Act 3, Chapter 7
Bergan stood on the edge of the platform in the Pit of the Fallen, looking upwards at the night sky, a grin on his face. Richard the dragonfly floated a short distance away from him, an uneasy expression on his face.
It won't be long, now. He thought to himself. Just a little more time left...
Soon, very soon, the time for the final phase of Bergan's plan would be at hand. After almost a lifetime of waiting, watching and planning, The Golden-maned dragon would unleash the greatest force of power in the Dragon Realms.
"Sir," Richard began, "I'm beginning to think we shouldn't be here when it begins."
Bergan didn't answer.
"Sir?"
Still no responcce. The Golden-maned dragon continued eyeing the sky.
A moment later, Bergan heard two dragons come to a landing behind him. He chuckled.
"Greetings, Bergan." One of them said coldly.
It was Malefor.
"Ah, Malefor." Bergan stated. "And Zevron too, I presume."
The Black dragon didn't say a word. Malefor, however, slowly stepped forwards.
"Things did not go quite as planned in the city of Glenhaven." He said.
"I see..." Bergan replied. "It's such a shame that Amouris and Adpetis are deceased again; They were quite useful."
Malefor flinched in surprise.
"You know?" He asked.
"Of course I know." Bergan answered. The Golden-maned dragon turned around to face the other dragon.
"I also know that you made an offer to my daughter to betray me, and that your son has kidnapped her hatchling in an attempt to force her into servitude.. What is his name? Denzel, I believe."
Malefor and Zevron had looks of alarm and incredulousness in their eyes.
"Impossible!" The Black dragon shouted. "How can you know all this!"
Bergan chuckled.
"I've always known. Just about everything that's happened, I have known about in advance for years."
"Lies!" Malefor sneered.
"I've known that Runileon was going to be killed by Zevron, and that Adpetis caught you in your act of betrayal and intended to blackmail you."
"How do you know these things?" The other Purple dragon demanded.
"It's a funny thing, being a Purple dragon born and raised by Time dragons: You're taught the ability to predict the future."
"What?" Zevron asked.
"When I learned the ability, I used it at every opportunity I found, and learned to do the exact right thing at the right time to alter the future to one in my favor. Nobody can get the upperhand on me, because I know what hand they're going to play before they even see it themselves."
"So, you're the world's biggest cheater." The Black dragon snarled.
"Call me what you will, Zevron: I doesn't change the fact that I used my talents to their fullest to reach the position I'm in today."
"If you knew that I was planning to betray you," Malefor questioned, "Then why did you work to revive me in the first place? Or the other Victiumirti, for that matter?"
Bergan sighed.
"If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's getting involved in acts of violence and confrontations. I knew that Urobos and Elenar would try to stop me when they discovered my ambitions. So, I decided a long time ago to enlist the aid in the most powerful dragons that The Nothing ever corrupted. With the six of you acting to destroy the world, that provided as a distraction so that I could work to bring The Nothing into the Dragon Realms."
The Golden-maned dragon pointed a talon at the air.
"And now, the time has finally come! BEHOLD!"
Malefor and Zevron looked up in the air, and gasped in surprise.
The Palace and The Nexus slowly started to break apart, piece by piece. The many chunks of brick, stone, metal and wood proceeded to float around in a massive orbit around the two floating buildings as they were reduced to nothing.
As all of this happened, a great, Purple aura started to glow around each individual chunk of debris. Each aura grew larger and larger, until they all became connected to each other. Once there was now a single, Giant aura, all of the bits of debris started to disintegrate into more Purple energy.
A giant, Purple circle of energy now hung in the sky above the Pit of the Fallen.
"What is that?" Malefor demanded.
"That is a portal to the Realm of Convexity, where half of The Nothing's energy lies, in the form of the realm's namesake." Bergan answered. "And now, for the other portal."
The Golden-maned dragon summoned a Black-and-White aura around his uplifted foreleg. He then turned around, and blasted a Black-and-White orb into the Pit.
At first, nothing else happened. But then, the great Green light vanished from existance, only to be replaced by a Black-and-White one.
