The Tempest of Trust Chapter 11: The Homecoming, a spyro the dragon fanfic

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

And so, The Tempest of Trust has almost come to a close. We have the epilogue left to go, and I'm glad there are people sticking by it every step of the way.

There are still some people that were kind of upset over what happened to Cynder I see, but I assure you that what I did was with a good and intent purpose, and I assure you that I will still take the events of The Eternal Night – whichever few we know of so far – to account. The ending is one of the weirdest endings I might have written in a fanfic, but for me it works, especially since the first thing I ever did with this fic was writing out both the first half of the first chapter and the second half of this one.

This is why I barely write sequels to fanfics – people respect stuff and in some cases, with sequels written out, they end up becoming weaker than their previous incarnations. I wrote a few sequels in my time and they were too terrible for hence why I barely do much of the sort. I just see my works as intermissions between games, per se.

And C-Tech, you can flame me all you want for what happened story wise, but your comment was of no help to me. When I'm a writer, I expect criticisms to contain pointers relating to the tone of the fiction and its structure and whatnot, not plot elements that you're not happy with, and ESPECIALLY NOT COMPARISONS TO OTHER WRITERS, one of which I've yet to see break the 1000-word barrier with a chapter in any of their works. I sent you a PM about it a few days ago, and I really hope you took the comments to account at least.

Let's hope that this chapter faces a better reception than the last. Thanks for reading in advance, and please, don't give me another one of those "such-and-such-a-writer is better than you" comments -.-

Peace out,
-Rexy-

And so, once again, peace was brought to the Dragon Realms. The effects of the Sorcerer's magic were undone, and the realm saw its brightest day in what seemed like eons.

As soon as they saw the last grass reed grow among the ground, the remaining home-ridden residents of the Dragon Village finally took it upon themselves to join the others by stepping outside and looking at what looked like the first peaceful day in forever.

Not long after that, they returned to their daily business. Yet in that time, they no longer hid their feelings in fear, as they knew that no matter what they did, nothing would ever come to harm them in any shape or form.

But nevertheless, they knew that the incarnation of Spyro that they knew would never return to the realm. Regardless, they knew that as long as this corrupted evil has been vanquished, they are happy enough to get on with their lives as much as possible.

As that feeling remained, the other incarnation of Spyro – the one Sparx, Cynder and Ignitus knew – made his return to the village, facing a hero's welcome nonetheless. As soon as he arrived, he faced a greeting from everyone that he encountered during the course of his venture, some of which going as far as to extend a handshake, or even a brash embrace.

A parade through the streets was soon established, with everyone rejoicing over the Sorcerer's defeat and the beginning a brand new era that was slowly starting to transition around the village. Most of them danced joyfully, yet the purple dragon took the time to watch everything from the rooftops, sitting cosily with Sparx by his side.

Yet, the major concern that remained on Spyro's mind was the fall of both Cynder and Ango. For the latter, he felt understandable on that it was the power of the Dark Master that resulted into his absorption.

But for Cynder, a deep scar felt as if it was tearing inside its body. How is it possible to explain her demise in front of the other dragon guardians back at the temple without breaking down, he thought to himself.

He knew that he did a noble deed for her by leaving her at the same spot where the body for the incarnation of Spyro that the villagers knew was left to decay, but in spite of that, the pain on having to leave her behind was an image that would get firmly etched into his mind for time to come.

Even if he finally went home, the thought would remain to be a painful souvenir of the entire experience. And if that would be the case, he would have to accept that though he did not want to at all, he technically ended up losing her to the hands of the Dark Master.

A short spell later, the entire Dragon Village became deserted. Not a single market stall was set up for its daily business, and not a single villager roamed around the streets. Most of the peaceful scenery was left to be untouched in its now restored beauty.

Only a set of fresh footprints remained, and they all lead straight out of the village – specifically through the Eastern gates, which now looked more like an arch than an entrance to confinement from the rest of the realm.

The villagers were seen gathering at the target at the end of the path – the same vortex that Ignitus made his entrance in. Except this time, the Dragon Guardian knew that he would not be going home alone, but rather taking a pair of known accomplices with him.

