Act 3, Chapter 6
Nellie jumped back from the Black dragon's body in surprise.
"What the?" She Asked, afraid.
The Chuckling continued. Roxanne becaome frightned, while Cynder got on her guard.
"What in the world...?"
Suddenly, Rune's body started moving.
At first, it was only slight twitches. But then, Rune's limbs started moving to stand upright. As the Black dragon's head lifted upwards, the chuckling grew to a loud, maniacal laughter. As this happened, a Purple aura started radiating around the Black dragon's body.
"Ru...Rune?" Nellie stuttered, shivering with fright. "Is that you?"
The Black dragon opened his eyes, and the Blue dragoness cried out in horror. His eyes were Yellow and demonic, although eerily lifeless.
"Guess again, Sweethcheeks." The Black dragon said, grinning evilly.
It was Runefor.
Nellie took several steps back, horrified.
"N... No..." She stammered, shaking with fear. "It can't be! This isn't possible!"
"Isn't it?" Runefor chided. "I'm talking to you, aren't I?"
Cynder snarled.
"How did you survive?" She demanded.
"Techically," The younger Black dragon said, turning to glance at Cynder, "I didn't. Not in the usual sense, at least."
Runefor reached up with a forepaw and grabbed the sword hilt, which was still rammed through his blood-caked chest. He proceeded to pull it out of himself with great force. At first, it wouldn't come out: It was stuck in his organs. So, the black dragon gave the sword a harder, faster yank. With a hideous tearing sound, the blood-soaked sword caome right out of RUnefor's chest, leaving a large, hideous hole in his body that revealed the organs within him. A Red, slimy, rotund organ was impaled on the sword's tip.
His Heart.
Nellie and Roxanne backed away in disgust as Runefor proceeded to remove the heart from the sword.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He said, frowning with disappointment. "this body's going to fall to pieces."
"That's disgusting!" Roxanne shouted.
"What are you, demon?" Cynder roared. "How is it you still inhabit Rune's body?"
"I suppose I owe you all an explanation, don't I?" Runefor said casually. "Well, I might as well. But first..."
The Black dragon snapped his talons. An instant later, two giant walls of Purple fire apeared, separating Runefor and Nellie from Roxanne and Cynder. The Black dragoness tried to blow the flames away with her Wind breath, but she failed.
"DAMNATION!" She bellowed.
"Now then, to beging explaining..." Ruenfor said. "As has been said before, Rune and I have two, independent minds. But that's not all that was separate."
"What do you mean?" Nellie asked.
"A good six months ago, I went up to Bergan and struck a deal of sorts with him: I would help him deal with interlopers, such as Cynder here, and he would separate my mind from Rune's soul, which I had to share beforehand."
"You no longer have a soul?" Roxanne queried.
"Correct. Of course, I needed to keep anyone from finding out too soon, so Bergan and I put on an elaborate charade, making it look like our intentions were to abduct poor Nellie and hold her hostage. I also tricked Rune into providing this sword to Tyrrany, who unwittingly slipped into a blind rage and accidentally murdered our 'beloved' mother, who had flown into a trap."
"So, Tyrrany was telling the truth." Cynder stated, through still enraged at Runefor. "In any case, explain how you stand before us!"
"Right, right. Anyway, when Nellie had the guts to kill Rune, his mind and soul were sent hurtling down to the Underworld. However, since my mind wasn't connected to the soul, I stayed right here, with the body. So, in a way, I'm not dead, but I'm not alive either. Similar to Malefor's current position."
"So, you have reduced yourselt to nothing more than a lingering mass of sentient energy." Cynder stated disapprovingly. "At the very least, Rune can finally be at peace knowing that you are no longer a part of him."
"Funny you should mention him..." Runefor replied. He glanced over at Nellie, who stepped even further away from the Black dragon. A smirk spread across Runefor's face.
"Say, Nellie..." He began, stepping towards her. "Would you like to see Rune again?"
The Black dragon lifted the sword, preparing to strike. Nellie gasped.
"NO!" She screamed fearfully. "Get away from me!"
Cynder frantically tried to break through the wall of flames, to no avail.
"Nellie, run!" She shouted.
"There's no where for her TO run." Runefor said gleefully.
The Blue dragoness mustered all of her energy to strike with a blast of Ice breath in a last-ditch effort to defend herself. howerver, RUnefor opened his mouth and destroyed the ice with a mighty burst of Fire breath. the male dragon then punched Nellie across the face, knocking her to the floor.
"Please..." Nellie begged, completely frozen in fear. "Don't do it..."
"I have no more use for an obnixious little bitch like YOU." Runefor said coldly.
Roxanne tried to break through the flames with her Lightning breath, but her attacks did nothing.
"Nellie!"
"Runefor, don't..." Nellie pleaded, tears flowing from her eyes. "Don't kill me.. Please..."
"Goodbye, Sweetcheeks." Runefor stated.
