-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Another chapter has gone by, and so I thank everyone who came to see it. With that in mind it's time we went onto the next chapter.

I want to have people on the edge of their seats, hence all my reasoning for the events of chapter 4. There were some people outside that stated to me that they hate cliff-hangers, but I've played enough sequential videogames to accept them as some kind of plot device. I feel it's something that will work well when it comes to fiction writing.

Though, if you're one of those that hated cliff-hangers, you might hate this next chapter as well. O.O Luckily enough, Cynder will get some light shed on her in this chapter, so if you're a fan of said black dragon, this could help turn things around. I hope you're ready to see into her time into exploring the area around the Dragon Village while Spyro is left to recover from his fall.

Thanks again for your time! And for the record, I never thought I'd see some interesting M rated material here. Odds are I'd comment on a few in the next two days or so, so we'll see.

Peace out,
-Rexy-

And so, the Sorcerer was defeated; though his lair remained standing as if nothing ever happened, the damage inside was worth taking note of. As far as Spyro, Sparx and Ango knew, their wrong turn on the way to the Dragon Temple might have linked to a trace of goodwill.

But in spite of this, the Dragon Village felt no different at all. The civilians were still going through their regular lives in an unchanged environment, and red weeds still covered various aspects of the fields that surrounded it - still poisoning the landscapes around them.

Amongst all this, the Professor continued to spend his time indoors, watching over the village from the window of his laboratory. His watch over the scenery was briefly undisturbed - right until he felt a sudden shadowed presence starting to creep over his body like a long, thick mackintosh.

"Uncle, come quick!"

The shout was enough to catch his attention. And there, he turned around and met his eyes with Blink, holding onto what looked like a small coat in his right arm. Quickly he placed it onto the ground and stepped closer towards his uncle, his face almost colored peach with building fear.

"Uncle", Blink spoke to him almost fearfully. "You're not going to believe this, but there's a black dragon floating in the sky, and it's coming towards the village!"

"What?" jaw-dropped the Professor. "Is this another one of the Sorcerer's tricks?"

"I think it is. But has there been any word of a black dragon that lived here before?"

"Not from what I heard from the residents. It might have been a manufactured creation if that's the case."

Before they could continue speaking, a distant roar was heard from above. The sound was enough for them to pay close attention towards the window, their eyes almost shrinking in their place as they drew more curiosity upon the source of the sound itself.

And then, the source showed up right in front of them – a zooming shadow that went right across the sky. Not much detail was made out aside from its wings and body color, but the appearance looked convincing towards the pair as their faces suddenly started to turn paler than the usual.

"You ARE right!" gasped the Professor. "What are we supposed to do about this?"

Blink shakily reacted by clutching his hands together and tapping their fingertips tensely. "We can't contact Spyro since he already went out of the village, and I'm assuming he's got the pirate kid too."

"But what can we do for the time being?" his uncle questioned hastily. "And what kind of defences can we pull off otherwise?"

The Professor's question led Blink to respond back with silence. Thinking hard about the situation, he knew that the sight of a strange kind of dragon could only mean that there would be grave concern over what it would do. Then again, he thought carefully about the past record of dragons that came around the area before. If his facial expression was of any indication, he felt that there has never been a presence of a black dragon in the past.

Quickly he brought his goggles down towards his eyes and used them to zoom in towards the incoming creature. There, he saw a blur of it, carrying something purple in its arms and having a brown-and-red animal on its back and a yellow light on its head. Even though he didn't see the details, he knew straight away about what it meant.

There was only one thing to do, he thought to himself. Quickly, he made his run straight out of the Professor's lab, outside into the village, through the western exit and through the fields to the north-west of it. Only through there would he be able to find someone or something to help investigate the situation.

Back at the village, the black dragon was seen getting closer and closer to the ground as it went around the village's perimeter. And then it wasn't long until it finally managed to settle its way down towards a nearby alley, preparing to land with its back claws outstretched.

It – or should it be said, she – made a firm landing. As soon as Cynder was accustomed to her surroundings, she instantly placed Spyro upon the ground and waited for Sparx and Ango to dismount. Yet, the sight of a female shadow coming towards the alley somehow made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"What kind of creature are you, trying to attack the village?" the shadow screamed straight towards her.

Cynder's heart sank. "I'm not trying to do anything!"

At the sound of the shadow, the black dragon instantly turned around, giving off a series of curious blinks towards the sound of the voice. And right there, after a spotlight was suddenly turned on above the silhouette, she managed to see the full identity of the creature ahead.