"This is it, Spyro", he beamed at the purple dragon as he fixed his eyes upon him. "For all your hard work, you're ready to go home!"

Spyro looked on at the vortex, reflecting in his eyes like a jewel in a statue. He knew that after his time of hard work upon the village's restoration, he now felt assuring that he would be able to return home with ease, now knowing that he will leave it behind on high spirits.

He looked back towards the villagers one by one, in the order that he met them – Blink, the Professor, Bianca, Moneybags, Bandit, Ember, Flame, Hunter and Red. He knew that even though he didn't directly know them, he felt good to know that he managed to help out so many personnel all at once, even when trying to aim for his main goal.

"Though you may not be the purple dragon we knew, we've learnt a lot from your experience", Hunter nodded with a grin, holding onto a bow in one of his hands very securely.

"Thanks to you, we'll be ready to defend this realm strongly in your honor", Bianca responded, taking a hold onto Hunter's free hand in the process. "After what you faced out there, you gave the villagers enough courage to move on."

Spyro's attention was focused straight towards the pair, and upon hearing their remark he smiled back at them with a feeling of gratitude. By their peaceful expressions, he knew that the power of trust was a power that felt like a beautiful and warm surge that would stimulate him for whatever future challenges were nearby.

Confidently he turned straight towards the swirling vortex once more. The beautiful purple and pink colors swirling amidst the empty airspace was enough for him to maintain his confidence, yet as quickly as it built up… he soon lost it all again, looking down to the ground again.

"But I can't go back in now", the dragon suddenly frowned again.

"Great, now what's the reason for it?"

Breathing hesitantly, Sparx made his hover straight towards the dragon, pulling tightly upon his horns with a bitter scowl upon his body. Yet, when he looked back at his eyes, he ended up noting a familiar expression that showed that no matter what he shouldn't have been approached the way he was.

"How am I supposed to explain Cynder's fall to everyone?" he questioned worryingly. "I feel as if I'm going to be a traitor to my own kind."

"You're not", reassured Ignitus. "As long as she served well, that's all that matters. I am sure that the guardians will be happy for her involvement."

Softly and steadily, Ignitus lowered his head towards Spyro's and gave him a warm glare in return. His reassuring eyes were enough for the purple dragon to look up towards him, with a mixture of hope and concern starting to flow right across his face.

Thoughts soon started to circulate back towards the first time he escaped from the Sorcerer's lair. Though his thoughts blanked out as soon as he felt the boulder on his head, he felt reassured when he saw a brief illusion of Cynder standing in front of him at the entrance to the Dragon Dojo.

"Now that I think of it, she did save me from the Sorcerer's lair the first time around", Spyro calmed himself with hope coming back into his eyes. "She was among one of the biggest assets to my eventual recovery."

His face soon started to make a change once more – sad because he was leaving Cynder behind, yet happy because without her at the right moment at the right time, he might have never come far enough to achieve what he had achieved.

And with that thought in mind, he turned straight back to the mountain range that stood to the north of the village. Though they looked nothing more than a set of jagged rocks that stood up like upturned mounds in the ground, the sun shining above them gave him a pleasurable feeling, knowing that she was in a safe place after all.

"I may still feel uncomfortable about this, but I'm ready to go anyway", Spyro remarked in a bittersweet vocal tone.

With his face now showing itself to be a successful smile, he made a careful walk straight towards the vortex, his eyes glowing more radiantly than before with every passing step. It wasn't long until Sparx and Ignitus soon joined him side by side, ready to make the journey with the purple dragon.

And finally, they made their way right in front of the portal. The warm energy from inside was welcoming enough for them to make their way straight in; even Sparx was encouraged to go in straight away, but before he could do that, Spyro quickly took a hold of his tail, causing him to remain in place.

The purple dragon quickly glanced behind him. "But before I go…"

He turned straight back to the village personnel, shifting his eyes among them all before focusing straight towards one figure in particular – Red. As calmly as possible, he made his walk straight towards the Elder, before sitting down easily right in front of his feet.

"What is it?" the elder questioned Spyro with a raised eyebrow.

"After seeing your courage via saving us from the scorpion ambush and helping me prepare to fight the Sorcerer, you deserve the right to wield the Shadowstone."