As the new, bizarre Light shined into the night sky, the ground of the platform started to shake. Malefor and Zevron nearly lost their balance, but Bergan stood perfectly still.
"What are you doing now?" The Black dragon demanded.
"The other half of The Nothing's power lies in the Underworld, in the form of Nothingness." The Golden-maned dragon replied. "When the two forms of energy combine here, our Creator will finally achieve manifestation!"
Malefor turned towards Zevron, quick as a flash.
"Stop him!" He roared. "Use your power and cripple this wretch! NOW!"
"I'm afraid that the element of Blood does not affect me." Bergan stated, grinning again. "You will find that my power greatly outranks Zevron's."
Malefor snarled.
"Then I will kill you myself." He growled.
"You would try to fight me, even though you know that I can see your every move coming before you think of it?" Bergan asked.
"I will not allow you to steal away my ultimate goal in life."
Began sighed again. He turned his gaze towards Richard.
"You had best flee." He adviced. "Things are about to become unecessarily violent."
"As you wish, sir."
The Dragonfly immediately fled up into the air, making his way out of the Crater.
In the meantime, the Golden-maned dragon removed his Black cloak, tossing it onto the platform floor a short distance away. As he did this, Malefor charged up his energy and prepared to attack.
"You will die this day, Bergan." The Victiumirtus sneered.
"No, my friend." The other Purple dragon replied. "It will be you."
With that said, the two Purple dragons attacked each other.
...
The night had finally begun.
All of the citizens had evacuated the Glenhaven. Dragon, Cat and Mole alike had been organized by the Guardians and the Deep Shadows and had left via the southern wall of the city. Each and every one of them had brought along the essential supplies that was believed to be needed.
As they left, they were led by Mimet, The Guardians, the Deep Shadows, and Anthony.
When the Fire dragon learned that Flame had revealed that he knew the Stronghold's location, he was at first enraged. But then, Mimet declared that Anthony would be allowed to walk free again if he agreed to lead the way to Dante's Holocaust. Seeing no reason to disagree, the Fire dragon begrudgingly accepted the offer.
As the citizens of Glenhaven left the city, a group of dragons stayed behind.
Urobos, Spyro, Cynder, Elza, Grail, Tyrrany, Flame, Tina and Cyrus stood before the remains of the Glenhaven Palace.
The young Black dragon was completely shocked.
A while ago, Urobos explained to him and Tina that not only was Cyrus molested during his Corruption, but the dragoness who did the deed had produced an egg. Cyrus was the father of an illegitimate egg.
The young Black dragon held the egg in his forepaws.
"H... How could this happen?" He demanded. "How could I wind up with THIS thing?"
"Take it easy, your highness." Elza said.
"'Take it easy'?" Grail snapped. "Our prince has been VIOLATED by one of those she-beasts! That egg serves only as a physical reminder of that fact! I say we destroy it!"
"NO!" Tyrrany Shouted. "It's not the egg's fault that it's the product of depravity!"
"And how would you be an authority on the matter?" The Dark Grey dragon queried.
The White dragoness became nervous.
"Because.. uh..."
Flame draped one of his wings over Tyrrany.
"It's alright, Anny." He said soothingly. "Just let it go."
Grail scoffed.
"So, you violated that boy." He said flatly. "That's trait that you share with your father."
"It would be wise for you to stop insulting my granddaughter, Grail." Urobos sneered.
"This is falling off topic." Spyro declared. "What are we going to do about this egg?"
"As Tyrrany said, it's not the unhatched child's fault that it came into existance the way it did." Elza stated. "It would be unfair to destroy it."
"But what else should be done?" Cyrs demanded. "There's no way I could possibly take care of this thing! I'm only seventeen!"
"That's how old I was when Denzel came to be." Tyrrany responded. "I felt the same as you do now, at first, but then I realized that I couldn't toss him away: After growing up believing that our mother had done the same thing to me, the idea was completely distasteful to me. So, I decided to raise Denzel, and grew to love him as my child."
"Things are different for me, Hope." Cyrus snapped. "I'm not capable of raising a child."
"You're not alone, you know." Tina said.
"Huh?"