There stood Bianca, looking ahead with curiosity, her eyes first fixed upon the black dragon, then towards Sparx and Ango being there with her. And finally her eyes were placed upon Spyro, though instead of showing a smile at his "homecoming", her eyes actually widened, concerned for any damage he might have taken.

"Is that…" she paused before she could even come close to finishing her sentence.

"Yes", confirmed the black dragon. "Spyro was out cold by the time I got to him."

Sighing, Cynder brought her attention straight towards Spyro, looking at his position from the ground. The hit on the head from the burning boulder felt like enough to knock him out for what would seem like a fair amount of time, she hesitantly thought to herself.

"I can sense it in you", the rabbit blinked directly at her. "You must know him to some degree."

Cynder looked back at the rabbit and responded with a soft nod. "We're both from the same brood of dragon eggs, so yes, I know Spyro so well."

"That's strange", Bianca responded, puzzled. "He never talked about you before, so what connection did you have with him?"

"Are you saying that Spyro is hiding something?"

Cynder's question suddenly caused Bianca's ears to prick up on end. From her point of view, the sight of this strange dragon that somehow knew Spyro's existence was enough for her to show deep concern for what kind of misadventures that the purple dragon might have had during his absence.

Yet from Cynder's point of view, she wouldn't understand how and why he could associate with a rabbit either. Showing a building amount of confusion, she ended up lowering her head towards her claws, with Bianca soon doing the same with her own two feet.

"I don't understand what's going on", the black dragon frowned.

"I can sense the feelings of you two, and somehow you both are telling the truth", blinked Ango as he placed a hand on his chin. "From the rabbit's point of view, he never knew anyone called Cynder. But from the black dragon, he never knew about Bianca either."

Both girls looked towards the kid, realising that in the midst of all this, Ango might have raised a point. The least that they could do is figure out exactly how much of a connection Spyro had with the village in the past in Cynder's case, and how he could have associated with a black dragon in the same brood that he initially came from in the scenario for Bianca.

Cynder's face showed an increasing amount of confusion over time, as she was soon left to lower her head straight down to the dusty ground beneath her. During that time, Sparx hovered his way down towards her, carefully placing a hand of his upon the horns on her left hand side of her face.

"What kind of answers are we supposed to get from this?" she asked the dragonfly in a whisper.

"I don't know, but the least we can do is find a safe place to keep Spyro in for now", Sparx responded while looking down at the purple dragon. "It seems as if it'll be a while before he recovers."

"But where can we go?"

The black dragon looked on at the white rabbit, hoping that she could at least get an answer from her in return. Yet, before she could even open her mouth to bring her request forward… nothing came out. Blushing gently, she looked back towards the scene behind her.

Sparx and Ango both looked on at her with equally concerned glares, locking their grasp with one another as they stood over Spyro and looked straight towards her deep emerald green eyes. Their looks were enough to know that she had to follow their request regardless of how the rabbit would take it.

Knowing the situation at hand, she took a step towards Bianca, ready to speak towards her once again, ready to plead for help from her. But before she could even do that, a shadow passed its way straight above their heads, causing them to look straight up; nothing but a cloudless sky on first sight.

"Over here!"

The male shout echoed throughout the area, causing them to struggle to locate the exact location of the bearer. And then, there came the shadow once again, making his arrival straight towards the group, bearing what looked like a large pair of wings and an equally lengthy set of limbs.

Before she could try and identify him, he made his way straight towards the ground, taking a hold of Spyro's body before lifting himself up in the air once more. But what he didn't realise were Cynder and Ango hanging beneath him from below, with Sparx holding onto the creature's horns, colored purple in the dim daylight.

And then, the three settled onto the lizard's back; by then, he now realised their presence and looked upon them with a glance of acceptance. He looked almost just like a dragon, Cynder thought, but he seemed to be bipedal; his horns also curved as if they were buffalo horns, and his jaw ended up looking more frog-like in physique in comparison to the dragons that she faced in the past.

She then looked down at the village below, thinking about the entire situation. Did this large and strange creature mean any harm? Or is he willing to help Spyro by any means? Whatever the answer was, the only thing that remained on her mind was to not lose her sight from him – never at all.

Finally, a large building was brought into view; upon first glance, it looked significantly different than the structures back at the village. Unlike them, this one sported a traditional Oriental look to it, covered in a canvas of red, brown and yellow around it with glowing lanterns hanging from its entrance.

And then, the red lizard creature came down towards it and allowed his riders to dismount. Cynder took a gasp of wonder as she looked up at the building – a peaceful place that could match with the Dragon Temple, yet its appearance and change in culture in comparison to her home showed that it could adapt to purposes other than the idea of relaxation.