The Elder looked upon Spyro's chest with his expression showing a growth in surprise. All he did to aid him was to help him out of a pair of difficult situations as well as teaching him the Banish technique – how could his efforts end up being worthy of him to wield the Shadowstone?

"You trusted me, Red", Spyro started speaking before Red could attempt to question him. "And in return, I'll trust you, no matter how different we are."

"But don't you need it to fight back home?" the Elder quickly spluttered at the rate of a caffeine-influenced rodent.

"I need to recover the rest of my strength myself. And whenever the Dark Master knocks me down, your hospitality is all I need to get back onto my feet."

Red's expression looked more and more cautious as he looked on at Spyro's eyes. The purple dragon looked so confident to just give the Shadowstone away – obviously something that he might not need anymore, given his brash and bold expression on his face.

Though Red looked convinced that Spyro was better off keeping it as a memoir, he ended up sighing as he crouched down towards his head, bringing one of his hands towards his back. The purple dragon responded with a confident smile, leaving the Elder warm enough to smile back.

"I'll wear this with pride, Spyro", replied Red softly. "I'll look after it carefully."

And so, Red reached out for the amulet, removed it from Spyro's neck and brought it around his own. And there it hung directly over his collar, thus making him look richer than any merchant bear that could have ever wanted to cross his path.

The villagers then applauded widely as they saw the sign of gratitude, all cheering Spyro's name multiple times in succession as he looked on at the Elder and back at the portal. There, he knew that he was ready to venture home in high spirits, as a hero of a distant land.

"Take care, Spyro!" cheered the Professor from the background. "Thank you for your deeds!"

The shout was enough for Spyro to briefly look back towards the more distant personnel. And there his eyes met with Blink and the Professor, whom both waved back with a strong sign of relief upon their faces. Similar expressions were shown upon the other villagers that he met along the way as well, allowing him to warmly glance towards them in return.

And so, with an inner emotion of happiness set in stone, he made his walk back towards the vortex. The swirling winds reflected beautifully in front of his body as he came closer towards it, with a feeling of comfort reflecting its way right across his chest.

He looked to his left, and saw Ignitus stepping his way towards it. And then he looked to his right, where Sparx was already in place, hovering directly to the right of his head. Together they all exchanged smiles as they then jumped inside the vortex all together.

As they went further, the sight of them started to fade with the swirling winds gently and gracefully over time. And as soon as they left their sight, the vortex's shape soon changed, suddenly fading out into nothing more than a single wind stroke that graced south. The way to the Dragon Village was closed in its entirety.

"I'm still going to miss him", Ember faintly sulked, pointing her head to the ground.

"Don't worry, Ember", sympathised Bandit, removing his hat from his head and placing it on top of hers. "As long as we think so much of what he did for us, we'll easily remain strong in the face of danger."

Ember looked straight on at Bandit, his pointed ears gracing most of his hairless head. By the glow in his eyes he meant something by what he said, she ended up thinking quietly. In that time, the armadillo focused his attention towards the Dragon Village, where the daylight skies continued to shine beautifully towards the settlement itself.

Soon, Ember followed his glance and looked on at it. Though it had come to the point that she would never see Spyro again, she ended up looking increasingly more optimistic, glad to see that the new era for the village has made a beautiful enough start as it did.

The absence of said purple dragon still made her slightly uneasy inside, but as soon as she remembered the happier times that she ended up having with him, a beautiful smile shone upon her face. And just like that, so were those upon the other villagers, ready to make their move in the coming era – an era of peace.

The path through the vortex had exactly the same color scheme faced upon Spyro's initial journey to and from Convexity – a familiar pattern of yellow, blue and white strobe lights surrounded him as he went through the path that would somehow lead back home.

Happy to know that he would return, he left himself to relax as he drifted back the way he came, flying with his eyes closed and taking in the ambient sounds around him. A smile crept on his face – slightly worrying since he was going home without Cynder, but still content nonetheless.

The sounds of the air resistance that was around him was not enough to disturb his thoughts of the great struggle he faced, all the way through beginning with his reunion with Sparx in the cave and following up with every part of the journey that lead up to his third and final confrontation with the Sorcerer.