"Don't get me wrong: I'm just as shocked as you are that you have an egg now. But, I'd be more than happy to help you look after it when it hatches, and I'm sure the others here would help too."
"That's right, Cyrus." Urobos added. "If you need help to be a good father, you can always come to me for advice."
The young Black dragon looked down at the ground.
"I... I don't know..."
"We'll have to save this conversation for a later date." Cynder stated. "We must be leaving for the Pit of the Fallen immediately."
"I want to go with you guys." Cyrus replied. "I want to teach that Bergan punk a lesson!"
"Are you sure, Cyrus?" Spyro asked.
"What if Bergan corrupts you again?" Elza added.
"He won't." Tina declared. "Not if I'm there to protect Cyrus's mind."
"So, you wish to come as well..." Urobos said. "As you wish."
The Aged Black dragon turned towards Elza.
"I want you to look after the egg while we're gone." He commanded. "Make sure it stays in a safe place."
"Yes, your highness." The Dark Green dragoness replied.
Elza carefully took the egg from Cyrus and took off for flight, following after the crowd of civilians. In the meantime, Grail bowed his head before the older dragons.
"May the Ancestors guide you all to victory." He declared.
The Grey dragon then took off after Elza.
"Well then, with no further discussions left..." Spyro said.
"... Let us be off." Cynder finished.
The seven dragons gathered closer together. Urobos, Tyrrany and Cyrus combined their Space elements, and teleported the entire group towards the Pit of the Fallen.
...
Rune and Nellie appeared in a flash of light. Upon looking around, they found themselves standing before the base of a massive Crater.
The sky was almost pitch-black, with no stars visible anywhere. A massive Black-and-White geyser of light was bursting out of the Crater. The light was met by a giant Purple pool of energy that hung weightlessly in the sky. A great swarm of Corrupted dragons circled around in the air, constantly on patrol for invaders. Luckily, none of them seemed to spot the two young dragons.
Rune faced towards the crater, inhaling a deep breath.
"Are you sure you want to come with me, Nellie?" He asked. "I don't want you getting hurt anymore."
The dragoness placed a paw on top of one of Rune's.
"Positive." She said, smiling. "There's no way I'm leaving you."
"But, it's going to be extremely dangerous."
"I don't care. As long as I'm with you, I'll feel safe."
Rune smiled at the dragoness.
"If you say so.."
The two young dragons looked up at the crater. Nervously, The Black dragon started stepping forwards, his wings spread for flight.
"Let's go."
Nellie sighed.
"Alright..."
The two dragons lifted off into the air and flew towards the crater's opening, dodging around Corrupted dragons before they could be spotted.
...
Malefor was slammed against a side wall of the Platform and crumpled to the floor.
As he climbed back onto his feet, Bergan came charging forwards, preparing to strike with another blast of Convexity. The other Purple dragon immediately unleashed a blast of Convexity fire, while the Golden-maned one instantly appeared to his side and unleashed a Convexity Blast, striking Malefor across the torso and sending him sprawling.
"Pathetic." Bergan sneered.
As the battle continued, it was perfectly clear that Bergan outranked Malefor. The Golden-maned dragon knew each and every one of Malefor's upcoming attacks, and dodged around it perfectly. And when Bergan attacked, his strikes came swiftly and brutally.
Zevron wished to jump into the fight to aid his father, but Malefor made it clear that he was to keep the hatchling under watch. Denzel had been woken up by the many great blasts of magic, and began to cry in fear. Zevron, however, threatened to kill the Purple hatchling if he made too much of a racket.
As Malefor fought his uphill battle against Bergan, a small portal of Purple energy started forming on one of the side walls, off to the far left of the Platform. Out of the portal, came a young, Black-hided dragon with a large hole in his chest.
Runefor.
The dead-yet-living dragon watched the battle from high above, waiting to see who would emerge victorious. He grinned.
"It won't be long now..." He said, chuckling quietly to himself.
Bergan unleashed another blast of Convexity, and Malefor was sent flying backwards, crashing down near the exit from the Platform.
"Father!" Zevron exclaimed, shocked.
As Malefor slowly got back onto his feet. Several of his bones were broken, and he was covered in bruises from being smacked around for so long, but he used his Convexity energy to heal himself.