The Black dragon ran the sword through Nellie's chest, impaling her heat. She screamed in agony as the cold blade impaled her flesh and organs. not a moment later, the blue dragoness was gagging on her own blood.
Nellie had one final look at Runefor's evil gaze as blood flowed from her wound and mouth and onto the floor.
The Blue dragoness's head fell over onto the ground.
"NELLIE!" Roxanne screamed in horror.
Nellie's hearing slowly started to drop to absolute deafness. Everything became blistering cold to the touch. Her vision became fuzzier and fuzzier, until everything turned black.
Soon, the dragoness felt as though she was falling.
Falling... into an eternal black abyss.
The Blue dragoness was dead.
...
As soon as Nelie hit the floor, Runefor drew his sword out of her body, an air of satisfaction around him.
"Well then, I'd love to stay and chat," He said, "but I've got places to go. I'll be needing a new body, and I've got just the one in mind."
He turned around and bowed his head to the other two dragonesses.
"Rox, Cynny, I bid you adieu."
With that said, the Black dragon snapped his talons, and vanished in a cloud of Purple smoke.
The Purple flames vanished as soon as Runefor was gone. Roxanne and Cynder immediately ran over to Nellie's body.
"By the Ancestors!" The Yellow dragoness shouted. She grabbed hold of Nelie's body and proceeded to wipe the blood from her face and chest.
Cynder looked down at the Blue dragoness and sighed solemnly.
"The poor girl." She said. "She didn't deserve this."
"She can't be dead!" Roxanne protested. "She's barely even my age!"
"Stand aside, young one." Cynder commanded.
Roxanne did as she was told, and the Black dragoness lifted Nelie's body up onto her back.
"We must return to Glenhaven and show her family what's become of her." Cynder stated. "It will be painful for all of us, but it must be done."
"What about Runefor?" Roxanne shouted. "We've got to pay him back for this!"
"Now is not the time." Cynder stated. The Black dragoness removed the Jade necklace that still hung around Nellie's neck after all this time.
"What are you going to do with that?" The youner dragoness asked.
"it belongs to either Seraph or Urobos now." Cynder answered. "But enough of that. Come..."
"Yes, ma'am." Roxanne said sadly.
With nothing else to do in the cave, the dragonesses left via a portal of Dark energy.
...
The city of Glenhaven was a wreck.
It was the middle of the evening. All of the fighting had finally come to an end. The Corrupted dragons were either dead or rendered incapable of fighting, and all of the Crepsculi had been vanquished.
However, the victory was noth without its price. Many bold Dragons and Nondragons had lost their lives defending the city and the slain Corrupted dragons had shrunken down to their original sizes. On top of all that, many of the city's builldings own torn to pieces during the battle. The sight of the battle's aftermath was not as horrific as the one in Warfang, but it was still painful to look upon in its own right.
All over the city, the surviving citizens were doing their part to clean up the wreckage left in the battle's wake. Many dead bodies were ferried off to the Grasslands, while the injured survivors were sent to one of the make-shift infirmaries.
As this happened, Miimet, Spyro, Jules, Voden, Hontus, Grail, Aegis, and Elza were all sitting just before the remains of the Glenhaven Palace, arranged in a circle around Cynder and Seraph. The air was filled with the overpowering roars of sorrow, which came from the Water dragoness.
A few moments ago, Roxanne and the Black dragoness arrived in a cloud of smoke. Cynder sent the younger dragoness to the infirmaries, while she herself presented Nellie's body to the others. When Hontus saw the teenaged dragoness's lifeless form, he burst into tears at the revelation of the loss of his daughter. Seraph, howerver, was comptletely despair-stricken tsee what had become of Nellie.
Not a single other dragon said a word. Even Elza, who had a long-lasting grudge against Seraph, held her head low in respect for the grieving woman.
Ever since Rune and Nellie had gone missinge six months ago, Seraph had been worried sick about the two young dragons. Not a day went by for her without fearing for their well-being. But now, her worst fear had come to life.
"How did this happen?" Seraph demanded, her eyes red from her tears. "Who killed my daughter?"
"Nellie was slain by a Yellow-eyed monster."
Cynder answered solemnly. "It was the same monster who possessed Rune's body four years ago."
"Where is Rune?" Hontus asked.
Cynder sighed.
"The boy is dead as well." She said sadly. "His Spirit is now in the Underworld, along with Nellie's."
"No..." Seraph stuttered, shaking in horror. "They can't BOTH be dead!"
"I am sorry, Seraph, but it is the truth."
The Blue dragoness scooped her daughter's body up in her forlegs, still crying miserably. She used her Water element to cleans the blood from Nellie's scales and seal the large whole in her chest.
"My poor little girl..." Seraph said to her daughter. "You were so young. You and Rune were supposed to live on for decades to come. But now, you're gone."
Hontus walked towards his grieving mate and draped one of his wings around her.
