Interlude

Aeroshard, a few days after the end of the last Council of the Elders.

Prince Bergan was in his chamber. He was sitting at his wooden desk, going over some notes he had taken during his latest trip to the Aeroshard Palace Archives.

Bergan was roughly fifteen years old. He had a slim, teenaged body. He had a short Golden mane, and a tiny bit of Golden stubble grew from his chin. He was dressed in a fine golden cape, and wore short golden stockings on all four paws. Several gold chains decorated his tail.

Bergan analyzed his notes carefully, his blood red eyes shining with determination.

"There must be some clue as to how they managed to achieve it." He said to himself.

As he continued going over his notes, a knock came at his door.

"Who is it?" Bergan asked. A female voice answered.

"Sire, your parents demand that you see them." She said. The Purple dragon sighed.

"I'll be out in just a moment." He replied. Bergan then proceeded to gather up his notes and stored them in a binder. He then got up and left his room.

Ever since Bergan and his father, King Boreas, returned from the Council meeting in Warfang, the King had hardly said a word about what his son had done. His mother, however, was quite displeased when she learned about what happened.

Bergan's mother was a Time dragoness named Vinaris. Vinaris was a noble woman who was a stickler for proper behavior. She became Boreas's Queen some sixteen years ago, and when Bergan was born, proceeded to raise him to be a model citizen. For years, Vinaris taught the young Purple dragon to speak fluently, treat others with respect, and to do his best to stop violence before it begins, instead relying on reason to put an end to confrontations.

Of course, when Vinaris discovered that Bergan had pretty much started a full-scale war between most of the dragon clans, the dragoness wanted to tear her son's head off. Luckily, Boreas was able to subvert his wife's anger.

How long that would last, though, was unknown.

…

Bergan walked through the two giant double-doors into the Palace Throne room, followed by two guards, one of which was the female dragon who came for him. The Throne room was a magnificent chamber.

The entire floor was covered in a fine red carpet. The walls were covered in portraits of Bergan's ancestors: A multitude of Kings, from various generations. Someday, Bergan would join their ranks.

Off on the other side of the room, King Boreas and Queen Vinaris sat upon golden cushions, watching their son approach. Behind them was the painting of a massive map of the dragon realms, stretched out along the back wall.

Both dragons had Golden hides and silver underbellies. They were also dressed in fine regal attire, such as Golden capes, various pieces of jewelry, and long stockings on their forelegs. However, that's where the similarities end.

Boreas had a large, burly figure, similar to an Earth dragon's. He had two Bronze horns, which curled like a ram's horns. He also had a short Grey mane, and a scruffy grey beard. His eyes were blood red, and he wore a Silver monocle over his right eye.

Vinaris had a thick build, much like Boreas, except curved. She had three silver horns, which decorated the top of her head like spikes. She had a golden mane, which was put back into a bun on her head. Her emerald eyes gleamed with authority.

As Bergan and his two escorts came before the King and Queen, the young Purple dragon bowed their heads.

"Greetings, Father, Mother." He said. "For what reason have you called me?"

Boreas remained indifferent, but Vinaris began to glare at Bergan.

"The time has come for you to face retribution." She said.

Dread filled the young dragon's being.

"What do you mean, mother?" He asked.

"I believe you know very well what I mean, Bergan." She answered. The Queen pointed at talon at the Purple dragon. "What were you thinking, you fool? Do you realize what you've done?"

"Well, I was just trying to get the issue between Clans Aquarius and Pisces resolved." Bergan answered. "So, I believed that the only way to end their conflict was for both clans to take up arms and battle each other. Once one of the two clans had given up the will to fight and surrendered, the matter would have been over, and all the clans could move one, letting the distasteful events slip into the past."

Contempt glowed in Vinaris's eyes.

"Violence?" She asked angrily. "You believed that Violence was the solution to this matter?"

Bergan sighed. This would be unpleasant.

"Yes, Mother. It seemed like the most logical answer."

After this, the Queen erupted into rage.

"Did you forget everything I've taught you? Violence is NOT a solution! Violence is NEVER a solution to ANYTHING! Because of your words, almost all of the Clans have declared war, over a petty dispute!"

"It's not as if that was my intention!" Bergan replied. "I only meant for Aquarius and Pisces to fight, not most of the others as well!"

"Even if that is so, this would never have happened if you had kept you mouth SHUT! A war looms on the horizon, and it's all you fault! The blood of the dragons that die in this war is on YOUR hands! If Lord Spyro still lived today, he would be ashamed of you!"