Bergan laughed.
"Give it up, Malefor." He declared, smiling. "You can't win."
The other Purple dragon seethed with rage.
"I'm not about to allow you to bring this Nothing into the Dragon Realms!" He growled.
"So, you still think you can stop me, do you?" Bergan queried. "You never learn, do you. I've already one, Malefor: I've seen it come to be. There's not a single person, place or event that's taken place that I haven't seen coming."
"Nonsense!" The other Purple dragon snapped. "There is one whom you've never been able to predict!"
Bergan's eyes flared with anger momentarily.
"Excuse me?"
Malefor started walking slowly towards Bergan.
"You are not nearly as all-powerful as you claim. If you are able to forsee the future, then how come you didn't expect to be double-crossed by that Rune louse?"
The Golden-maned dragon flared with rage once again. The other Purple dragon grinned.
"The Reason you wanted him eliminated is because he proved to be a chaotic thorn in your side. You can't predict his actions, can you? He's your living and breathing weakness."
Far up in the air, Runefor chuckled to himself again.
Just listen to Big Purple and Ugly ramble on...
Down below, Bergan snarled.
"Slander me all you want." He said coldly. "Soon, The Nothing will destroy this world, along with you, Zevron, and that Rune child."
Suddenly, someone shouted out to the dragons.
"YOU'RE WRONG!"
A short moment later, a great cloud of Black smoke filled the center of the platform, surprising the other dragons. Once the cloud dissipated, seven dragons stood in the center of the Plaform: Three Aged dragons and four young dragons.
It was Urobos, Spyro, Cynder, Tyrrany, Flame, Cyrus and Tina.
When the cloud vanished, the younger dragons immediately adopted battle stances, while the Aged dragon glared at the two Victiumirti. Bergan and Malefor glared back.
All the while, Runefor watched from his hiding place above the Platform, sneering.
All of THEM are here? Figures...
Tyrrany snarled at Bergan, while the Golden-maned dragon smiled warmly.
"Ah, Tyrrany." He said, feigning happiness. "Welcome back, dear."
"Don't you DARE call me that name!" The White dragoness roared.
Cyrus and Flame took several steps forwards, both boys snarling.
"I've got a Bone to pick with you, Bergan!" The Black dragon growled.
"As do I!" Flame added. Bergan frowned.
"Oh, is that so...?"
Zevron made an attempt to escape via a portal of energy, but Malefor yelled at him.
"YIELD, BOY!" He demanded.
Spyro, Cynder and Urobos turned their attention towards Zevron, who stopped and glared back.
When Tyrrany saw Zevron holding the frightened Denzel in his grip, she exploded into rage.
"RELEASE MY SON!" She roared, teeth bared.
"Give the dragoness her son, boy." Malefor commanded.
Zevron, sneering, stepped forwards and haphazardly handed the crying hatchling over to Tyrrany. The White dragoness immediately cradled the boy, trying her best to calm her down.
"Ah, so you care for young Denzel, do you Tyrrany?" Bergan asked, grinning. "You didn't toss his egg away, like your mother did to you."
"THAT'S A LIE!" Flame roared. "A Lie that YOU clouded her mind with for years, you son of a bitch!"
"My, my, Flame. You're awefully defensive of the girl, considering she molested you."
The Red dragon flinched in surprise.
"How do you...?"
"It doesn't matter." Cynder declared.
"He's trying to play mind games again in an attempt to weaken our spirits." Urobos added.
"My, aren't WE clever!" Bergan declared, smiling again.
"Enough nonsensical banter!" Spyro roared.
The Aged Purple dragon began charging his magic, as did Urobos, Cynder, and the younger dragons. Tyrrany, however, continued trying to calm down her hatchling.
"Bergan," Spyro began, "You have committed unspeakable and incalculable crimes against the Dragon Realms and the creatures who dwell in it. The time has come to put a stop to your madness and banish you, and Malefor as well, to the deepest pits of the Underworld!"
Malefor and the Golden-maned dragon began charging their energies as well.
"Once I kill you all, Bergan falls next!" The former Purple dragon declared.
