though, they aren't dragons. What are they, do you know?"

"Demons, creatures of evil, hate. At first it was just the dragons and other anthropromorphic creatures. They were easily dispatched by the Army. Then… one day, those massive creatures slowly appeared on the battlefield, and they started their march east, to the Safety Zones. They were followed by a new army, made up of these... demons. Knights, Boars, King Apes, Wyverns... they were nicknames given to each of these beasts. None of them seemed to be of this world, and it seemed as though their only purpose in life was to slaughter humans."

"If they weren't of this world, then where'd they come from?" Spyro flew over to one one of the frozen ones, inspecting it. He thought back to the vision, the memory. These were the creatures he saw in that facility… They stepped out of the portal, from that strange other world. He used the word "other," yet there was so much familiar about it he hesitated to think that it might even be the right word.

"Nobody knows. I've heard so many theories as to where they came from but what's even more mysterious is how they were stopped. The army tried everything, tanks, jets, bombs, cruise missles... but suddenly, one day, they just stopped."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, look in front of you. One day, they just did that, became statues. All of the demonic creatures just froze in place. The goliaths froze where they were, the winged beasts fell from the sky en masse, and these knights stopped exactly where they were. Something happened, and they were instantly petrified. To this day nobody knows what it was. It was also when the dragons and other anthros stopped their frenzied attacks. They began to wander aimlessly around, before forming all the communities you know of today."

"That, doesn't make any sense..." Spyro siad, with a chuckle.

"Son, none of it does. The once mighty and powerful militaries of the world, buckling to... dragons, and creatures of magic. You'd have been shot, or thrown in an insane asylum seventy years ago if you'd had said that. Now, it's just common fact."

Spyro landed next to Robert on the tank, looking out at the scene. He took in a deep breath, just… thinking about everything he had seen and heard. These creatures, these… demons as Robert put it. They just sat here, frozen in their places. Petrified, even as they had been… marching on humanity. Where… had they come from? He saw how they stumbled out of the portal in the vision, how they were seemingly "birthed" in that instance. Where… did the portal even go? The Walkers… they called it a bridge, and that voice, that… well, he wasn't really entirely sure what to call him. That conscious, he called it a portal, and… in the memory Spyro could feel something on the other side. It felt so strange and alien, yet so familiar at the exact same time. Like it was something that was lost, and was being brought back. All these stories and claims who had done all of this… it was all coming down to that dragon. That… purple dragon. Was he behind all of this? Were the claims that dragons had done this still true? It… it just had so many levels of complications to it that Spyro had a hard time believing anything.

He thought back to the book he had, about the wandering dragon. Spyro remembered how the dragon spoke of becoming aware of himself instantly, just as those beings, those demons were frozen and petrified instantly. There was something to it all, and Spyro was certain that vision he had was connected to it. That room… that… that strange room and that portal. That "bridge." Whatever the case, that purple dragon was seemingly behind this all…

"Kid, if there's one thing I can tell you… some… advice to give to you, it'd be that a lot of people will claim to know what happened, or that they have the answers, but truth is nobody does. Everyone over promises and claims they have what it takes but they're all as lost as the one before them. They're all full of shit."

"Full of shit?" Spyro laughed a little, tilting his head.

"Yeah! Everyone lies, so always be skeptical of people. Everyone's got an angle, trust me." Robert winked at Spyro, who smirked at him for a moment before turning back to the goliaths.

"Come on, I'm sure Jericho will have awoken by now and is wondering where in the hell we are. I'm also ready for some breakfast, I never start the morning without some."

Spyro turned to the human before smiling.

"Yeah, sure that sounds nice."

End of Chapter 17

A/C: Another day, another chapter. At least, I think. ^^ here's to you guys, I wrote a VERY long chapter and I hope its enough for how long it takes for these to come out. It really takes me this long, I swear . I rewrite these chapters and ponder over the events so much that it takes... weeks to sort out a scene or complex idea. Gosh darn it. Hope to hear what you guys think though ^^ I look forward to your thoughts and reviews.