Act 1, Chapter 1
Present day...
Six months. Six long months. That's long it had beed since The Victiumirti were resurrected. In that Time, Urobos and the others had been very busy.
Shortly after the events that took place in Mount Erebus, Wraith and Spyro took Cyrus to Warfang. They met with Grail and the other Deep Shadows and told them what became of Elenar and Albanion. They were saddened by the loss of the two dragons, and Grail wished to exact his vengeance on Bergan, but they accepted the losses and knew to move on.
In the meantime, Urobos and Cynder took Flame with them to Glenhaven. They had the remaining Guardians of the city gather together and explained same events. Urobos also upheld his promise to Albanion, and told Elza everything the Dark grey dragon had said. At first, she was deeply saddened at the loss of both her best friend and her lover. Luckily, the others were there to comfort her in her time of pain. Urobos was the only other person who understood the dragoness's loss.
Becasuse none of the dragons in either city knew how long it would be before Bergan and the other Victiumirti made their move, the dragons needed to regroup. Voden, Blank, Emerald and Ember returned to Glenhaven, while Elza returned to Warfang, bringing Tina and her children with her.
So now, all of the dark dragons were in Warfang, and all of the Light dragons were in Glenhaven. Urobos, Spyro and Cynder decided to take charge, travelling between the two cities via teleportation whenever needed.
After this, Urobos spread the word of the resurrection of the Victiumirti to the farthest reaches of the Dragon Realms alerting all dragons and Nondragons alike of the coming disastrous times. In order to further cement the idea of being on alert into the minds of the world's population, Spyro and Cynder did something they wished they didn't have to: They revealed themselves to the world. Soon, all the beings of the Dragon Realms were talking about the glorious return of two great heroes. But, this news was soon overshadowed by the grim revelation that, not only had Malefor returned, but so had Runileon the Wicked, Amouris the Temptress, and a whole host of evil dragons that none had even remembered.
And they were all led by Bergan, the owner and founder of the Faeshrine Trading Company.
As time passed by, and news of this got around, the most cities and settlements decided to never conduct business with the company ever again. Oddly enough, this didn't seem to affect the Company or the city it was based in at all. It stayed thriving. Many suspected that this was Bergan's doing, and wanted to attack the Company head on. But when they tried to attack, a shocking revelation was made:
The City of Faeshrine had fallen under the control of one of the Victiumirti, a Purple dragon named Lucrun. The evil dragon had eliminated all of the Nondragons in the city, and forced the dragons living there to serve him.
When this news reached Urobos and the others, they contacted the rulers of the city of Aeroshard and the surrounding settlements, and warned them to increase the defenses as much as possible. If the Victiumirti were able to take one dragon city, who's to say they wouldn't try to take all of them?
And so, the three dragon cities and numerous dragon settlements enhanced their defenses, ready for any attack from any army. For several months, no attacks came. It was as if the Victiumirti didn't even exist. But then…
One day, one of the Victiumirti, a Purple dragon named Desysto, attacked the valley of Avalar, an army of dragons behind him. When the many beings living in Avalar saw the attacking dragons, they were horrified.
They weren't ordinary dragons. They were WHITE dragons. An entire army of fully grown White dragons.
The White -hided beasts attacked with brutal efficiency, slaughtering any who stood in their way. Hopelessly outmatched, the Many Cats of the valley fled in all directions, some heading deep into the Raunn Jungle, and others fleeing East across the Veros Outskirts to Warfang.
…
It was late at night in the city of Warfang.
Urobos, Wraith, Grail, and Spyro were standing around in the Warfang Temple's main chamber. They were listening to a Pair of Cheetahs who had just arrived from the Valley of Avalar. The Cheetahs were retelling how the Purple dragon Desysto led his army of the White dragons and completely took over the Valley, killing anyone who stood against them. Most of them were completely dumbstruck.
"WHITE?" Grail bellowed. "An army of WHITE dragons? Impossible! Inconceivable!"
"Are you absolutely sure the dragons you saw were White-hided?" Urobos asked sternly.
"There was no mistaking it!" One of the cheetahs yelled hysterically. "When they filled the sky, all that could be seen was a horrible swath of White. White as Snow! Pale as the dead! And when they attacked, they snarled like wild animals, and rained Purple Fire upon us! Everything was burned to ashes! Hardly any of us were even able to escape with our lives, let alone in one piece like the two of us.
Urobos and Spyro exchanged glances.
"Thank you for telling us all of this." Urobos said.
"You and any other survivors that made it here are more than welcome to take refuge in Warfang." Spyro added. The two cheetahs bowed.
"Thank you, King Urobos and Lord Spyro." They said in unison. The two cheetahs then turned and left.