"Idoiocracy." Bergan declared. "You cannot defeat me."
High up in the air, Runefor readied his Convexity energy to teleport.
But I can!...
Spyro, Cynder and Urobos all unleashed their magical attacks upon the Victiumirti: Spyro attacking with Convergence, Cynder attacking with Concurrence, and Urobos attacking with Convexity, though it was strenuous. Malefor and Bergan countered with Convexity beams of their own.
Both sides of the attacks flew at each other at full speed, ready to collide with full force...
However, just before any of the attacks struck, a massive wall of Purple Flames appeared, blocking Bergan and Malefor from the other dragons.
Before any of the dragons could react, Runefor appeared in a cloud of Purple smoke off to the leftside of the Platform, standing just before the great Black-and-White light.
Cynder and the others gasped in surprise upon seeing him.
"Is that Rune?" Tina shouted.
"No!" Cynder declared. "It's the monster who stole his body!"
Bergan and Malefor eyed the dead-yet-living dragon, the former with disdain and the latter with disgust.
"What are YOU doing here?" Malefor demanded.
"I'm here to put a stop to all you meddling assholes once and for all." Runefor sneered.
"You're the meddler here." Bergan snapped. "The biggest one of all, in fact."
Runefor proceeded to walk forwards towards the two Purple dragons. Malefor growled at the younger dragon as he approached.
"Do you think you can defeat me?" He sneered.
"Not like this, no." Runefor replied. "Although... I do plan on getting a new body soon."
The dead-yet-living dragon turned his gaze towards Bergan, grinning. The Golden-maned dragon grimaced.
"Why are you looking at me in such a way?" He demanded.
A moment later, Runefor spread his wings for flight and summoned his gold-bladed sword into his forepaw.
"Let's cut to the chase." He chided.
In an instant, the dead-yet-living dragon vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Bergan and the others looked around for Runefor, waiting for him to reappear.
"Show yourself!" Cynder demanded.
Before anyone else could say anything, however, a great rumbling filled the air. The ground beneath the dragons shook wildly, sending all but Bergan and Malefor to the floor.
"What madness?" Spyro shouted.
As the other dragons tried to get on their feet again, the Black-and-White Light suddenly grew far more rapid and sporadic. At the same time, the Purple portal in the air began to grow wider, and became a massive hole, out of which flowed a great amount of Convexity energy, all of it hurtling down towards the Pit of the Fallen.
Bergan began laughing triumphantly.
"It's begun!" He proclaimed. "In a few moments, The Nothing will be summoned!"
"NO!" Urobos protested.
"YES!" Bergan replied gleefully"And its Will shall be enacted, now and forever!"
"Is that so?" Came Runefor's voice out of nowhere.
Suddenly, the dead-yet-living dragon appeared in the air a few feet above the Bergan, sword at the ready. Tina and the other younger dragons gasped in surprise, but that came too late for the Bergan to react in time.
Runefor brought his sword down quick as a flash, impaling Bergan's back just between the wing-joints. As he roared in pain and alarm, the dead-yet-living dragon crashed down on his back and gripped the sword hilt in both forepaws.
"Your body is MINE!" He declared.
Runefor's body glowed with a Deep Purple aura, as did his eyes.
"GET OFF ME!" Bergan roared angrilly.
All the other dragons watched in horror as Bergan desperately tried to toss the younger dragon off od himself, shaking wildly and attempting to use his Time element. As this happened, Runefor's energy started flowing out of his body, and into the Golden-maned dragon.
"By the Ancestors..." Flame stated, nearly at a loss for words.
After only a moment, the Bergan crashed to the floor, his eyes shut and his back stained with blood. However, he was not dead; He was still breathing. In the meantime, every last bit of Runefor's energy had left his body. Almost immediately afterwards, Runefor's body let go of the sword and fell to the floor, completely lifeless.
"What's happened?" Malefor demanded.
"Is he dead?" Cyrus asked.
It wasn't long until the young dragon got his answer.
The Golden-maned dragon stood up on all fours, his eyes shut tight and as if nothing were wrong.
Malefor sneered.
"So, you still live, Bergan..." He said with contempt.