And then, she made her walk inside, with Sparx and Ango following her. There, she was introduced to a calm room complete with what looked like meditation rugs aligned almost perfectly among the floor. Cautiously, she walked towards the red lizard as she saw him carefully place Spyro among one of the more distant ones.

"Sit down, young lady", the red lizard ushered her. "I'll get to you in a few moments."

Understanding his intensions, she walked her way towards the other side of the room and sat down amongst one of the meditation mats, looking curiously towards Sparx and Ango as she did so. The ornate banners and warm colors around her were enough for her to look at the scenery with wonder.

"What kind of place is this?" she looked up at the scene with wonder.

"This must be the Dragon Dojo that the villagers have been referring to", the kid responded towards her calmly. "Given the atmosphere, this must be a perfect location for Spyro's recovery."

Ango's face broke into a smile as he observed his surroundings. The banners, colors and lighting could be enough to secure his calmness there, yet his face started to become more puzzled as he saw that aside from Spyro, he noted only three creatures in the entire area – the helpful red lizard, as well as seeing Blink conversing with a cheetah holding archery equipment in a nearby corner. The mole himself was obviously seen gasping for breath, as if he ran his way from a distant location.

"Not counting Spyro, I can only sense one dragon in the entire Dojo", he confirmed the creatures. "Why?"

"It's only because the other guardians of the Dojo have been out on fieldwork, looking for further clues on the changed landscapes outside", the red lizard frowned. "That's the job for them."

"So why aren't you out there?"

"I've only just been re-instated as a Dragon Elder, so I have to wait a bit before I have the privilege to use my power on the field." He then turned away to a blank wall and growled under his breath, whispering quietly. "I just wish the others would think otherwise for just one second…"

His face soon brought itself into a bitter growl, leaving him to make his way towards an opposing corner of the room. Standing there stood a shining staff, with the head of a hydra plated in an antique gold covering the purple crystal that stood right at the top of it.

He then marched his way towards it, and once he got there he picked it up like a sword of potent valor. Maintaining a tight grasp upon it, he walked his way straight towards Cynder, preserving a stern expression as he got closer towards the black dragon.

"If you want a name out of me, it's Red."

"Hi Red", Cynder beamed at the red lizard cheerfully. "You look different than most dragons I've seen."

"What? Haven't you seen a Dragon Elder before?"

"I've never seen a dragon that can stand naturally on two legs", she responded with an eye twitch.

"Have you been out in the cold for so long?"

At that point, Red started to show a light amount of frustration. He turned his way towards the further interiors of the room, where he saw pictures framed of all sorts of dragons, each of them being bipedal just like him, as well as defining a different array of colors and bulks around them.

But those forms didn't seem to be too convincing for Cynder, whom was left to look straight on at Red with a confused glance. Prior to meeting Red, the only elder dragons she somehow knew were the Guardians back home, and to her knowledge, none of them were able to walk on two legs like that.

"Never mind", Red sighed bitterly. "Anyway, I heard from Blink that you came into the village carrying Spyro like this. Just what in the name of Ripto happened to him?"

"He got hit on the head with a burning rock, Red", Ango replied shakily.

"That's strange", pondered the Elder. "I thought Sparx was meant to protect him from such injuries. Now that I think of it, why's he still standing? Is this act of guarding his own dragonfly something he learnt during his absence?"

"I'll see if I can discuss this with you", the black dragon responded calmly. "Come."

With a determined face, Cynder started to try and lure Red outside, but before she could even do that, a finger snap was heard from him. She turned back and saw from his eyes that there was potentially a better place to have a discussion – a quiet study area behind a giant folding screen right at the other side of the room.

They both made their way towards the screen, and there, Red opened it like a curtain and brought the black dragon inside with him. They both made their way inside; Sparx almost made his way in, yet the screen instantly slammed itself shut in front of him before he could even get through.

"Aren't I supposed to share my point of view as well?" scowled the dragonfly as he hovered away from the door.

"Sparx, what happened to your voice?" the cheetah suddenly called out to him in a cheerful brotherly tone. "You sound like my pops when he was younger for some strange reason."

"What?" Sparx reacted with one of his pupils shrinking. "You think I sound mature enough to be your father, spotty? And here you are going around with no clothes on as well. Aren't you going to get penalised for exhibitionism here?"

Sparx's remark caused a gasp to form upon the cheetah's face. And then, the feeling of shock suddenly started to turn to one of raw anger. The dragonfly's expression ended up showing one that held deep concern, worried over exactly what kind of remark he made to anger the feline.