"Don't write her off as gone, love." He said soothingly. "Nellie can be brought back."
"What are you talking about, Hontus?" Seraph asked, turning to face him.
"Don't you remember that ritual?" The Red dragon replied. "All we have to do is relieve Bergan of control of the Pit of the Fallen, and then we can use the revival ritual to bring Rune and Nellie back to life."
"I'm afraid it's more difficult than you may believe, Hontus." Grail stated.
"Why is that?" Hontus demanded.
"It's loathsome for me to admit it, but Bergan is a very powerful dragon. Whenever any of us have gone up against him in the past, not a single one of us has been able to even lay a talon on him. The only exception was Wraith, and he's currently too weak to fight."
"And it's not just Bergan we face." Elza added. "We also have to deal with Malefor, the Victiumirti, the remaining Corrupted dragons, and countless Crepsculi."
"The Corrupted dragons can be dealt with," Urobos stated. "Spyro and I can remove their corruption."
"Furthermore," Spyro added, "even if Malefor still lives, he has been heavilly weakened during the day's battle. He will need time to recover. Time which neither he or any of us have enough of."
"What makes you say that, Milord?" Mimet asked.
"Just before I killed her, Amouris revealed that Bergan is going to summon The Nothing into the Dragon Realms tonight."
The dragons in the area muttered amongst themselves nervously.
"She must've been lying." Grail declared. "She must've only been trying to scare us so we'll do something foolish in our haste."
"No." Spyro responded. "The woman knew she was fated to die, and thus didn't care whether we knew or not."
"What should we do, then?" Aegis asked.
"I may not know who or what this 'Nothing' is," Cynder answered, "but if Bergan's ultimate plan involves another Great Cleansing, then I know that Glenhaven is no longer safe."
"What makes you believe that?" Mimet asked.
"In the past few months," Spyro began again, "several regions of our world have been reduced to ashes one by one. If the upcoming Great Cleansing is anythihng like the one that Malefor brought about all that time ago, then it is safe to say that all that is remaining of the Dragon Realms shall be utterly destroyed in a great storm of Fire."
For a long time, a great silence fell about the Guardians and Deep Shadows. The thought of the entire world breaking apart was a hard one to comprehend.
"If that is the case," Mimet said solemnly, "Then we need to evacuate the city and flee to a place furthest away from the Pit of the Fallen as posisble. At least then, we can have plenty of time for the citizens to escape being consumed by flames, and we can send the best of us to deal with Bergan and Malefor."
"I second that." Urobos stated.
"As do I," Spyro added.
The Guardians and Deep Shadows all proceeded to sound their agreement.
"But where should the citizens go?" Cynder asked.
Another great silence came. All of the dragons started to think about a possible place for the citizens to flee to.
A moment later, a young dragon's voice cried out nearby.
"Lady Cynder!"
"Hmm?" The Black dragoness was surprised.
In a few seconds, all of the adult dragons saw two young dragons and a green dragonfly running up to them.
Flame, Arthur, and Tyrrany.
The three teenagers slowed their run to a walk as they approached the large group. When the adults laid their eyes on the White dragoness, most of them gasped in surprise.
"It's HER!" Elza bellowed angrilly.
"The she-beast who murdered Lady Elenar!" Grail added, just as furious.
Tyrrany's eyes filled with fear.
"Please, listen to me." She protested, her voice quivering. "I didn't-"
Immediately, Elza and Grail turned around to charge at the White dragones, intending to subdue her. However, Flame jumped in their path, snarling with rage.
"Stand aside, boy!" Elza sneered angrilly.
"Don't lay a paw on her!" Flame spat through gritted fangs.
"So, you AREN'T to be trusted!" Grail snapped. "Fine by me!"
The Dark Grey dragon prepared to tackle the younger dragon, while Elza charged up a blast of Wind breath. Flame, meanwhile, charged up his Fire breath.
However, before any of them could attack, Cynder suddenly appeared between them all in a cloud of Black smoke.
"STAND DOWN!" The dragoness bellowed angrilly. "ALL OF YOU!"
Immediately, the three dragons stopepd what they were doing, surprise and fear in their eyes.
"Hope is Elenar's daughter and eldest child." Cynder declared to the Deep Shadows. "By the ancient law of the Dark Dragon clans put forth by myself, Hope is your Princess, and you are to respect her as such."
"She is no princess." Grail spat. "She is a traitor. She betrayed Lady Elenar, and killed her!"
"Eleanr's murder was not intentional." Cynder snapped.
"What?" Elza asked.
"Quite recently, it was made clear to me that Bergan tricked Hope into flying into a frenzy. As the young dragoness was in a mad dash, Elenar picked an unfortunate time to land in the Pit of the Fallen, and was mistaken for another enemy. Hope didn't realize who she was fighting until she was too late."