The Golden-maned dragon chuckled, reaching behind himself to grab hold of the sword still rammed into his back. As he did this, he opened his eyes, and everyone else gasped.
Bergan's Irises were Blood Red, as was normal, but the rest of his eyes were completely Pitch Black in color.
When he spoke, he had multiple voices speaking at once.
"Bergan isn't here."
"So, it's Runefor then." Spyro stated.
"Not quite." The Golden-maned dragon replied. "I'm not Runefor anymore. I'm bigger, badder, and far more powerful than ever before. Therefore, I shall go by the name... Runexios!"
As he said these words, the Platform began to shake even harder.
Behind the Evil dragon, the Convexity energy started merging with the Black-and-white light. Parts of the Crater walls were starting to collapse and fall into the Pit mouth. And then, a great, incoherent presence started filling the platform, sending chills down most of the other dragons' spines.
Denzel started crying even harder.
"Calm down, little one." Tyrrany said soothingly to the hatchling, despite the great fear growing within her.
"What's happening?" Cyrus shouted. Runexios scoffed.
"You were told before, idiot: The Nothing is coming into the Dragon Realms."
Malefor snarled at the Demonic dragon.
"Not if I have any say in this matter!" He sneered.
"You don't." Runexios replied.
Instantly, the Demonic dragon teleported right in front of Malefor and drove his talons into his chest, sending pain coursing through Malefor's being.
As this happened, something strange occured; the scales on Malefor's paws started changing from Purple to Black, and the backspikes along his back started dissolving into nothing.
Malefor gasped in alarm as he slowly lost control of his body.
"What is this?" He demanded.
"I've gotten pretty sick of you, Mally." Runexios sneered. "At least you're still useful in one regard: as a fuelsource."
Bit by bit, Malefor's body changed back to that of Bane's. the Purple dragon struggled as much as he could to reverse the process, but it was in vain.
"FATHER!" Zevron shouted in horror. He ran forwards and attempted to hijack Runexios's body with his Blood element to save Malefor.
"Shut up!" Runexios roared.
The Demonic dragon sent part of the flames of the wall of Purple Fire towards Zevron to silence him. The younger dragon attempted to dodge out of the way, but his right hind leg was hit. He crashed to the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain.
"That'll teach you not to interfere!" Runexios sneered.
Soon, all that remained of Malefor's control over Bane's body were his Demonic yellow eyes, which were filled with a mixture of fear and hatred.
"Damn...you..."
With that said, Malefor shut his eyes, which became Bane's once again.
Runexios laughed gleefully.
"With that pest out of the way..." The Demonic dragon waved his free paw, and the Wall of Flames dissipated into nothing. He then ossed Bane's body off to the side, close to Zevron.
"Dad...?" Cyrus asked, shocked.
"Bane!" Urobos shouted.
"Would anyone else care to try and stop me?" Runefor chided.
Spyro managed to get back onto his feet and stepped forwards, snarling.
"Ah, Spyro." Runexios chided. "Of course..."
"Whatever name you go by.." The Aged Purple dragon stated, "It doesn't change the fact that you're a blight on the dragon race, just like Malefor was."
"No..." The Demonic Dragon replied. "I'm his superior. And yours as well."
At this time, Cynder and Urobos managed to right themselves, but the younger dragons and Zevron were still struggling.
"You're completely beyond saving at this point..." Urobos stated.
"This isn't Rune, Urobos." Cynder replied. "The real Rune is dead."
"Rune or not, he must die as well!" Spyro shouted.
"Stop talking and FIGHT!" Runexios snarled.
Immediately, Spyro lunged forwards, unleashing a Convexity beam at Runexios.
The Demonic dragon didn't do anything to counter it; he only stood perfectly still, a malevolent grin on his face.
When the beam came close to striking Runexios's chest, something strange happened; The attack suddenly changed directions in midair, instead hurtling upwards towards the gigantic mass of energy in the Pit. Once it stuck the mass, the beam dissolved instantly.
Runexios laughed, while Spyro snarled.
"What madness?" He shouted.