And then, he brought out an arrow from behind his back, placed it inside his bow and aimed it straight towards Sparx. It fired, but before it could hit the dragonfly, he forward flipped his way, allowing the bow to end up getting stuck right inside the wall.

"Hunter!" Blink called out to him in what sounded like half a squeak. "Calm down!"

The cheetah didn't listen; instead, he threw the bow onto the floor and made a charge straight towards Sparx, his fists clutching more viciously over time. The dragonfly ended up looking back with a sheepish glance, now knowing that he might have got on his bad side by mistake.

And in a moment of haste, Hunter instantly took a hold upon Sparx by the body and clutched tightly upon his chest, trying his best to turn him blue with air deprivation. But the dragonfly held on, raised a fist in the air and poked the cheetah in the eye, causing him to let go and allow for the chase to begin all over again.

The routine continued, complete with the sound of falling pot plants and slipping meditation mats. Seeing the chaos ensue between the pair, Blink knew that he needed to make his mark in the fight. Seeming as if neither of them was willing to finish it, he marched forward, ready to make his move.

As that moment occurred, the aura that resided beyond the mountain range started to settle down. The lilac abyss that once held the Sorcerer started to calm down in terms of the intensity of burning rocks that were launched from nowhere straight towards the air above.

Even the Sorcerer's lair remained to be perfectly still and presumably at peace now that all that remained of him was nothing more than a pile of ashes that ended up gracing the ground, being left to be undisturbed in the current-less air that resided in the large room where the brave battle took place.

But among the room's surroundings, a shadow ended up standing over the ashes. It showed itself to have extended fingers alongside with a fierce composure. A long cloak somehow trailed around it, shifting gently with every step that its possessor took.

Somehow, the figure looked completely identical to the Sorcerer, right down from the face details all the way down towards the staff that was wielded in his possession. He looked down towards the ashes below, snickering as he sported a cackle of purple energy between his fingertips.

And then, he launched the energy towards the ashes, making them instantly vanish into nothing but dust fading into the stale air around it. By that, the move was fully confirmed – Spyro didn't fight the Sorcerer at all; rather, he fought face to face with what was apparently a doppelganger.

Back at the dojo, the conflict between Sparx and Hunter had ceased. It reached the point that both ended up at opposite corners of the meditation room, tied to lanterns with secured rope, fixed with strong double knots. All that Blink would do is sneer with a confident smile.

Ango, however, saw the results of the fight to be the last on his mind. He, however, was at the door leading to Red's study, his ear pressed towards the door, hoping to hear every part of the conversation between him and Cynder. With each passing word that came, his eyes continued to show wonder amongst the discussion.

Red's study itself was littered with all sorts of monuments and paperweights among the shelves, along with a small desk and several unused scrolls placed upon it right at the darkest side of the room. Cynder's explanation on her side of the story left him to show a slightly more intrigued look as time passed.

"So let me get things straight, Cindy."

"That's Cynder, sir!"

"Right", Red slightly perspired at his mistake. "You're saying that you knew Spyro, and you both are currently living in a distant land."

"I'm speaking the truth", Cynder nodded with honesty. "I don't know how much of a connection Spyro has with this strange village, but the matter remains is that he's miles away from the Dragon Temple, and I need to take him back."

Her expression continued to show more pessimism, knowing that she was about to explain something critical towards Red. Biting onto the inside of her lips as tight as she could, she sat down and spoke of one harmful yet powerful memory that retained on her mind.

"He lost his power in a great struggle not too long ago", she worriedly recapped the fight at Convexity. "Even before he came here, he needed more time to recover."

"Was it from a fight from the Sorcerer?"

Cynder responded to Red's question with a wide shake of the head. "I know that there was a 'Dark Master' involved, but I can't remember any sorcerers."

Feeling upset that she managed to describe the incident again, she crouched down and lowered her head to the ground. The sight of her left Red to crouch straight down to her level, and in a relaxed state of mind, he brought out one of his hands to stroke her back to calmness once more.

From outside, Ango's facial expression showed one of wonder, knowing that he managed to hear more of Cynder's back-story. In spite of hearing that, he kept on pressing his ear against the door, curious to be able to hear more of the closed conversation.

"Everyone's side of the story around here sounds confusing", she winced almost discreetly. "I want to find out more if I can."

It wasn't long until Cynder's upset expression soon started to show one that held more determination. As majestic as a phoenix, she stood up and looked straight at him, then back towards the doors that she previously came from, and back at the Dragon Elder once more.

"I know we've only just met, but Red, I am entrusting you to look after Spyro while I make my way towards the nearby fields, looking for answers as well as any trace of the Dragon Temple."