"I may be going home without Cynder, but this has been a great experience out there", he started speaking to himself.

All of his thoughts and attention went towards everyone that he met on the way, from his first encounter with Blink all the way through to his contact with Red as he assisted him in transportation for brief periods of time. Even Ango was shown as a clear identification in front of him, knowing that in spite of him being just a figment of the Dark Master's imagination he was a great asset to his journey regardless.

"I owe my thanks to everyone that has supported me every step of the way, whether they knew me or the other purple dragon."

All of his thoughts soon concentrated together like a simple picture presentation that ran in his head, all showing the different experiences that he faced in the Dragon Realms. Even his vision of triumph against the Sorcerer was bound to never leave his head at all for time to come.

"Thanks to that experience, I feel so much stronger as an individual, and I feel ready to see what the rest of my destiny has."

A pleasurable feeling went straight through the dragon's body, and with that in mind, he opened his eyes and focused straight towards the tunnel ahead. The colorful strobe lights reflected straight into his eyes as if they were nothing more than bright indoor lighting.

"Sparx, I'm really glad that you managed to stick up for me every step of the way especially", he remarked joyfully while still looking ahead. "We've come so far since living at the swamp, and I'm glad you too are starting to grow as an…"

He looked to his right, expecting to see Sparx. But alas, he was not there. Perhaps he ended up camouflaging himself amidst some of the yellow lights, Spyro thought puzzlingly to himself. Bearing the thought in mind, he allowed for several seconds to pass by.

But in spite of his patience, there was no trace of Sparx making his reappearance from the lights at all. Having noticed that, he then realised that that was the time to start panicking about the situation. He looked up, and then down, and then it was almost certain that the dragonfly was not in his sight anymore.

"Sparx? Where are you?"

He then turned to the left, assuming that he might have ended up hovering alongside Ignitus for some strange reason. But when he turned in that direction, he noted that not only Sparx wasn't there, but the guardian wasn't there either. His face then started to show a subtle shade of pale mauve.

"Ignitus? Ignitus!"

Hastily, Spyro hovered his way towards the left, directly at the spot where Ignitus could have been seen. But there, all he ended up feeling was emptiness, with the strobe lights just acting as a tense mood light flashing upon his flesh.

He then looked in almost every single direction possible, trying his best to locate either of the pair with his own two eyes. They in themselves started to receive added tension as he kept searching up and down the area of the tunnel that he currently was hovering at.

"Where are you guys?" he called out to the pair nervously. "What's going on?"

He then made his way backwards, back the way he came, in the event that he ended up leaving them behind at the Dragon Village's perimeter. But all of his best efforts in going back resulted in him being pushed forward by a gale force, repelling him from the destination entirely.

And so, he had to accept the fact that he was travelling the vortex alone; wherever and whenever Sparx and Ignitus vanished became a deep concern that crept upon his mind as he went further and further ahead. It will be difficult to explain all this alongside losing Cynder to all the other guardians back home, he pondered with his paws shaking with worry.

But then, his thoughts were soon disturbed by the sound of a roar. The tone itself was slightly gritty in texture and sported an alto pitch range; though it would attempt to make him freeze in place, the sound was enough for him to actually show a feeling of surprise rather than fright.

"That roar", he hesitantly reacted towards it. "It… it sounds so familiar…!"

Quickly, he looked straight ahead and tried to locate the source of the sound. But in spite of its clear tone, he was unable to make a clear and identifiable approach towards it, leaving him concerned as if he was floating into an indistinguishable trap of sorts.

And then, all of a sudden the white light at the end of the tunnel started to turn to one of darkness, almost reversing the entire color scheme through to black, indigo and copper-brown. The chilling sight of it left him to start flapping harder and harder towards the end of the vortex.

Desperately, he tried to fight his way through the beckoning darkness, hoping to push his way past the coming black monster that surrounded the exit. All that he could do to try and get past it was to try and counter it regardless of the rate of his full recovery.

And just like that, he made a hasty charge straight towards it, his teeth gritting tightly. His flames didn't do much to its posture though, and his claws ended up going straight through it. All that the monster did was cackle as it continued to make its ambush around the dragon.