"Did I forget to mention that your magic attacks will inevitably be absorbed into The Nothing's power?" Runexios asked smugly. "Oh, how stupid of me..."
"Then I'll tear you to pieces!" Spyro roared.
The Aged Purple dragon charged forwards, using his Time element to strike instantaneously.
"Spyro, no!" Cynder warned.
But it was too late.
Just before Spyro's talons could slice through Runexios's neck, the Demonic dragon teleported to the side and struck the other dragon across the side, faster than anyone could blink.
As Spyro howled in pain, Runexios proceeded to unleash a barrage of slashes acoss the Aged dragon's body, using the Time element to move at nigh-impossible speed.
Immediately, Urobos and Cynder charged forwards to aid Spyro, the former using his own Time element to engage Runexios at the same speeds while the latter tried to pull Spyro away.
As Urobos and Runexios engaged in a flurry of slashes and bites unseen, Cyrus finally managed to get back onto his feet.
"We've gotta help them!" He shouted, pulling Tina upright. The young Black dragon then glanced over at Tyrrany. "Hey! Get back up!"
The White dragoness was curled up on the ground nearby, holding Denzel close to her, who was still crying miserably.
"What?" She shouted.
"You have the Time element, right?" Cyrus asked. "I need you to help me help grandfather!"
"But I can't leave Denzel alone!" Tyrrany protested. "He needs me!"
"I'm scared, Mommy!" The hatchling wailed.
"Anny, Den, calm down!" Flame shouted, crawling over to them.
"Anny, I'll protect Denzel. You should go help Urobos and Cynder."
The White dragoness looked into Flame's eyes.
"Protect him with your life, Flame." She said, half pleading.
"Of course I will." He replied.
Tyrrany looked down at Denzel.
"Be good for your Daddy, okay?" She asked him.
"Okay..." Denzel answered, sniffling. "I love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, little one."
The Fire dragon scooped the hatchling into his forelegs, while Tyrrany managed to stand back up and walk over to Cyrus, fearful tears in her eyes.
"Let's go!" He shouted.
"Yeah..." The dragoness replied.
With that said, Cyrus and Tyrrany used their respective Time elements and charged forwards, preparing to attack Runexios.
...
Rune flew up to the very edge of the Crater, Nellie following close behind.
A few moments ago, the giant Purple mass of energy in the sky started pouring massive amounts of energy down into the Pit, and the entire area was shaking violently.
Both young dragons were filled with dread.
"Do you think Bergan's succeeded already?" Rune asked.
"I'm not sure.." Nellie replied. "But it's best not to assume the worst from the start, Rune."
"If you say so..."
The two young dragons reached the edge of the Crater and turned downwards to fly inside. When Rune saw the platform below, he gasped in surprise.
Flame, Tina, Spyro, Cynder, and that Zevron character were all in the Pit. The unconscious form of Bane was lying near Malefor's son, and the sounds of a struggle between seemingly invisible dragons filled the area. Flame was holding Denzel tightly, Tina was standing a short distance from the Fire dragon, and Cynder was dragging a bloodied-up Spyro away from the edge of the Plaform.
Rune came to a landing on the right side of the Platform, across from the others. Nellie came to a landing next to the young Black dragon a short moment later, struggling not to topple over from the violent shaking of the ground beneath her.
"What's going on?" Nellie shouted. "Why are you all here?"
When the other dragons spotted Rune and Nellie, they gasped in surprise, as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Rune and Nellie?" Tina shouted, amazed. "You're alive?"
"Yes..." Rune replied, not sure how to respond.
"But how? Flame demanded. "Lady Cynder said you two were killed by some Demon who stole your body, Rune!"
Before either Rune or Nellie could explain, Urobos immediately appeared out of nowhere, flew across the air at rapid speed, crashed into the far wall, and fell to the ground.
"GRANDFATHER!" Rune shouted, running up to him.
"Rune...?" Urobos asked, struggling to get back up.
Before the young Black dragon could do anything else, Cyrus came flying overhead and crashed into the wall, a short distance from Urobos.
"Ow..." He moaned.
On the other side of the Platform, a large, Purple dragon who looked like Bergan was clutching Tyrrany by the throat, choking her.