"But if you just came here on your own accord, surely you must know your way back, right?" the Elder questioned her puzzlingly.

"I'm not sure. I felt as if I appeared out of nowhere like a rabbit in a wizard's hat. Thus, I need to re-trace my entrance point if we need to stand a chance at getting there. We're going to kill two birds with one stone – we'll save the village and come closer to the Dark Master at the same time."

"As you wish, but watch out for the Sorcerer's goons", the Elder cautiously remarked back to her.

Looking up towards the ceiling, Red showed a thoughtful expression, concerned that everything that the Sorcerer did to the realm could be seen as a dangerous threat to any kind of creature that traverses it, whether they are veterans or new recruits. But in spite of that look, Cynder's confident glance didn't change much at all.

"Well, they'd better watch out for me. I doubt anyone in this area has encountered a black dragon before – not even that aforementioned 'sorcerer'."

Looking on at the scene ahead almost bitterly, she made her walk straight out of the study and back into the main room. Her eyes were fixed on one target of all things – the exit, where once she would step out in the open, she would begin a clear exploration in finding answers to Spyro's connection with the village.

As soon as she made one step outside, she took a look back. Though the purple dragon's recovering body was nothing more than a spec in her eyes, the sight of him was enough for her to show a worried glare to the floor, concerned that she may end up coming back with nothing.

"Cynder, do you want us to tag along?"

The black dragon quickly stopped walking at the sound of the shout. "Sparx?"

Quickly she turned to her right, and there stood both Sparx and Ango, the latter holding the ropes that the dragonfly were tied with before. Twitching an eye, he ended up rolling them neatly and placed them right next to the top step, ready for use by any other visitor to the dojo.

"Trust the dragonfly on this one", nodded Ango. "We have been able to aid Spyro while he made his way to the Sorcerer in the first place. And I'm sure we can be of an aid to you wherever you go."

Cynder's glance remained fixed on the pair. Both of them seemed so hopeful, and as far as she knew, she would easily understand their expressions – far from being the most potent combatants in the field, but will be a great help to her when she needed them the most.

Then she focused on Spyro, still recovering among the meditation rug that he was left upon. Though she felt disturbed to leave him behind, she knew that she had to do her duty; breathing in as bravely as possible, she took a step out of the door, ready to explore the world beyond her.

And just like that, the room was still once again, with only the sound of Blink's tapping feet being heard among the vast open room space. But… the tapping suddenly stopped when he suddenly noticed Spyro stirring in position – his claws were seen twitching slightly, before they soon crumpled into place as if he was actually clutching a fist.

In an almost déjà-vu type of moment, Cynder, Sparx and Ango returned to the village by foot, and as soon as they got there they went through its northern exit, to the field that lead towards the Sorcerer's lair. Except this time, they knew that they were hoping to shoot for a completely different location.

The foreboding rocks and red weeds that littered the ground were still enough to add a sense of fear towards the minds of the creatures as they went further beyond them. This fear started to increase more significantly as they went straight towards the rock face ahead of them.

Unlike last time, the climb was problematic for Cynder, yet she was still keen enough to make her way towards the top of the summit all in one piece. Soon, she made her way to solid ground, walked past the junction that resulted in a pathway towards the Sorcerer's lair and started to explore the rest of the area.

That, however, resulted in finding another tall slope, though not as dramatically steep as the pathway that was used to get to the previous area. As soon as she reached the top, she slid down the other side, being careful to assist the others on the way towards her.

"Cynder, why didn't you just fly up here like you did before?" Sparx asked her in the same breathless voice tone he used to previously climb the slope. "It adds more strain on us, just heading up this mountain again!"

"I can only fly sharply for so long, Sparx", she frowned back to the dragonfly. "You can't expect me to just make my way from one side of the mountain to ground level and back in this state, especially after the Convexity incident."

The mention of the Convexity incident by name was almost enough for her to come to a complete stop in her path, before she ended up having to turn around and look back at the view of the village. It stood so powerfully amidst the darkened landscapes that surrounded it.

In spite of its boldness in standing, she somehow looked down at the floor, hating to bring up the past in front of anyone. Biting her lip, she crouched down, her eyes still focusing upon the village, wondering what the personnel down there could be doing there now.

"I suppose that's understandable", Sparx tried to sympathise with her.

"I can sense that you faced a rough past", Ango responded with a similar expression. "If you don't want to talk about it, then that's fine; your facial expression is all we need to know."

Calmly, Ango crouched down towards her level and stroked her gently, instantly gaining her attention several moments later. She turned towards him with a faint glance back, knowing that there was no use of trying to hide the past outside of spoken word.