And just like that, threads of darkness surrounded the dragon as he was in mid-flight, taking a hold of him around his legs, then his arms, and around his tail, nose and eyes. It got to the point that he was left to be paralysed in its grasp, leaving him with no other choice than to drift wherever the blackness would go, trapped securely in a limp yet flexible canvas.

"Spyro! Spyro!!"

The shouts echoed upon his hearing range very brash and vibrantly in spite of his current situation. But then, a strong and bright light soon started to show upon his eyes – a faint golden light that started to grow brighter and brighter with each passing second.

Eventually he saw what looked like a blur of varying shades of yellow and brown directly in front of him. Right in the middle of his field of view was a blur of a black figure – potentially the creature that ended up consuming him while he was riding the vortex?

Piece by piece, the details were soon made out directly in front of him. He witnessed a rounded nose, along with short horns placed around its head. Some faint rounded markings on its forehead were also noted as well as a familiar pair of glowing green eyes – a pair that made him come to a conclusion to the identity of the creature.

"C… Cynder?"

His heart almost skipped a beat. If this was actually Cynder standing right in front of him, did he actually get killed by the thing in the portal and ended up going to heaven? Shakily he looked around from his position; somehow, he found himself lying on the floor – the floor of the Dragon Temple.

"Spyro, I'm so glad you're okay!" the black dragon beamed as she brought her head over him. "I can't believe how much has happened since that storm."

"That… storm?"

Spyro's thoughts were brought straight back to the situation that occurred before he was reunited with Sparx – the vicious storm that swept him away and brought him to the distant land in the first place. By Cynder's words, he knew that he must have missed a lot at the Temple since his departure.

But what was even more incredible was that she was there, standing firmly on all fours. Amazed by that, he quickly brought himself to his feet, his eyes instantly showing a burning desire to hear her secrets into her survival.

"Please, tell me", he looked at her eyes with burning curiosity. "How did you survive the Sorcerer's magic? How did you know I was waiting to be rescued back at the…"

Cynder's face looked blank. "Wait just a second. Who is this 'sorcerer' you're talking about? And the only rescuing we did of you was when you got stuck in that tree during the storm."

Spyro took a step back, looking dumbstruck. He clearly remembered having Cynder stand by her every step of the way during his venture, yet how could it have come to her claiming that he ended up falling inside the trunk of a tree for a strange and unknown reason?

"Cynder's right", remarked Ignitus as he entered the room. "Not long after you were swept away from the temple entrance, you were sent into the air and launched straight into the hollow of a tree at the other side of the clearing. When the storm died down, we recovered you."

"You were unconscious at the time", Cynder continued the clarification. "That must have been a few hours ago."

The purple dragon looked on at the pair, his eyes widening. And then he looked on at the entrance to the temple, where he was only just able to notice a cherry blossom broken into half, the leaves from what used to be the top being left to rest on the ground with an uneasy maroon color in the evening light.

The sight left Spyro able to having to admit the truth. Having understood the situation, it seemed as if he had to accept the fact that he got trapped inside a tree and knocked his head so hard to have the 'experience' in the first place. But in spite of that, the vision rung hard in his mind like a real-life experience would usually do.

"I still swear that what I saw felt so real", he frowned as he looked at the ground. "This… painful vision of a distant land and a realm needing help…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ignitus made a stride to his left. "I think it would help if you explained everything inside the dojo, Spyro. I sense a cold wind coming."

The guardian looked his way straight outside, and true to his word, he saw something starting to make the decaying leaves rustle. A gentle wind blew, causing them to start separating from each other leaf by leaf, as they drifted straight into the distant horizon.

Though the wind wasn't necessarily as strong as the hurricane, Spyro accepted Ignitus's point and walked back towards Cynder. But in spite of him being in the comfort of the two dragons once again, he still had the urge to explain his experiences.

Together, all three made their way inside another room of the temple – the dojo, marked by a large dragon statue in the middle of it. And as they did so, the wind from outside picked up; though it was nowhere near the powerful gale force winds that occurred hours ago, it was still powerful enough to send dust into the air and leaves blowing in a single direction.