Bergan looked down at the floor, guilt spreading across his being. He hated getting lectured for his mistakes, and they were always extreme, no matter how miniscule or grand those mistakes were.

When he left the Coliseum in Warfang, Bergan believed he gotten the matter close to resolution. But now, he believed that this berating wasn't worth it.

The young Purple dragon looked up at his mother's face.

"How can I apologize for this?" He asked. "What could I possibly do to atone?"

Vinaris's rage simmered slightly.

"Perhaps you're correct, Mother. Suppose I was wrong, and have made a grave mistake. But don't declare me a traitor: I only wanted the quarrel to stop, not make it escalate. I know that I can't make the other monarchs forget what I said. And what punishment you give me possibly bring an end to the war before it begins?"

The Queen sighed.

"You're correct: Punishing you won't bring an end to the fighting. And at least you admit you were at fault. However, that doesn't mean you can evade punishment."

"I wasn't trying to, Mother."

Vinaris turned to face Boreas, who had only watched and listened up to this point.

"What shall be done with our son, Boreas?" The Queen asked. The King only looked at Bergan indifferently for a moment. He then glanced at his wife.

"Leave the room." He answered. "I shall speak to Bergan alone."

Vinaris cocked an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Why do you wish to do that?"

"I have my reasons, Vinaris."

"As you wish." The Queen replied. She then got up from her cushion and walked towards the doorway.

"Guards, come with me." She commanded. The two did as she said.

Soon, Bergan was left alone with his father. The young Purple dragon filled with dread again.

"What will you have done with me, father?" Bergan asked.

Bergan expected Boreas to start yelling at him. But he didn't. Instead, the Golden dragon chuckled.

"Nothing."

The Purple dragon became confused.

"'Nothing'?" He asked incredulously. "But, I…"

"Did nothing wrong." Boreas answered. "In fact, your actions in the Coliseum have caused progress to hasten."

Bergan became even more confused.

"Progress?" He asked. "What progress?"

Boreas got up from his cushion.

"Walk with me, Bergan." He said, grinning. "There's something you need to learn about."

"Walk with you where?" Boreas chuckled.

"You'll see soon enough, my son."

Boreas walked around his throne and approached the massive Map. Bergan walked up next to him, confused.

Boreas reached up with a forepaw and stabbed one of his talons into each of the four great Dragon cities: Warfang, Glenhaven, Faeshrine, and Aeroshard, respectively. To Bergan's surprise, each of these cities was a secret button on the wall.

"Behold." Boreas said. Part of the map suddenly slid down into the floor, revealing a secret passageway. The King then turned to his astonished son.

"Follow me."

The two dragons walked through the doorway, the door closing behind them a moment later.

The doorway opened up to a long hallway, which had led to a flight of stairs. As the two dragons descended the staircase, the walls started changing from pristine hard tiles, to natural rock, studded with various Gems.

Along the way, the young Purple dragon couldn't contain his confusion any longer.

"What is all this?" Bergan asked. "And what does this have to do with what's happened?"

"Allow me to explain the former." Boreas replied. "You see, Bergan, some time after the Dragon Malefor was defeated, the Ancient City of Warfang was being reconstructed. At the same time, the cities of Glenhaven, Faeshrine and Aeroshard, our home, were being built by the Moles. As this happened, unbeknownst to most beings, each of the four cities' main buildings, be it a Palace or a Temple, was given a secret passageway that could only be accessed by people who knew of their existence."

"What are the passageways for?"

"Their used as private sanctuaries, in case the ruler of the city needs time away from others, of if he needs to go into hiding during times of crises. However, they also make superb vaults for the ruler's personal treasures."

Eventually, the two dragons reached the bottoms of the stairs, which of course led to another hallway. This hallway's walls were studded with Gems as well. The Hallway opened up to a large, rectangular room. The walls were made of rock that was smoothened out so that it was flat. Piles of gold coins were neatly piled up on either side of the room. And over on the far wall, was a large portrait of a Giant White dragon.

Bergan gasped when he saw the portrait.

"That's Runileon the Wicked!" The Purple dragon exclaimed.

"Yes, my uncle." Boreas replied.

"Why would you have a portrait of him?"

"It's a long story, Bergan." Boreas walked forwards towards the portrait, looking back at Bergan. "Care to listen?"

"Um, if you insist, Father."

As the young Purple dragon walked up to Boreas, the Golden dragon began speaking.