The two aged dragons and two Deep Shadows looked amongst themselves. A feeling of dread filled the room
"An entire Army of White dragons.." Spyro stated. Wraith nodded.
"We're completely screwed." He said, defeated.
"What makes you say that, Wraith?" Urobos asked.
"Think about it." Wraith answered. "If I recall correctly, Hope was able to wield Convexity, which means she controls all twelve elements, making her a force to be reckoned with. Now, she was only one White dragon. If the Victiumirti have an entire ARMY of White dragons…."
"…Who knows what they can do!" Grail finished. "They would be able to slaughter every other living thing in our world in under a month!"
"Don't give up hope just yet, you two." Spyro scolded. "We don't know how many White dragons they have under their control. It could be that there are only a few dozen under their command."
"A few dozen.." Grail repeated. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"
"It would be better than a few hundred.." Spyro replied, giving Grail an annoyed look.
"What I'm trying to figure out," Urobos said, "Is where did these all of these White dragons come from in the first place?"
The others thought for a moment, trying to come up with an answer.
"Well, how is a White dragon created?" Grail asked.
"That's simple enough." Urobos answered. "A White dragon is very rare. One is created when A Dark dragon mates with a Light dragon. Two prime examples of this are Runileon the Wicked, and young Hope. Normally, this is a very rare occasion, since the two races of dragon have had such great differences in customs and behaviors that hardly any interracial pairings have happened at all."
"So, then where did the White dragons come from?" Wraith asked.
"Hmm.." Spyro said.
"What, Spyro?"
"Here's what we know: Six months ago, Bergan abducted a large number of Dark dragon children and Light dragon children."
"Okay, so…What does that have to do with it?" Wraith asked.
"I wonder this as well." Grail added. "It's not as if Bergan could transform them into White dragons."
The four dragons were lost in thought again. For a while, the answer still eluded them.
And then, a thought came to Urobos. A disturbing thought. The old dragon cringed, to the puzzlement of the others.
"What's wrong, Your highness?" Wraith asked.
"What if he created the White dragons using a more… complex method?" Urobos asked, clearly disgusted about something.
"What do you mean?" Grail asked. Urobos turned to face Spyro.
"Spyro, do you remember when Cyrus appeared before us in a giant form back in the Pit of the Fallen?"
"Of course." The Purple dragon answered. "Why?"
"His transformation was the same one that Cynder went through hundreds of years ago, correct?"
"Yes."
"Well, I must ask: When Cynder and Cyrus were transformed, were they transformed into adult forms completely, or just aesthetically?"
"What do you mean, completely or aesthetically?" Wraith replied.
"What I mean is, did all of their bodily systems become fully developed as well?"
"Why would that matter?" Spyro asked, puzzled. Urobos sighed.
"If the transformation gave them true adult forms, then I believe I know where the army of White dragon came from."
"I still don't get it." Wraith said.
"Think, Wraith: Bergan abducted a great number of Dark AND Light dragon children. It's possible that Bergan used the massive amount of Convexity he obtained in the Realm of the same name to transform each and every one of them into a mindless, fully grown minion."
"Where are you going with…?" Spyro asked.
And then, the other three dragons finally realized what Urobos was implying.
"You mean to say he…?" Spyro began to ask, but couldn't finish.
"That's.." Wraith grimaced. "That's disgusting!"
"It's an ABOMINATION!" Grail bellowed in rage.
"And to add insult to injury, Bergan used the same spell to transform the offspring into adults as well, creating a mindless army." Spyro said.
"If I ever meet that man face to face again," Grail growled, "I will tear his hear out through his throat!"
"In any case," Urobos replied, "Bergan now has an army of White dragons."
"We'll need to spread word of this to all of our ally forces as soon as possible." Spyro said.
"I'll get to work on that immediately." Wraith said. He turned to look at Grail. "Let's go, man. We need to contact Cynder and the people of Glenhaven."
"Yes, sir." Grail replied, somewhat with chagrin. Wraith smirked.
As the two Deep Shadows walked out of the Main chamber, Urobos sat down on the floor, sighing. Spyro looked down at him.
"Is something the matter, Urobos?" The Purple dragon asked.
"All this talk of White dragons is making me worry about Rune and Hope again." The King replied. Spyro sighed.
"I understand."
Urobos hadn't seen hide-nor-mane-hair of his two grandchildren ever since the events that took place Six months ago. Whenever the old King thought about that night, he didn't know what to believe.
On one hand, Urobos knew that Hope, or Tyrrany, as she was also known as, had wanted to kill her mother Elenar for most of her entire life. And, with Rune's aid, she got her wish.
On the other hand, it seemed like Hope really had found closure with Elenar, and abandoned her dreams of Matricide and replaced them with "hopes" of living with her family in Warfang.