"How can you possibly know that?" Grail demanded. The Black dragoness glared at the Deep Shadow.
"You question the word of The Great Shadow?" She sneered.
"N-NO! Not at all!"
As this was happening, Urobos walked up to Tyrrany, who stood watching the Aged Black dragon as he approached. The King looked down at the White dragoness with satisfaction in his eyes.
"I was worried that you truly were as horribly as your father." Urobos began. "But, there was nothing for me to worry about, and I am thankful than that."
Tyrrany smiled up at the Aged dragon.
"Thank you, your highness."
"I've told you before, and I'll say it again; you may call me Grandfather."
Suddenly, Spyro cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention.
"I don't mean to be rude," He stated, "but time is of the essence. What have you three children come to us for?"
The White dragoness sighed.
"I came with the hopes of having my name clreared of the charge of murdering my mother," She answered solemnly, "as well as to ask for aid."
"Aid?" Mimet asked. "A White dragoness, asking for aid? Whatever for?"
A few tears escaped Tyrrany's eyes.
"My son has been kidnapped, and I need help to rescue him."
"Son?" Elza asked.
Tyrrany spent a few moments explaining everything about Denzel, from his hatching, to how he was abducted by a Black dragon named Zevron. Flame pitched in to help when the dragoness needed it. Spyro and Cynder seemed especially interested in the Black dragon.
"Zevron?" Cynder asked. "Are you absolutely sure that was his name?"
"I'm absolutely positive." Flame said. "He claimed to be the son of Malefor, but he might have been lying."
"He most certainly was not." Spyro declared.
"Huh?"
"Let us just say that we have run into that dragon a long time ago." Cynder stated. "I would not have expected Bergan to revive him."
"In any case, you said that Zevron kidnapped Denzel to use him as leverage to force you into serving Malefor." Spyro added. "Is that correct?"
"Yes..." Tyrrany said sadly. "Will you help me rescue him?"
"Of course, young one." Urobos answered.
"So, we now have another enemy to face." Mimet stated. "This is most troubling. Plus, we still need to find a suitable location to send the civilians."
"I have an idea." Flame declared. "Send them to Dante's Holocaust."
"What?" Seraph shouted.
"Why would you recommend a desolate wasteland like that?" Aegis snapped.
"Because there's a stronghold sitting there, perfect for people to reside in." The young Fire dragon replied. "Temporarily, at least."
"How do you know this?" Grail asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Because my father told me earlier today. He knows the exact location of the stronghold. You can have him lead everyone there, if you wish."
"How do we know you're not lying, boy?" Mimet demanded.
"You think I'd lie at a time like THIS?" Flame snapped. "What could I possibly gain! The world's about to end, damnit!"
"Both of you, settle down." Cynder stated. "At a time like this, beggars can't be choosers."
The Black dragoness pointed a talon at Aegis and Elza, respectively.
"I want you two to go to the prison and bring Anthony here. We'll need his aid to find Dante's Holocaust."
"As you wish, milady." The two said in unison.
Mimet ws the next one to speak.
"As long as we're going with this plan, I want the Guardians, and the rest of the Deep Shadows, to organize the civilians and have them prepare to leave. Make sure thaty they bring only the bare essentials."
"Yes, your highness." The Guardians and Grail said.
"In the meantime," Urobos continued, "I believe that Spyro, Cynder and I should prepare to leave for the Pit of the Fallen."
"Aye." Spyro agreed. "We need to put a stop to Bergan once and for all."
"Take me with you." Tyrrany pleaded. "I want to rescue my son."
"I want to go, too." Flame exclaimed. "I want to teach that Bergan bastard a lesson for crippling my father. Plus, Denzel's my son, too; I should do my part to save him."
"That's very noble of you." Cynder replied. "You two are welcome to join us."
"Thank you, ma'am." The two young dragons said in unison.
"Your welcome, young ones." The Black dragoness replied, smiling. She turned towards Urobos and Spyro. "When shall we depart?"
"In a short while." Urobos answered.
"Why is that?" Spyro asked.
"I need to find Cyrus and Tina. There's something... difficult that I need to explain to them."
"I see..." The Purple dragons said, frowning. "Well then, take your time. We shall wait for you."
With that said, all of the dragons dispereced to attend to their assigned jobs. The Guardians and Deep Shadows left to rally the citizens, while Hontus, Seraph, and Mimet left to give Nellie a proper funeral. Urobos, meanwhile, left fo find his grandson and the young Dark Yellow dragoness.
The matter would be difficult to explain indeed
...
Rune was curled up in a ball on a small floating platfrom, which floated weightlessly in an eerie green void filled to the brim with an nearly endless number of spirits. He could hear some of the spirits moaning on farther parts of the void. The young Black dragon, however, didn't make a sound.
So this is it, he thought.
After all these years, Rune was finally dead. After all this time, he was paying for the crimes he believed to be responsible for, even if his other half commited them. And for a full circle of justice, Nellie, the one dragoness who's suffered most of all because of his deeds, was the one to kill him.