"You really shouldn't have tried to defy me, you stupid little bitch." The Purple dragon sneered.
The White dragoness struggled to free herself, to no avail.
"ANNY!" Flame shouted in horror.
"STOP!" Rune roared.
The Purple dragon flinched at the sound of Rune's voice.
"It can't be!" He exclaimed, turning to face the other dragons.
When the dragon saw Rune, he flew into a rage.
"YOU AGAIN?" He snarled. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"
The young Black dragon walked forwards, partially startled at the sound of the dragon's voice.
"Runefor?" He asked. "You're..."
"I don't go by that name anymore." He growled. "I've become far more than just a White dragon. Call me Runexios."
Rune growled.
"Whatever you are, let Hope go!" He demanded.
The Demonic dragon chuckled.
"Fine."
Within a fraction of a second, Runexios tossed the White dragoness through the air at Rune. Tyrrany smacked into her brother with enough force to send both of them crashing to the ground.
"NO!" Nellie exclaimed.
As the Water dragoness ran to Rune and Tyrrany's aid, Runexios burst into laughter.
"She's alive too?" He chided. "Bah, it doesn't matter! She was always a pathetic little twat from the beginning!"
Immediately, Rune shot up onto all fours and snarled.
"SHUT UP!" He yelled. The Demonic dragon chuckled again.
"Oh! Acting all tough again?" He asked.
"I'm sick of you!" Rune shouted angrilly. "You've killed counltess beings, Dragon and Nondragon alike! You've caused grief for my friends and family! And to top it all off, you've held me prisoner inside my own body, and forced me to watch as you horribly violated Nellie!"
The young Black dragon's body began emitting a feint Black aura, though Runexios's face was unfazed.
"Things are finally diffferent now! I'm no longer forced to share my body and soul with a monstrosity! I can finally get rid of you! I'll never forgive you for the things you've done, Runefor! NEVER!""
The Demonic dragon laughed.
"Nice little speech, idiot." He chided. "It's a shame you've overestimated your own power, and underestimated my own.."
Runexios spread his wings and lifted up into the air. He then immediately floated backwards, entering the gigantic mass of energy.
All of the other dragons became confused.
"What are you doing?" Cynder demanded.
The energy started flowing allover Runexios's body, covering his scales and changing their color. Instead of a solid Purple, his scales became a strange, ethereal combination of Black, Purple and White, as did his mane.
"BEHOLD, you pieces of shit!" He declared. "As an Avatar of The Nothing, its power is now MINE!"
The Demonic dragon created a Barrier of Tri-colored energy around himself. The Barrier glowed a Great, Tri-colored light, which completely hid Runexios from view.
"With this power, I can bend the fabric of Time and Space itself!"
"Impossible!" Tina shouted.
"That's what YOU think!"
The sphere of Light started growing larger and larger.
As this happened, most of the dragons on the platform suddenly found an invisible force slowly pushing them towards the edge. They all struggled to fight back against the force, but it was in vain.
"Unbelievable!" Spyro exclaimed.
"What's happening?" Cyrus exclaimed.
On the other side of the platform, Denzel was crying as hard as ever.
"Make it stop, Daddy!" He begged, eyes red from tears.
Flame didn't know what to say to his son; He feared the worst.
The only dragon who wasn't affected as strongly was Zevron, who used the last reserves of the Convexity energy his father had given him to create a portal underneath himself.
Damn him...
Soon, the Light of the Barrier grew to immense size. And then, the light exploded outwards in all directions, engulfing almost all of the dragons.
When the light faded, the dragons were gone. And then, almost immediately afterwards, the entire crater collapsed inwards, uncluding the Plaform. The land just around the Crater began to crack, letting the Tri-colored energy spill free and onto the world's crust.
The destruction of the Dragon Realms had begun.
...
I can't believe how long it's taking me to write these chapters. My original superhuman speed is gone. I'm sad.
Anyway, bad shit's going down now! Where did all of the dragons go? What's happened to Runefor (Now called Runexios)? Will the citizens of Glenhaven make it to Dante's Holocaust in time? Keep reading the story to find out.
Tenebra ecce Veritas.