About half an hour passed since the winds picked up again and the three dragons entered the dojo. Right under the central statue's right wing, the purple dragon explained every last detail in front of them, from his entrance through a southern cave all the way through to the end.

Upon the mention of their own involvement to some extent, Cynder and Ignitus looked upon one another, both of which looking amazed over how such a vision could end up towing them both into the situation. The black dragon herself looked equally amazed yet disturbed, especially when she ended up hearing on how she ended up dead in front of the Sorcerer.

As soon as the last detail was explained, Spyro lowered his head straight to the ground, breathing quickly. Having looked on at his valiant yet painful expression, Ignitus looked on at him with a calm yet surprising smile.

"So, that's the vision you had", Ignitus responded with a thorough understanding. "That sounds interesting. I never thought there could be another purple dragon named Spyro, just like you."

The purple dragon responded with a confused nod of the head. "Does it mean anything, Ignitus?"

Ignitus looked on at Spyro, almost eager to try and answer his question. That left him to sit in silence, trying to think about the scenario altogether, yet in spite of his closest thoughts to the situation, he resulted with having to lower his head, almost frowning in a response.

"I may be able to read peoples' minds, but I'm not so sure about interpreting visions. But from what you faced, it might be a slight battle scar from what you faced with Cynder back at Convexity."

"I don't think it's that", the black dragon frowned. "Given that he stated that I made a valiant sacrifice for him, I am sure that it has something more to do with the future."

Cynder's confident response was almost enough for Spyro to show concern. How could a vision end up linking towards something that could happen in the future, especially with one that felt as random as it was? Curious, he stood up and made a brief step towards the black dragon.

"What do you mean about this future?" he asked her curiously.

"If you want to think about the future, all that you can do is let it come to you", Ignitus hastily answered for her. "If there were any lessons you 'learnt', be sure to use them to your full potential."

As quickly as he previously stood up, Spyro sat down once more, taking in Ignitus's words. Everything he remembered from the vision crept back to him, as he thought so much about every single highlight that he managed to recap from the entire experience.

Putting everything together, he finally gave off a confident smile and once again stood up, making a steady pace across the temple as he did so, looking on at his peers with a confident eye as he did so. He soon came to a stop just before he ended up heading out towards the arch that lead towards the balcony.

"If there's anything I learnt out there", Spyro started remarking once more, "it's the power of trust that makes someone strong, not the amount of power that you initially had to begin with."

Smiling more confidently than the usual, he turned straight back towards the balcony and started approaching it slowly. Having witnessed that, both Cynder and Ignitus started to follow him towards the door; yet before they would get through, the purple dragon quickly brought up one of his front paws, causing them to stop in their tracks.

"Bearing that in mind, I'm going to use that experience to the maximum potential. I'm ready to use it in whatever move that the Dark Master could launch next."

Looking on at the sky, maintaining a field of positive energy as shown in his eyes, he proceeded to make his way towards the end of the balcony. And right there he witnessed what looked like a spectacular view of the islands and surrounding area ahead, all illuminated in a breathtaking blue and red twilit sky.

One by one, the stars started to make their emergence straight towards his field of view. It even got to the point that one of them was left to shoot its way across the upper field of the sky, leaving behind a glittery trail of gold and silver behind it as it descended.

"Do you hear me?" he called out with a more powerful booming voice than before. "Whenever you send your next move, or whenever your army sends your next move, I'll be there. And I'm not going to do this for myself either."

He then paused in place, and as he did so, he shifted his attention directly towards his chest. Though he somehow came to realise that he didn't physically touch the Shadowstone, he knew that the time he had when donning it in the vision was enough for him to believe in the true source of his strength.

"As long as I have belief from my companions by my side, I'm ready to take you on!"

Proudly, he took a closer step towards the balcony and placed both of his front paws there, before lifting himself onto his hind legs from there. His tail twitched gently from side to side as he continued to witness the beautiful spectacle of the evening sky around him.

Back inside, Cynder and Ignitus watched on at the dragon as they saw him doing what he did. Just as when they saw him land securely on both feet again, they turned to one another – both of them were looking equally hopeful having seen the purple dragon's spectacle.