Rune didn't care. He deserved it, after all that he allowed to happen to the girl. At the very least, Runefor was finally gone. The Blue dragoness was finally free of the White demon's torment.
For now, and for the rest of time, Rune would be stuck here. Surrounded by tens of thousands of spirits, but completely alone.
The Black dragon chuckled to himself, defeated.
"I deserve this." He said solemnly. "After all the things that I've allowed to happen to the dragon race, my death was warranted for a long time. And now, here I am."
Rune looked over his forepaws. Instead of being the solid, Midnight-Black they had always been, they were now transparent.
"I'm not a real dragon anymore. I'm only a spirit. There's nothing else left for me anymore. All I can do now is lay here for the rest of time."
Rune curled up tighter and shut his eyes.
"I can't even sleep anymore. Not that I'll ever need it again."
The Black dragon sighed, and just listened calmly to the countless moans and groans of the many spirits in the distance...
But then, a scream filled the void. A familiar-sounding scream. Rune immediately bolted upright.
"What is that?" He asked, alarmed.
There was another scream, this time louder.
"It almost sounds like..."
Rune lifted himself up onto his feet and looked in the scream's direction. He spread his now-ethereal wings and took off into flight.
I've got to find out who that is.
Rune flew as fast as he could through the great green abyss, fast approaching the source of the screaming. More often than not, he had to dodge around some other spirits who were floating past him.
Eventually, Rune arrived at the massive stone wall that served as the interior dome of the nigh-impossibly sized Underworld. The Black dragon was floating a short distance away from one of the great openings in the wall that led up to the Dragon Realms. It wasn't as large as teh one that was the Pit of the Fallen, ut it was still enourmous nonetheless.
The young dragon could hear someone sreaming as they fell closer and closer to the Underworld. Soon, they were almost at the entrance.
Here they come. Please, don't let it be...
As Rune waited, several great ghosts flew into his view from the sides, as if to block his path.
"Your time in the living world has ended." One of the ghosts said.
"I'm not trying to leave." Rune said to them. "I'm only waiting to see who's coming in."
"That had best be the truth." Another ghost remarked.
A few moments later, a dragoness came sreaming through the entrance. Rune's eyes lit up in horror.
It was Nellie.
"No..." Rune stammered.
After a moment, the Blue dragoness, her hide now transparent, struggled to right herself. The swarm of ghosts fluew up along the passageway and completely covered it, preventing anyone from traveling through. Nellie looked around, completely frightened almost out of her wits. She looked around, trying to make sense of everything.
"Why am I here?" She asked, upset. "I shouldn't be here! It's not fair! I don't deserve this! I don't-!"
Suddenly, Nellis spotted Rune floating a short distance away. The dragoness gasped in surprise.
"Rune...?" She asked.
The Black dragon looked back at her, completely despair-stricken to see Nellie, the one person he loved most of all, floating in the Underworld, just as dead as him. He started to cry.
"This can't be.." He said, backing away from Nellie. "Of all the people..."
"Rune, is it really you?" The dragoness asked, floating closer.
The Black dragon turned completely around and flew away, much to Nellie's surprise.
"Rune, wait! Please!" Nellie exclaimed, pleading. Rune refused to answer: He couldn't even bring himself to look at her.
For the past six months, Rune could only watch helplessly as Runefor defiled Nellie. Everything that the White dragon did, eveytime he forced himself upon her, was Rune's fault entirely. And now, through some trick of fate, Nellie was dead. The girl's blood was on the Black dragon's paws.
Eventually, the two dragons flew around in the ring of floating platforms surrounding the Crystal Core of the world: The place that had been Malefor's prison for centuries. As Rune and Nellie dodged around several of the giant hunks of stone in their haste, Nellie spotted a fork up ahead: both paths lead to the same place. So, after Rune chose one side of the fork, Nellie swerved towards the other one. She then immediately flew around the rock formation as fast as she could.
A moment later, she was facing towards Rune.
Before the Black dragon could react, Nellie charged fowards in the air and tackled him. The two dragons then went hurtling through the open space of the abyss and crashed down on one of the many smaller platforms.
Rune struggled to escape from Nellie, but the dragoness held on tightly to the Black dagon's torso, refusing to release him.
"Let go of me!" Rune shouted.
"Rune, listen to me! PLEASE!" Nellie shouted hysterically. "I'M SORRY!"
Instantly, the Black dragon stopped struggling. He looked down at her, confused.
"What?" He asked. The Blue dragoness released her grip on the Black dragon.
"I'm sorry I killed you, Rune." Nellie said solemnly, tears in her eyes. "I only did it because I thought it would free you from Runefor's control! I SWEAR! Don't hate me for it! Please don't!" Rune looked directly into the Blue dragoness's tear-filled eyes.