"I'm sure you know the tale of Runileon, from his recently-revealed conception to his demise at the hands of his two children and the Black dragon Urobos."

"Yes."

"Well, there are some parts of the story that haven't been revealed to beings outside of our family line." Bergan raised an eyebrow.

"The story is only half-complete?" He asked, intrigued.

"Quite. As you know, after Runileon the wicked kept Clan Aries secluded from the rest of the world for several years, King Khronus, my Father, traveled to the Mountains of Inferdus in the hopes of getting onto good terms with his brother, bringing a large number of his people with him. The official word is that Runileon flew into madness and slaughtered his brother, as well as all of Khronus's people.

"However, that is a lie. My father actually succeeded in getting onto good terms with Runileon."

Bergan's eyes lit up in surprise.

"He did? But then-"

"Allow me to explain. You see, my father finally discovered why Runileon's hide was White, and traveled to his home to explain it. Here's what he learned: A White dragon is created when two opposing forces, a Light dragon and a Dark dragon, come together and have a child."

"A combination of Light and Darkness?"

"Yes. Of course, before Runileon was conceived, White dragons were always female. Why Runileon was male cannot be answered. But in any case, when my father told Runileon this, he claimed that, since Runileon was both older and more powerful, he deserved to be the King of Clan Libra, regardless of what the Council of the Monarchs decreed.

"However, some of Khronus's entourage heard what was being said. Those dragons feared Runileon, and didn't want him as their leader. So, before Khronus could officially hand over rulership to Runileon, those eavesdropping dragons ambushed the Kings, intending to kill both of them.

"Runileon managed to kill the attackers, but they had managed to deal a fatal wound to Khronus. The Libra King died before he could pass rulership over to Runileon. Luckily, not all of Khronus's entourage were traitors: They wanted help the White dragon take up his right to rule. So, Runileon sent several of these Libra dragons all throughout the world, spreading a false word of how Runileon was a monster.

"All the while, Clan Libra, now secretly devoted to Runileon, started shipping war supplies to the White dragon so he can succeed in his Campaign of destruction."

"Why did Runileon launch his campaign in the first place?"

"White planning what to do next, Runileon theorized that, should another Light and Dark dragon pair together, they could create a White dragon that was powerful enough to oppose Runileon. And if one White dragon could be born, then hundreds could be born. The only way to keep white dragons from hunting Runileon down in his old age and killing him, was to find a way to have them grow up completely loyal to him. At the same time, he realized that, since White dragons were far more powerful than other dragons, then clearly they are a superior race, which deserved to inherit the world.

"So, Runileon began a campaign to slaughter all the Dark dragon Clans, except for Aries."

Bergan was speechless.

"That is why Runileon declared war?"

"Yes. By eliminating all clans besides Aries and Libra, Runileon would have no worries about opposition from White dragons born of other clans."

"But he never succeeded."

"Also correct. Runileon was tragically slain by Urobos, Alexander and Catherine. After his death, Our clan had to swear up and down that we were in no way affiliated with Runileon. Of course, we supported him and his plan completely, and we still do."

Bergan looked up at Boreas in shock.

"You…You want to eliminate all other dragon clans besides Libra and Aries?"

"Not quite. I also intend for Cancer and Capricorn to live on as well. And I have more reasons than you think."

"More reasons?" Bergan was confused once again. "What might those be?"

"As proven by their actions, most of the dragon clans petty beasts who let their pride get in the way of their rationality. After all, they declared war on each other on a simple matter that could have been resolved easily. The only clans that listen to reason nowadays are Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn. Meanwhile, the other clans have shown great dishonor: Lord Spyro and Lady Cynder would be disgusted if they were alive."

Bergan stood in thought for a moment. What his father was saying made perfect sense. After all, Pisces murdered several dozen eggs, and they didn't even apologize. Aquarius then murdered several innocent dragons out of spite. And the other Clans supported either one of these acts. Disgusting.

Clearly, they don't deserve to hold their power.

"What shall we do about them, father?" Bergan asked.

"For now, we'll sit back and let the war commence." Boreas said. "Once either side has been greatly weakened, we'll make our move to eliminate the survivors."

"Why don't we eliminate them during the war?" Boreas shook his head no.

"We can't act too rashly or swiftly, or our plot will be discovered. All good things come to those who wait, my son."

"As you wish, father."

And so, Bergan waited for seven years. In that time, the Purple dragon would begin to change.

He would become a different man. A cold, calculating man. A man who would betray everyone he knew, even his friends and family, for power.

He would become a Victiumirtus.