Calmly, she brought herself back up onto her feet, bringing her focus towards the dimly lit sky. Though it looked too blurry to even see any sign of a bright celestial body, she looked on at her accomplices as if she was sitting directly under a full moon.

"I'd rather not dwell on the past", she spoke reminiscently. "If we have to make sure that Spyro and I get to the temple safely…"

"AHEM!"

"And Sparx too, I guess; if we have to make sure that we ALL get to the temple safely, the least that can be done is that I can help find a way."

Cynder's remarks were enough to show determination on her facial expression as she stood back up and walked further and further towards the depths of the mountain peaks. That determination was enough for both Sparx and Ango to keep going as well, regardless of any sight of any suffocating elevation.

A small passageway was passed, where they went past trees that stood black without any traces of leaves or fruit, along with boned rubble among the ground. Right at the end was another clearing, where something instantly shone directly into the dragon's eyes.

"Wait a second. What's that strange portal?"

Cynder pointed ahead with one of her paws, and as soon as that happened, Sparx and Ango caught up to her. There, they saw another arch with another set of swirling purple energy. The sight of it left Ango to approach it, in the knowledge of experiencing that kind of portal before.

"I sense another eerie presence behind this one", he blinked with a nose twitch. "Spyro refused to turn back after facing the portal from the last junction we faced. I'm assuming you won't be any different?"

"Of course not", the black dragon shook her head. "I came this far and I'm not going to give up, especially for Sparx's sake."

"Finally, a dragonfly gets acknowledged for climbing up the equivalent to a steep rock in Tall Plains. Thank you!"

Beaming with a sarcastic glare, Sparx extended his hand and brought its way towards the floor, taking a bow in front of Cynder and Ango. While she ended up looking back at him with a blank stare, the kid just paid no attention and took a step closer towards the gateway.

"I'll do as you wish. I'll see if I can approach this."

Sighing deeply, Ango took a step towards the door and opened his hands out wide, ready to embrace the energy of the portal as he got closer and closer towards it. A bright glow of lilac streamed down the front of his body, getting brighter with every passing step.

As soon as he got there, he carefully placed both of his hands through the light, and right where they were, a mystical field of white energy showed up. And right in front of them, the energy started to disperse away, giving way for a clear passageway right ahead of him.

But… according to Cynder's eyes, the path wasn't quite so clear. Several yellow dots lied beyond the door – too dim to be fireflies, and too bright to be flowers. They shifted to the left and right slowly and stealthily, leaving her to slightly lower her jaw at the sight of those actions.

"Step back!" she commanded to her peers valiantly.

Exchanging confused expressions, Sparx and Ango ended up following her order, taking a couple of paces back each, their eyes focusing on the bright glowing lights ahead of them. And then they showed themselves to be no longer a set of lights, but rather… multiple sets of eyes.

One by one they stepped through the remains of the gateway, now showing physical bodies to match with them. They all had a black shell that ended up covering their torsos, as well as wielding pincers that shone gently in the dim lighting. They were identified to be a batch of scorpions.

"What kind of creatures are these?" Sparx shivered at the sight of them.

"I don't know", Cynder started to wince. "But we're not going to find out by standing here!"

And so, she reacted by starting to make a charge towards the scorpions. Once there, she lashed her tail straight towards them, tripping three of which up at a time. Meanwhile, Sparx and Ango stood by the sidelines, witnessing her attempt to fight the creatures.

"Take that, all of you!"

And there, she opened her mouth wide and a wide gash of flames was erupted from it. They immediately covered the scorpions in their entirety, and as that happened, she assumed that they would instantly crumble to ash right on the very touch of the burning inferno.

Yet, as soon as she ceased her fire, she witnessed the damage done upon the monsters… if any at all. They were all shown to have barely taken much of a scratch of damage at all! The sight of them left her to instantly gasp at the sight of her burning rage, or lack thereof.

"They won't take on my attacks very well!" she panicked, hastily looking towards Sparx and Ango. "What's going on?"

"There's only one conclusion we can make of all this", replied Ango with his arms outstretched. "They must be monsters from the Shadow Realms!"

Cynder looked back towards the monsters once more. Surely the idea of them from a mysterious set of "Shadow Realms" made sense given their color scheme and foreboding appearance. But what is that place, she thought to herself. There was only one way to react at a time like this, she assumed.

"The… Shadow Realms?" Cynder blinked with curiosity. "What kind of place is that meant to be?"

Quickly, Sparx held onto her horns, hung upside down and made eye contact with her. "There's no time for questions, young lady. We need to escape!"