Urobos had seen Hope kill Elenar with his own eyes. However, Hope immediately claimed that she didn't want or mean to. Perhaps it was a trick played by Bergan. However, it seemed that Rune had lent his sister some aid in Elenar's murder.
Rune. Urobos was even less sure what to think of that one than Hope.
When Urobos saw Rune's horrible yellow eyes, it seemed like he was possessed by Malefor all over again. But that was impossible: Malefor's essence was trapped inside Bane's body. Which begs the question: If it wasn't Malefor possessing him, then what was? Or, was the evil inside him his own?
As Urobos thought of the two, he thought of something else: The Curse. One of those two, either Rune or Hope, was the product of Runileon's curse on his two children. One of them was evil incarnate.
But which one?
Was it Rune, the boy who had once transformed into a giant White beast and nearly killed his own family and friends for basically no reason at all? Or was it Hope, the wrathful young girl who sought to kill the woman who "abandoned" her for revenge, and succeeded?
Urobos sighed once again. One day, he would have to find both of them, and finally figure out which one was the product of the curse.
"We have to find those two immediately." Urobos said. Spyro nodded.
"No, Urobos."
"What?" The Aged king exclaimed. "But-!"
"Don't get me wrong. I worry about those two just as much as you. But you and I have other matters to attend to. And besides, several of our allies are already searching for them. Surely you know that."
Urobos looked away. "Yes, I know."
The aged king got up and approached the Green pool.
"These accursed things never seem to work when you need them to." Spyro chuckled.
"They worked for Ignitus."
Urobos didn't respond. He just sat in thought.
Wherever they are, I truly hope that they're doing well
…
"Denzel, dear, please let go of Mommy's tail."
It was late at night in the mountain range. Storm clouds were covering the sky. Tyrrany was lying down in the back of the cave. The small hatchling had grabbed hold of the end of her tail, and was numbing on it.
About four months ago, the egg that Tyrrany laid finally hatched. Her child was a boy, whom she decided to name Denzel.
Denzel was a small purple dragon with a silver underbelly. He had bright red eyes, yellow wing membranes, and pitch black hair. He also had six teeny little stubs for horns: Two on the top of his head that were starting to curl backwards and inwards, two behind his eyes that stuck out diagonally, and two that formed tiny little tusks on his lower jaw. He also had small, shining red birthmarks on his sides, the same as the ones on Tyrrany.
Ever since Denzel first hatched, he had tiny, chubby little limbs, and his head seemed too big for his body. It amused Tyrrany to watch him wander about the cave, squeaking to himself here and there. She kept watch over him, of course, and wouldn't let him wander too far away. A few times the hatchling would trip over himself, which made Tyrrany chuckle.
Whenever it came time to feed Denzel, Tyrrany would bring him with her to wander around the Mountainside, searching for suitable game. For now, he seemed content with eating field mice, since they were so small.
After about two months, Denzel started talking. At first, he could only say one or two words at a time, but eventually, he started speaking in complete sentences. And then, he started asking questions: About what things were, how they worked, why they did what they did, and about a million other things. It got on Tyrrany's nerves sometimes, but she always made sure to keep her temper.
Right now, it was four months since Denzel hatched. When both Tyrrany and Denzel were standing upright, the hatchling's head was slightly below his mother's elbows.
After Tyrrany told Denzel to let go of her tail, the hatchling did so, and turned to look at her.
"I just wanted to play with you, Mommy." He said sadly.
"I know you want to play," The White dragoness replied, "but it's well past your bedtime."
"But I'm not sleepy." He protested.
Tyrrany looked into her son's eyes. She could tell that he was fighting to keep his eyes open.
"Even so, it's time for you to go to sleep, little one." She said.
"But, I-"
"Come on, Denzel." Tyrrany replied, "Come lie down."
"Aww."
The hatchling lowered his head and slowly walked up to his mother's side.
Suddenly, a flash of Lightning and a crack of thunder exploded into existence outside, scaring Denzel. The hatchling quickly ran behind his mother, starting to cry. Tyrrany chuckled, pulling her son in front of her and wrapping her forelegs around him to comfort him.
"Don't be afraid, little one," She said softly. "It's only a thunderstorm. Listen.."
Soon, the sound of rain falling to the earth could be heard outside. Another flash of Lightning and crack of thunder roared into existence, making the Purple hatchling yelp in surprise.
"Why is it so mean?" He asked his mother.
"Lightning isn't mean, Denzel. It's not alive."
"Then why does it go 'boom' like that?" Tyrrany smiled.
"That's just what it's supposed to do, little one."
"What it's supposed to do?" He replied, confused.
"Of course." Tyrrany replied, smiling.
Another crack of thunder came, this time from somewhere far from the cave.