"I don't hate you, Nellie." He said reassuringly. "I never have, and I never will."
"You..." The dragoness stammered, wiping tears from her eyes. "You forgive me?"
"There's nothing to be forgiven." The Black dragon replied. "I was meant to die a long time ago, before Runefor even existed. But in any case, that demon's finally gone, and I'm finally dead. It's over now."
Nellie bent her head low.
"He's not gone." Nellie stated, feeling ashamed..
Rune's eyes lit up in shock.
"What?"
"Runefor's still alive. Well, he's not alive, but he's still around."
"No..." Rune stuttered. "That can't be!"
"It's true." She responded. "He's currently inhabiting your old body. He ate his own heart, and then he killed me."
Rune gasped in shock.
"He... He's the one who did this to you?" He stammered. Nellie nodder head, crying.
"Yes."
The Black dragon was horrified. He bent his head low in shame.
"I'm so sorry, Nellie." He said solemly.
"For what, Rune?"
"For everything. Everything that's ever happened to you is because of me. Even after my death, I'm still the indirect cause of your suffering. I never should have pursued you all that time ago. Things would have been better if we never even met at all."
Rune sat on his haunches, crying a river of tears.
"I'm so sorry."
Nelllie wrapped her forelegs around the Black dragon.
"It's alright." She said. "I love you, Rune. I always have. I don't blame you for anything that's happened to me: Runefor is the one responcible for what's happened, not you. He's a horrible person, but you're the sweetest, most kind-hearted dragon I've ever met. You made me the happiest dragoness in the Dragon Realms when I became your girlfriend, and I looked forward to the day when I'd become your mate."
"How could that possibly happen now?" Rune asked. "We're dead: We'll never reach adulthood."
"It doesn't matter: All I want to do is spend the rest of time with you... If you'll have me."
Rune calmed down a little.
"Of course." He said, smiling slightly. "You're all that I have left. I don't want to toss you away."
Nellie pulled Rune closer to her and placed her head beneath his chin.
"We may be dead, but at least we're finally together again. Plus, we're able to avoid suffering when the Great Cleansing begins."
"I guess so..."
The two young dragons held each other in a loving embrace. This was the first time they were able to do this in over six months: Runefor was no longer there to keep them separated. This alone was more than enough to help them cope with being separated from their friends and family.
They were happy.
However, after a few moments of their embrace, a strange, ethereal voice spoke out to them.
"We are sorry, young dragons, but you cannot stay here."
The two young dragons lifted their heads and looked around themselves, completely cuaght off-guard.
"Who's there?" Nellie asked, frightened.
A moment later, everal large spirits appeared out of the abyss. They surrounded the two young dragons and floated before them. Each of the spirits gave them an eerie gaze.
The Blue dragoness stood beside Rune, scared of waht the spirits might do to them.
"There is no time for you to be embracing your beloved, Rune." One of the floating spirits stated.
"There is much you need to learn about, and little time to learn it in." Another one said.
"Who are you?" Rune asked.
"We are, as your people have come to call us, The Ancient Spirits."
"The Ancient Spirits?" Rune repeated, shocked.
"Yes, young one." A third spirit answered.
"Why have you come before us?" Nellie asked, still trying to hide behind Rune. "What have we done wrong?"
"You have done nothing wrong, young dragons." The Fourth spirit reassured. "The both of you have been forced through great hardship, and taken from life before your time."
"We are going to restore the two of you to life."
Nellie's eyes glowed with surprise.
"R.. Really?" The dragoness asked.
"Of course, young one."
"You're going to restore me, too?" Rune asked. "But... I'm the dragon responcible for the destruction of The Hive. I caused my mother's death. Twice! I ended the lives of hundreds of other beings as well, and have caused the destruction of a great many parts of the world! Everything would have been better if I had never been born!"
Nellie and the Ancient Spirits just looked at the Black dragon.
"Rune..." The dragoness crooned.
"You are wrong, young dragon." One of the spirits said.
Rune became confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"You are not the same Black dragon as the one that was born as the son of Bane and Elenar; You are only half of him, and the being known as Runefor is the other half."
What are you talking about?" Nellie demanded.
"Long ago, when Bane and Elenar had two sons, they named one Cyrus, and the other Rune. Rune was named after his Great Grandafther Runileon the Wicked, in an attempt by his mother to spite his curse on the Aries clan bloodline. For seven years, Rune grew up as a normal dragon cub. But then came the day when he met several of a group called the Darkstalkers."
"There's no need to repeat that to me." Rune stated. "I already know what happened next: I was tricked into revealing the existance of The Hive, and the floating city was destroyed, along with the lives of hundreds of Dark dragons. Why bring this up again?"
"When The Hive's destruction came about, you were devastated, correct?"
"Well, yes."