There, she gulped on the spot and looked towards the monsters once more. Several of which tried to surround her at once, yet the least she could do was trip up the nearest ones with her tail and try to escape from her grasp – not the most powerful attack that she could pull off, but it would still save her from being demon food.

"Come on! Let's go this way!" Sparx exclaimed as he released his grasp from Cynder and pointed towards a path beyond the checkpoint.

All together, they dashed through in a single file line, making sure to dodge the scorpions as they did so. All that graced them now was a narrow path with rocks standing on either side, almost giving them a worrying sense of claustrophobia as they went further and further ahead.

It wasn't meant to go without saying that the scorpions would give in though. Some of which were keen enough to give chase to them, using their pain-inducing pincers to attempt to slide through anything in particular. One of which even came close enough to attack Cynder whenever it pleased.

"They've almost got my tail!" she brashly shouted, knowing that she would soon face damage.

"Quick! Jump up here!"

In a quick reaction, Ango pointed straight towards a small ledge around a corner in particular. There, he jumped up some of the smaller rocks and hid inside the alcove embedded inside it, ensuring himself to be happy that he was away from the coming scorpions.

Cynder soon followed suit, though facing a struggle to just try and climb the mountainside. Eventually she got there, though she barely managed to keep her tail in a safe location, with one of the scorpions coming a split second away from actually severing the tip away from it.

Sparx then made his arrival, just effortlessly hovering up towards the pair without any need to tackle the wall other than to catch his breath. As soon as he got there, he fixed his eyes down at the monsters with Cynder and Ango, knowing that they would struggle to find a way out of the onslaught.

"Can they be defeated?" she blinked at the sight of their intimidating faces again. "And if so, what kind of attack is required?"

Ango's arms shook gently as he thought about her question. "All I can think of is an ancient combat, but I forgot its name!"

"Great, way to go on thinking hard about that, genius", growled Sparx as he took a hold of one of Ango's cheek furs and pulled it off harshly.

The creatures continued to try and jump up towards them, and they knew that as they got higher and higher up they wouldn't be able to last in the alcove for long. All that they could do was scout the area for a way out, far away from this narrow passageway.

And then, something managed to catch Cynder's eye – the end of the pathway, shown directly to her left. Though it looked like a dead end, something ended up shining near the bottom like a radiant set of sunlight. And there, she knew that she had found her next target.

"I found a gap! Let's try getting through there before they get us!"

Doing her best when it came to dodging the creatures, she made a quick jump straight down towards the ground. And then she ran her way towards it, with the scorpions giving chase, allowing for Sparx and Ango to get down towards the ground on their own accord.

Soon, Cynder ended up making her way right in front of the wall. And as soon as she got there, she made her leap towards the gap, squeezing through it as elegantly as a snake. All that the scorpions could do were various pokes with their pincers through the gap as if they were trying to dig her out.

"There they go!" Sparx wittingly smiled from afar. "They can't pinch her even if their elbows were replaced with springs!"

Snickering, Sparx looked back towards Ango, knowing that they were ready to make their move. And almost foolishly, they both made their run directly towards the hole… and the giant ambush of scorpions. While the dragonfly ended up taking a hold of Ango's ear with one hand and covering his eyes with another, the kid was left to run a lot more ambitiously with each stride he took.

"Yeowch!" he yelped as he felt one of the beasts try to pinch him from below. "Get away from the tail section!"

Bravely, Ango ended up storming his way past the scorpions, though his run ended up leaving him wincing at the trace of any damage that his arms managed to sustain as he did so. In spite of that, he looked on and knew that he had to get through that hole – a way through to safety and their next part of the journey.

And then he finally got there, rolling his way straight through the hole. As soon as he got through, he crouched down, with Sparx letting go of his ear in the process. They watched over the hole, where eventually they saw the scorpions retreat back the way they came – where their original hiding place was, they didn't know.

"That was a close one", Sparx sighed with relief. "I say we get back to the village before we face another ambush!"

"No", the black dragon coldly looked back. "This closed area could mean something to us. Something in the air doesn't feel right, and it's not the presence of the Dark Master."

Cynder's remark led room for concern on both Sparx's and Ango's face. True to their word, the faint lilac mist gave way for a stale and unsettling mood around them. The sight of a windless current and a large crumbling statue of an undefined shape also added more to the strange atmosphere of their present location.

Disturbingly, she brought her snout into the air and took in a faint sniff. And after that sniff, her face started to become increasingly more unsettled by the feeling that lingered in the air – a darker feeling that went beyond the windless mist that swirled around them.

"I can sense it. It's the scent of blood."

