Chapter Six: The Next Page
The surface of the moon which Paradox rested among was cold to the touch to his weak body, listening to nothing but silence as Paradox closed opened his eyes to the sight of the world once more.
"Malefor… what all do you know of that Draikor has planned?" Paradox asked, watching as the dark spiritual form of Malefor form before him once more.
"He has an army of machines designed by a very intellectual Mole… though the Mole ended his life however," Malefor started, beginning to inform his master what all had transpired over the past seven years. "Draikor has yet to discover that the machines are just metal pieces of heavy armor coating dead bodies of what was left over after the Fallen war… a war which Draikor started by using the demons to control your troops. Though once Namulis was destroyed, the troops took on the need for flesh, mindless cannibals who only wanted to eat living flesh and never be satisfied and spread their infection on to the living… there is another purple dragon I must warn you about, one which was born prematurely to the tenth generation cycle."
"Tell me about the purple dragons… Who is this Spyro fellow I keep hearing about from you?"
"He is my son and my enemy… he alone slew me by his own hands, gifted with the power to control the four earthbound elements," Malefor's expression turned to rage just talking about Spyro as he growled in hatred. "Then there is his son…, Skyro, A unique purple dragon, the purple dragon prematurely born before the tenth generation prophecy. His mother Cynder wielded the powers of darkness: Wind, Fear, Shadow, and Poison. I believe his has the power of all of his mother's elements and his father's as well. There is not a single dragon alive or dead that has ever had eight elements under their control, let alone four."
"How old is this dragon, Skyro?"
"He just turned fifteen today, he has no idea what he's capable of."
"Why does Skyro not have to die in order for me to return to the world but his father does?" Paradox groaned to the fact that his body was unable to move still.
"Because I am holding you here until at least his father dies… he is far more intellectual of his power and Skyro's," Malefor said, knowing that this fact would enrage Paradox. "With his father out of the way, Skyro will have no mentor to teach him through Convexity. At least you would have a fighting chance against Skyro if Draikor fails to kill him."
"Does Draikor know of Skyro?"
"No…"
"Why have you not yet informed him?"
"… Because I believe with Draikor being in the dark about Skyro may ultimately lead to his demise, thus ridding ourselves of one more problem that you would have to attend to."
"I begin to see what you mean Malefor… smart planning on your behalf." Paradox said with a smile, realizing now what Malefor was planning.
"The bonus is that both Skyro and Spyro think that Draikor is still dead along with all of their allies," Malefor continued, revealing what he had planned as well. "We just let all of them kill each other before we come into play and destroy them all. I have a special plan for our conquest."
"And what would that be?"
"I take form and summon my army which once attacked the world as well," Malefor smiled wickedly, knowing that his army of soldiers was powerful enough to hinder the population. "Then, along with your army of darkness, we both can have the world once more, just like how you use to have so long ago…" Malefor hissed in excitement as Paradox pondered with the idea of sharing the power with Malefor.
"…No, I have a better idea." Paradox thought, closing his eyes once more to try and rest his body for what was to come.
"Hey thanks for dinner you guys, it means a lot to me, I buy next time though OK?" Spyro said, taking his seat at the patio dinner table at the restaurant with Flame and Ember.
"We'll see my friend," Flame smiled, pulling Ember's seat back for her to sit down before taking his own seat as well. "So what will you have?"
"I'm thinking just an eight ounce piece of lamb thigh and a glass of wine, what about you guys?" Skyro asked, not wanting to make their bill to expensive.
"Awe come on Spyro, get the ten ounce, we're going to get it with wine also." Ember insisted, giving Spyro a look while smiling, causing him to smile as well.
"Alright, I'll have the ten ounce as well." Spyro said, writing down all of their orders on the slab of paper given to then when they first entered the restaurant and waving his hand in the air with a quick gesture, letting the male dragon waiter know they had placed their orders.
"So you said you had some things to talk about to us, is now a good time and place?" Flame asked, watching as Spyro shrugged his shoulders a bit.
"Yeah I think so," Spyro said, adjusting himself in his seat. "… You remember when we all went out in extermination platoons seven years ago?"
"Yeah, how can I not forget those days?" Flame answered, thinking about the horrors he witnessed during the trip, remembering how gruesome the Roamers were to their prey.
"… I had a vision one night while sleeping and it had something to do with the Dark Days War…," Spyro was hesitant with his next words as he tried to form a sentence. "I was a dragon… more or less seeing the world from his point of view. His name was Paradox, and I saw Cripyro. I could feel the pain he was feeling up until his death. I then saw Cripyro scribbling something on a couple of stone slabs."
"It's been awhile since a vison has come to you hasn't it?" Flame said, knowing that Spyro took vision very seriously.
"Yes, that is why it strikes my curiosity," Spyro said, not sure if he should continue. "I told Hunter all about it as soon as I woke up and asked him if he would travel with me once more, I think there's something on those tablets that is important."
"What do you need us to do Spyro?" Ember asked, knowing Spyro had a reason to bring up the topic.