"Because you blamed yourself for the deaths of so many dragons, you couldn't bear to cause any more suffering to any other living being, even to creatures considered as a foodsouce by the dragon race. Furthermore, because you feared judgement for your past deeds, you tried your best to be as well-behaved as possible, so that no one would ever wish to punish you for anything. When people showed you love and kindness, you appreciated it, even if you kept secrets from them."
"However, part of you still feared confrontation and punishment. You believed that it wasn't fair that you had to take the blame for the deaths of hundreds. You were hostile towards anyone who seemed to come into your life to pass judgement over your sins, and you fled from them or tried to push you away. You wished for the power to make them go away, so that you didn't have to be afraid anymore."
Rune sat down on his haunches, amazed. The Spirits seemed to be peering directly into the young dragon's mind and reciting every little thing he regretted.
Nellie looked at him, concerned.
"Rune, are you okay?"
"I..." He didn't know what to say.
"For a good five years, your frusterated side stayed dormant inside your mind, only able to manifest in short bursts here and there across the year. But then came the day when Malefor became able to use your inner power against you to manipulate you."
"You mean the influence he placed inside me when I was revived the first time, right?" Rune asked. He hadn't forgotten what Cynder had told him that day in Warfang.
"Correct. Malefor used his influence to plague your mind with nightmares about your mother killing you for supposedly betraying her. After that day, when you were traveling north to Mount Erebus, Malefor's influence grew stronger. As this happened, so did your frusterated side's desire for magical power. During the attempt to revive your mother, Malefor's energy was forced out of him and into you, thus granting your other side the power it desired for so long. As a result, it started behaving on its own, though was still a part of you. And then, when you absorbed Malefor completely, that frusterated side of you finally broke apart and became its own person."
"Runefor."
"From that day on, your mind and Runefor's mind shared the same soul and existed in the same body, which you switched control of from time to time. But six months ago, Runefor managed to convince Bergan to separate his mind from your soul, but left it bound to your body. Now that you have died, Rune, the divide between you and Runefor has been made complete: You and Runefor are one being no longer."
"You mean... you don't believe I'm guilty?"
"Everything Runefor has done is on his own paws, not yours, Rune."
Rune sat down on his haunches, amazed. Nellie did the same.
"You see, Rune?" She askd. "You're not Runefor; You don't have to pay for his crimes."
"Unfortunately, even if Rune is not guilty, he must still do his part to stop Runefor, Bergan, and Malefor before The Nothing is brought into the Dragon Realms."
"What IS The Nothing?" Nellie asked.
"The Nothing is an ancient and terrible force of evil. Countless ages ago, when the Dragon Race was brought into existence, The Nothing was created as wel. It sought to take over the Dragon Realms, and recreate them according to its own will. However, it couldn't enter into the world properly: It had no physical form. So, it created scores of avatars, tiny fragments of its own power, and sent them into the Dragon Realms to slaughter the dragons that stood in its way. Those avatars took on the form of dragons with Hides of Purple, the color of the energy known as Convexity."
"So The Nothing created the Purple dragons?" Rune asked.
"Yes. A great war lasted between the Purple and Nonpurple dragons, but eventually, the Nonpurples won the day through their superior numbers. With The Nothing's forces defeated, the dragon Elders of the time used their powers to split The Nothing's power across multiple plains of existence: Its two sources of power, Convexity and Nothingness, were sent to the Realm of Convexity and the Underworld, respectively."
"Unfortunately, The Nothing was not completely defeated. It used its Convexity energy to infect the DNA of the dragon race, making it so that a Purple dragon would be born once every ten generations. At first, the dragon race stood on its guard, swearing to kill any Purple dragon born so The Nothing could never take over its body and enact its will. however, as time marched on, the vendetta against the Purple dragons was forgotten, and replaced with the belief that they were destined for great things."
"Every century or so, a Purple draogn would be born, and be treated as a great boon for the dragon race. The first one revered was Lucrun, and a later one was Desysto."
"Those are two of the Victiumirti!" Rune shouted.
"Correct. The Nothing took control of them both, using its influence to corrupt their minds. They both came close to bringing about an event known as The Great Cleansing, with Desysto being more successful. Desysto's Destroyer almost brought the world to ruin with the Ring of Annhilation, but when he was defeated, the world was restored, and The Destroyer was buried away. This event cauded the world to enter a Second Age, with the laws of magic being altered in an attempt to prevent The Nothing from reaching its goals."
"So when Spyro and Cynder started a New Age, it wasn't the first time it happened." Nellie stated.
"For the longest time after Desysto's defeat, there were no Purple dragons born, and the world forgot about them. But then came the dragon named Malefor, who was even more powerful than previous Purple dragons. He was corrupted as well, but gained the ability to force others to bend to his will, as you're very familiar with. When Spyro came to be, The Nothing attempted to currupt him in turn, and nearly succeeded several times, but ulitmately failed."
"Why?" Rune asked.