Her remark caused her accomplices to look back worryingly. Why would a place like this feel like a graveyard? And even if it is, exactly what kind of creature would come up there, get past the obstacles they braved during their arrival and leave behind the deceased anyway?

With the thoughts remaining in their mind, the trio then split up and made their ways around different areas of the clearing. Sparx made his way behind the giant decaying statue, looking on at its structure as a potential rocky structure that somehow was left behind at some point or other, for reasons unknown.

Ango calmly made his way straight towards one of the walls. There, he noted the sighting of several deep dents in the ground, as if they showed signs of a figure that was actually present there. Before he could even trace a source, he saw that the dents grew fainter and fainter as it got further inward, leaving that opportunity as one that might not work much as evidence of its significance.

But Cynder ended up making her move towards a part of the clearing that formed a point of a triangle in comparison to Ango's and Sparx's positions. She too was left to see nothing that would serve as significance; yet, that was until the sound of a gasp was heard from Ango.

"I can't believe this", Ango quivered at the sight of a white stick-like object that he found in the ground. "What's this?"

The dragon rushed over, soon analysing its structures and coming to a hypothesis. "It looks like… a bone?"

Cynder looked straight down at the bone for itself. A closer observation showed through the width of it and a potential connection at the slimmer end showed that it looked like some kind of thigh bone. It wasn't completely picked clean though, as what looked like a small chunk of meat was shown on the other side of it.

"Is that purple flesh?" Sparx's teeth clattered on the identification as soon as he saw it for himself. "I wouldn't appreciate this creature very much if it had purple flesh."

"I wouldn't either, but it's not as if we have much of a choice on seeing it, dead or alive."

Shivering almost nervously, Cynder placed the other end of the bone into her mouth, carrying it as she continued to explore the area. In spite of her input, the bitter taste of meat and gravel faced her mouth as she made her way further and further around the perimeter.

Ango and Sparx similarly split up, looking around in different locations. While the former was lucky enough to come across several upturned rocks in the ground, the dragonfly ended up finding nothing while going around the center of the area. However… he soon came to a stop.

"Aaaaargh!" Sparx instantly reacted at something underneath him.

His reaction caused Cynder to rush her way towards him. "What is it?"

Sparx instantly pointed straight down, and right there, they witnessed a more complete set of bones underneath them. Some of which were covered by dirt, in which Cynder quickly crouched down and used her claws to dust away any loose debris on top.

And then, they saw the skeleton in full minus most of the bones on its back legs – each of them almost cleanly picked off for most of the way, give or take a few ribs and both front legs. The skull itself was especially picked away, with it having a crack and several parts broken away from its right. The sight of the flesh was almost enough for Sparx to end up turning white, as if he had ended up seeing a ghost.

"That…" Sparx almost cried on the spot. "That skull… what kind of monstrous creature wielded it?"

Almost looking as if he would faint at the sight of it, Sparx quickly took a grasp upon Cynder's back, trying his best to remain his composure in spite of seeing the bones. Yet, Ango's expression looked sterner as he approached the skeleton for himself, picking up the decaying skull and bringing it up to his level.

"Though this creature is dead, I can be able to sense the feelings left behind and identify it", he calmly spoke, lowering his head. "It seems as if it was killed by magic to some extent, then left to rot away and be fed to the insects beneath."

"Tell me", Cynder curiously asked him, dropping the leg bone to the ground. "Who is it?"

Ango turned towards Cynder, almost ready to make a response, but… he stopped before he could even do that. Looking into the dragon's curious eyes, he saw just as much innocence in her emerald green irises as various village personnel could see into his own.

He looked down at the bone, looked on it with a more cautious eye, and then back at the dragon. Blinking, his face started to end up breaking into a cooler sweat than the usual. Whichever words he would say would be almost bound to cause a rough upset when spoken.

He was almost about to shiver and break down himself, but before he could even do that Sparx approached him from behind and stroked him gently on the ear. But in spite of his best efforts, the reassurance from the dragonfly wasn't quite enough to calm him down.

He saw from Cynder's face that she looked really concerned about the identity of the creature. But with that identity firm inside his head, he thought about the situation over and over. Should he mention the result, or should he abstain, he thought shakily to himself.

His attention went back and forth between the skull and the black dragon. And then, as he looked back at Cynder once more, his face showed everything that he was willing to show – an expression that showed that regardless of the result, he needed to tell the identity to her. And so, he finally plucked up the courage to speak, though his tone of voice was far from courageous.

"Those bones…" he trembled as he focused his eyes towards his peers. "They belong to Spyro."

-end of chapter-