"I know Skyro is meant for greater things… but I want to at least try and keep him from the life I lived," Spyro said, now finally being able to form the words he needed to say. "I know he's old enough to watch after himself, but is it alright if I can ask you two to check on him every now and then while I'm away?"
"Sure buddy, we can do that," Flame said, thanking the waiter with a kindly smile and a nod of his head for bringing out their drinks. "Is that all you needed to tell us?"
"No, not entirely," Spyro said with a smile, changing the subject to something more happy. "What do you think of our children's relationship with each other?"
"They were made for one another." Ember stated with a smile, getting what Spyro was trying to say.
"What made you decide to ask us that Spyro?" Flame chuckled, wondering why Spyro changed the subject completely.
"Well Skyro told me before he left that he really cares about her, more than friendship it seems and I was wondering if she thought the same way." Spyro said, feeling kind of silly now that he was talking about their children's relationship."
"Flare has hinted that she likes him more than friends a few times before," Flame said, scratching his chin before taking a sip of his wine. "Do you think it's not a good idea for them to be together if that ever comes about?"
"No nothing like that, I was going to ask how you two would feel about it if they ever got together." Spyro said, taking a small sip of his wine as well, not wanting to have a repeat of an episode like what happened in the Dragon Study.
"I'd be all for it," Ember said, holding onto her wine glass with her left hand and running her index claw along the rim with her right hand before taking a sip as well. "I mean they have been friends since birth Spyro, it would be wrong to keep them away from each other if something was to happen between them."
"I feel the same way Ember, if they end up being together, then so be it." Flame said, smiling to Spyro who smiled back to them.
"Well wonderful, I'm glad we're all on the same page here." Spyro said, rubbing his eye before taking another small sip of his wine.
"This party is amazing!" Smoke cheered, having his wing wrapped around Scarlet who clung to his side as they walked.
"Yeah, they need to have one every weekend!" Skyro said bumping his right fist with Smoke's left fist, walking next to one another while he and Flare walked close to one another, smiling while they got back to chatting with one another while letting Smoke and Scarlet talk to one another as well.
"Happy birthday you brat," Flare said, causing to smile as they all made it back to the Dragon Study. "Hope you're having fun."
"It's always a good time when I'm with my best friends," Skyro smiled, following Smoke into the Dragon Temple. "Do you think it's a good idea to be in here Smoke, I mean I know we have passes but I don't want to get in trouble or nothing."
"Come on buddy I practically live here," Smoke said with a smile as he closed the door behind them. "Besides, I don't think we'd be in to much trouble if we're not supposed to be in here."
"Eh whatever, I feel like being adventurous for a night." Skyro shrugged, following Smoke towards the staircases which lead to the Dragon Study. Skyro thought of all the wonderful things which lay in store for him in the most private room in all of Warfang, in fact, all of the region.
"I wonder what's up there…" Flare whispered to Skyro, just as curious as he was as they neared the top of the stairs.
"I can understand the study being at the top of the building… but why have such a tall building with only one room at the top of a spiraling staircase," Scarlet questioned as they finally reached the top. "I mean this thing is almost ten stories tall."
"It gives the Guardians an edge during wartime," Smoke said as they reached the top of the staircase which lead into a small hallway. "You will not believe me until I tell you what kind of view you can get from the balcony. Skyro remembers that day when he and I looked out the same balcony right buddy?" Smoke smiled back to his friend as they stood among the decorative study doors.
"Yeah, that was seven years ago… I miss seeing the sunset from up here." Skyro answered, smiling as Smoke opened the doors and peering inside before shoving them open completely.
"Well now we have all the time we need here, let's enjoy this," Smoke said, stepping inside the lavish room first, followed by Scarlet and Flame and Skyro. "Just don't break anything or we'll all be in deep trouble. Some of the things in here cannot be replaced." Skyro looked over towards Cyril's bookshelf in amazement, running his index claw over the spines of the book titles and imagining all of the knowledge they contained.
"Wow… what do you think Volteer does with all of these things?" Flare pondered over all of the maps and compasses sprawled across his large desk, along with paper containing list after list of expenses of Warfang and debts to other cities outside of their current region.
"I don't know… but from the looks of it, Warfang in in serious debt to other civilizations far away from here." Scarlet said, looking at all of the negative numbers scrawled across the loose papers and torn notes.
"Doesn't surprise me, I mean look at all of the damage that has been done to this city and the surrounding towns in this region over the years and years before we were born, someone had to pay for all of it," Smoke said, shaking his head over the amount of debt the region was in. "Judging by the scribbled signature, someone named G'huar is the one who is responsible for suppling our region with supplies and resources to rebuild our region after all of the damage has been lifted."
"Does it have a location where he lives?" Skyro asked, stumbling across all black book with no title engraved along the spine or cover.
"Judging by the latitude and longitude on the worldwide map here, he's way, way, way towards the northeast," Flare said, looking at a small red blotch which covered a small city landmark among the wrinkled map. "I mean it wouldn't take but a day or so to reach where the island is located, it's just that it usually storms around this time of year over to the East across the ocean."
"Hey guys come and check this out." Skyro motioned, thumbing through the first page of the book and realizing that it was a journal addressed to the Guardians.