"Spyro grew to love the dragoness known as Cynder. He put her above all else, and though he didn't say it out loud for a long time, came to devote his entire being to ensuring her survival."
"So... the power of Love prevented him from being corrupted?" Nellie asked skeptically.
"Do not scoff the force known as Love, young dragoness. It is one of two powerful forces of nature, its equal and opposite being Hate. Both forces are the two greatest emotional extremes that a being can feel, and both will drive a being to do things it wouldn't normally do. Lucrun, Desysto, and Malefor all felt a deep-seated hatred for the dragon race, as did Amouris, Adpetis and Runileon. When Spyro and Cynder faced Malefor, they did not have the power to defeat him. That's when we stepped in to seal the Evil Purple dragon away, and Spyro used his powers as a Purple draogn to save the world, thus starting the Third Age of the Dragon race."
"After that, it was made that all Purple dragons born after Spyro would be unable to wield Convexity, thus preventing The Nothing from corrupting them. However, the dragoness Amouris found a way to travel to the Realm of Convexity, and learned to harness the energy in the form of Crystal shards, thus allowing The Nothing to manipulate her. After she and her puppet Chrisala were defeated, and the White dragons were brought into existance, The Nothing found that they had Convexity energy, and was able to corrupt them the same way it corrupted Purple dragons."
"Adpetis was corrupted, as was Runileon, but both of them failed to bring about The Great Cleansing. And then, Bergan came to be. Unlike the past Purple dragons, Bergan discovered The Nothing's existance, and began to enact its bidding willingly, without being completely corrupted. He conceived of a plan to resurrect the past Victiumirti so that The Nothing's summoning could be enacted in far less time."
"And now, Bergan's about to succeed." Rune stated solemnly.
"Yes. And Runefor is planning to intervene, so that he can steal The Nothing's power for himself."
"Why are you telling us all of this?" The Black dragon asked. "What can we possibly do?"
"As a Black dragon of the new age, you have access to all twelve elements, as well as Convexity energy. You must use your power to put a stop to Bergan, Malefor and Runefor before any of them succeed. That is your duty. Do you understand, young dragon?"
"I... I understand." Rune said.
"What about me?" Nellie asked.
"You do not have to aid Rune, if you don't desire to. You may flee to safety, and leave the Black dragon to fight his own battle."
The Blue dragoness frowned angrilly, and grabbed Rune's forepaw.
"No." She said blankly. "I'm not about to leave Rune alone. He needs me, just as I need him."
Rune blushed.
"As you wish, young dragoness. Stand perfectly still, both of you."
Rune and Nellie stood close together and shut their eyes. The Ancient Spirits created orbs of energy and infused them with the young dragons. As they slowly became engulfed in Light, the Spirits said one final thing to them.
"We will try our best to guide you to victory, but even those as Ancient as us have our limitations. Good luck, young dragons."
And with that, thetwo young dragons vanished.
...
The Pit of the Fallen.
A great Green light continuously shined brightly out of the Pit and into the Night sky. The Elders' Palace and The Nexus floated weigthlessly in the air, side by side. Countless corrupted dragons patrolled the crater, continuously searching for invaders.
Far off on the outside boarder of the Crater, the Black dragon Zevron stood before the unconscious form of Malefor. The Purple hatchling lay asleep by Zevron's feet, placed under a magic spell to put an end to his crying.
"Father..." The Black dragons aid, trying to wake the Purple one. "FATHER!"
Soon, Malefor opened his tired yellow eyes and stood up on his feet.
"Where... am I?" He demanded.
"We're just outside of the Pit of the Fallen, father." Zevron declared. "I've been healing your wounds with my Convexity energy and waiting for you to awaken, so that I may show you the boon I have come across."
"Elaborate."
Zevron lifted the hatchling off the ground and presented him to Malefor.
"I have managed to capture the White dragonesses's child." The Black dragon said proudly.
"WHAT?" The Purple dragon roared.
Malefor slashed his son across the face, causing Zevron to yelp in surprise and pain.
"You imbecile!" The Victiumirtus snarled. "You were only to keep an eye on the girl, not steal her offspring!"
"I only did what seemd necessare at the time, father!" Zevron protested, healing his wound. "The girl was refusing to agree to your terms, so I took the boy so that she would be froced to concede!"
"I planned for her to be loyal to me WILLINGLY!" MAlefor snarled. "Now, she will have a vendetta against us!"
Zevron lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, father." He said shamefully.
"It's too late for apologies, boy." Malefor sneered. "But, we will deal with this matter at a later date." The Purple dragon turned his head towards the Pit of the Fallen.
"For now, we must deal with bergan and this 'Nothing' he's doing the bidding of. I will not have him steal away the world that is supposed to belong to me. Come; we must put an end to his meddling once and for all."
"Yes, father."
Malefor spread his wings and took off for the Pit. Zevron scooped up the hatchling and followed his fahter.
Little time remained for the Dragon Realms.