"You see, Denzel, whenever there is too much Water in the clouds, it falls to the earth in the form of Rain. And sometimes, when there's a really big amount of rain, Yellow spikes fall down as well. We call these yellow spikes 'Lightning'."
"What's that loud 'boom' I hear when Lightning falls?" Denzel asked.
"That 'boom' you hear is Lightning's best friend, who's called 'Thunder'. You see, Lightning and Thunder go everywhere together, so they can always play together. The only problem is, Lightning is a little bit faster than her friend Thunder, and always reaches their destination first. Luckily, she always waits for her friend to catch up when she gets there."
"How long have they been friends, Mommy?"
"Oh, they've been friends for longer than you or I have even been around."
"How long is that?" Tyrrany laughed.
"A very long time."
Yet another crack of thunder echoed in the distance. The Rain started to fall harder.
"It's getting late, Denzel." Tyrrany said. "It's time for you to go to sleep." Tyrrany moved Denzel over to her side and draped one of her wings over him, letting him use it as a blanket.
"How will I sleep with Lightning and Thunder keeping me awake?" Denzel asked. Tyrrany thought for a moment, and then came up with an answer.
"How about I sing you a lullaby?" She asked.
"Okay." Denzel answered. The hatchling curled up next to his mother as the White dragoness began singing.
"Look into the past, oh so far away.
Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.
Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.
Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near.
The Dark is here, but the Dawn will come.
Sleep and fall into dream.
Stay strong, my little one, may she watch you til morning comes.
Look into the past, oh so far away.
Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.
Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.
Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near.
Rest your weary head by my heart, because you're within my own,
And in that way we'll never part, however far from me you are.
Look into the past, oh so far away.
Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.
Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.
Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near.
May your foes crumble from within, may Fear send them away.
However great the distance from you, my heart won't sway.
May Shadow lead your way, may the Wind carry you home,
As long as you are loved, you'll never be alone.
Look into the past, oh so far away.
Look to her, the greatest shadow, for help along the way.
Let the Windstorm guide you home, may your foes run in fear.
Let them fall away, and may Shadow say your home is near."
When Tyrrany finished singing the Lullaby, she discovered that Denzel was already asleep, snoring quietly. She smiled at him.
"Good night, Denzel."
The Lullaby she had just recited was one of her old favorites. She discovered it one day while going through old books in the Faeshrine Library. The book in question was an old Time written about Cynder, or "The Great Shadow", as the book referred to her.
The dragoness sighed.
Tyrrany wished that she was sung to sleep by her mother when she was a little hatchling. There were so many things that she had missed out on. Sure, sometimes her father Bergan was there, but that wasn't a normal occasion.
When Tyrrany finally learned the truth about Bergan and made peace with Elenar, the White dragoness had hoped that she'd finally get the life she always wanted. But then, Bergan tricked her into murdering her mother, and now she lost a chance at a new life AND her old one.
Tyrrany looked back at her sleeping hatchling. She shed a few tears.
Oh, I wish you were here, Flame, She lamented silently. I wish you could see your beautiful son.
Tyrrany spent a few moments fantasizing about herself, Flame and Denzel. She imagined herself nervously placing the purple hatchling before the red dragon, hoping for approval. Tyrrany knew that Flame wouldn't exactly be pleased with the fact that her act of rape produced a child. When she started to worry, she found herself imagining Flame attempting to attack Denzel out of anger.
She immediately scolded herself.
Stop it, Tyrrany! Flame would never behave like that! That kind of behavior is something that…
The White dragoness shivered in fear.
….something that YOU would do.
Tyrrany started to remember the way she used to behave. She recalled the numerous times she threatened others with, and sometimes carried out, acts of brutal violence. She was, to put it mildly, a psychotic monster. Sure, she had mellowed out since she discovered Bergan's lies, but there was always the chance that she could turn violent again.
She looked down at her sleeping son once again, fear in her eyes.
What if I lose my temper and seriously hurt him? Or worse….?
Once again, Tyrrany scolded herself.
Stop thinking about these things, stupid! You've been doing well so far. Don't jinx it.
Now tired of berating herself, Tyrrany lowered her head to the floor of the cave, ready for slumber. She pulled Denzel closer to her to keep him warm. As she shut her eyes to go to sleep, she smiled, listening to the peaceful sounds of her snoring hatchling.
Sleep well, my little one.
…
And so, The Final part of The "Legend of Rune" trilogy begins! What will become of the world now that Bergan and the other Victiumirti have an army of White dragons? Where is Runefor and Nellie? Will Flame ever learn that he has a son?
Keep reading to find out!
I'd like to thank GoldenGriffiness for writing the Lullaby, since I can't rhyme to save my life. If anyone out there is interested in her poetry skills, check out "One hundred songs about The Legend of Spyro". She's also the author of "Spyro: Remaining Shadows" and "The Legend of Cynder: A new beginning".