"A journal for what, more notes on the city?" Smoke said, leaning over Skyro's shoulder as he continued to thumb through the notes.
"A few entries are about the war with Malefor and how they attacked the city and how my mom and dad defeated him and sealed him away in the core of the earth," Skyro was amazed about all of the heroic things his mother and father had done as he continued to read. "Here it says that Malefor, my grandfather, and my dad fought above the Volcano of Cripyro for control of the world, ultimately leading to my grandfather's death."
"What else does it say?" Flare asked, looking at the scratch drawing illustrating each event Skyro was explaining as he flipped to the next page.
"A murder named Draikor is taken to trial and given life in prison instead of the death penalty but manages to escape while my father and Hunter search for a special kind of water which would break the bond he had with a demon named Zpharah," Skyro continued on to the next paragraph, realizing that his friends were crowded behind him listening and gazing among each illustration which were drawn to surprising detail. "The water was retrieved after battling three mythical guardians in a series of trials given to Hunter and my father. After the demon was separated, Draikor managed to track down the demon back here to the Dragon Temple basement and bond with it, giving him the power to kidnap my mother and leave my father and Hunter no choice but to pursue him to the Volcano of Cripyro."
"Whoa, your mother and father died afterwards?" Smoke asked, startled over the next illustration which clearly depicted the death of both Spyro and Cynder.
"It says here after the battle began, Draikor overpowered them both and obtain my mother's demon Namulis, but my dad managed to awaken Convexity and defeat him long enough to scare Draikor off," Skyro continued, wondering what Convexity was. "My father gave enough of his life force to Cynder to bring her back to stable condition while he fled off to the Forbidden Forest to seek out training of Dark Magic from my grandfather's spirit."
"Dark Magic… I've heard Terrador talk about the topic a few times before," Smoke stated, trying to remember what the Guardians had said. "It is a dark power used by Malefor during his reign of terror and gave your mom superior power while she was being controlled by him a long time ago."
"Yeah, all of that history was written also in this journal as well," Skyro said, thumbing back to the beginning pages and looking over the darker history of his mother before returning back to a more present event. "After killing Draikor and crippling his Fallen army of resurrected soldiers from the Dark Days War and the demon which plagued my mother, Draikor's son Nemphis allied himself with Zpharah and escaped their fortress which was being overran by the newly transformed Roamers. The reason why the Fallen had lost control was because one demon had been destroyed; only giving the Fallen half the lives they were given."
"This is where we came into the picture," Scarlet said, realizing that the chain of events may have been a rocky and confusing history at first, but she soon realized that everything was coming into light. "So out first steps into this world was into a time where we could have all died… that's scary to comprehend."
"It is indeed, but we all survived because we all stuck together." Smoke said as he placed his left hand on Skyro's right shoulder. "Even through the darkest of times, we all stayed strong together."
"Skyro… you don't have to read the next part if you don't want to, it's ok." Flare said, knowing that the next event was going to be hard for Skyro to swallow.
"No it's ok… I've accepted the fact," Skyro said, bracing himself for the truth as he flipped to the next page. "After the Grand March which exterminated the remaining Roamers in the region, a final attack on Warfang erupted while all of the soldiers were out on their mission… Cynder the dragoness showed true bravery in helping exterminate the remaining Roamers with the aid of fellow brother to Spyro, Sparx, and tapping into Convexity for one final attack which destroyed the remaining Roamers. Then Nemphis stormed into the city and challenged my mother to a fight, making sure that none of the civilians would interfere."
"I'm glad we all didn't witness these horrors that day." Scarlet thought to herself as she continued to listen to Skyro.
"As soon as Spyro returned, Cynder was struck by a fatal blow from a Demonic Sword created by Nemphis before fleeing, soon lapsing into death after a few words were shared with her love Spyro…" Skyro said, closing his eyes while trying to fight back the tears.
"Skyro… let's go ok, we still have one more gift to give to you." Smoke said, watching Skyro rub his eyes before placing the journal back on the shelf.
"Yeah alright, let's go have some fun." Skyro smiled, sniffling as he stood from his spot and looked over towards the balcony at the Celestial moon's which shown with pure beauty. Smoke closed the Dragon Study doors behind them as they all moved towards the balcony doors which were already open as if the Guardians had exited the Dragon Study from there.
"Skyro… didn't your father ever tell you any of those things?" Flare asked quietly to Skyro who shook his head.
"Not really, he would always hint some small things here and there but never go into detail," Skyro said as he opened his wings, along with his friends as they stared at the night sky. "I think it would be just as hard to him to talk about it to me… I'll ask him about it someday if we ever get the chance to sit down and talk about it… It just makes me feel uncomfortable knowing that my mother's killer is still alive."
"His time will come Skyro… but for now, we all need to live life like it is going to end tomorrow." Scarlet said with a smile as he smiled back, running with his friends off the balcony and leaping into the cool night air, taking flight as they all sailed across the beautiful, clear night sky.
"So where are we heading to?" Skyro asked, smiling towards Flare while flapping his wings gently.
"We are heading to the surprise we have been just itching to give you." Smoke smiled back, leading his friends to Friendship Falls.