"You know, he might just have the capability to defeat him yet", Cynder pleasantly smiled as she looked on at the Guardian.

"I might be sure about that. But the least we can do at this stage is to wait and see his power return first. Then, we may see a hero in the making."

Quickly, Ignitus turned back to Spyro, whom by then was back on all fours. A strong breeze drifted by the purple dragon, leaving his wings to flutter gently by them. Yet in spite of the obvious trace of the weather's effects on his body, he knew that he was to witness a bit more from the dragon.

"Or with the way he managed to describe his vision, we may even see a legend in the making."

The remark was enough for Cynder to almost drop her jaw, turning back towards Ignitus with a widened pair of eyes, looking equally curious about his statement. All she got in return was the usual soft glance that she would expect from the Dragon Guardian.

But in spite of seeing the usual glance, she somehow knew from it that his words would obviously mean something. Whether it would relate to a future venture or a different kind of experience altogether was something that remained tightly inside his mind.

For now, the least that they could do was watch on ahead, as Spyro calmly stood over the balcony, looking out to the scene below him, his eyes confidently shifting from side to side as they witnessed the dazzling stars and clear views of the sky above his own head.

They knew that the storm that passed gave him an experience that they may not have been physically a part of, yet it was something that could help him grow with experience as he makes his true recovery from the long and dangerous fight with Cynder at Convexity.

But regardless of how much their input was granted, they knew that even if they weren't involved in his experience physically aside from recovering him from the tree, they would take his words to heart and allow him to use his experiences for the future – the resulting moral learnt from the previous tempest; the Tempest of Trust.

"May the ancestors look after you. May they look after us all."

Epilogue

Hunter the Cheetah went on to become an archery instructor, teaching all sorts of creatures to learn the art of the bow and arrow. While most of his students were cheetahs just like himself, most of them were able to become precise archers and join in scavenger hunts at the end of every month.

The Professor followed his goal to create all sorts of gadgets to add to the safety of the Dragon Realms. His ideas of installing sense-tracking cameras made things sound intimidating at first, but once some of the younger dragons faced an increase in stamina in front of them he knew that he was on for a powerful gadget to benefit the realm.

Moneybags went back into business with his shops. Even though the Spyro he knew wasn't there to buy most of his material anymore, his profits went through the roof as soon as biographies based on the purple dragon hit the shelves. The last time he was heard from, he managed to buy a fifth home along the beaches of Avalar.

Bianca learnt to channel magic herself, not to try and possess the Dark Master, but rather sense the intensions of the dark monstrosity of the past. Her care made her able to deflect his magic, thanks to additional assistance with Red when she made closer contact to him.

Ember learnt to carve statues with her own two hands, becoming a well recognised mason across the Dragon Realms. Her sculptures of the people she knew across the realm were strong sellers, and made her well recognised as a dragon with a heart of gold, or in the case of herself, precious stones.

Flame decided to follow Spyro's footsteps and become a dragon soldier. He became a recent recruit into the dojo, learning all sorts of magical techniques from the elders. However, he is still yet to practice the egg technique; the last time he tried to transform into an egg, he pulled through as a chicken for reasons unknown.

Blink the Mole returned to his habit for looking for treasure underground. While most of it ended up being transferred to Moneybags, he was happier than ever now that he managed to go below ground, just for the sake of nostalgia flowing within his body.

Bandit returned to his native Cliff Town and told the tale of the Sorcerer's defeat to everyone that lived there. Having been given hope from seeing Spyro's assault upon the Sorcerer, he decided upon himself to start training to become a sheriff. Ember, of course, managed to stand by his decision.

Red the Dragon used the Shadowstone to his own capability, ready to use it to either teach younger dragons the art of Dragon Kata in a more efficient manner, or to help Bianca with her magic channelling. Since returning to the dojo, his happiness in his role has been growing and growing with every passing day.

Since the end of the reign of terror granted from the Sorcerer, all that the villagers would wish to know of him were the tasks that he pulled off to attack the village with, and how they were all thrown back with such great accuracy by any warriors that came to approach him.

Whether this in question would refer to the incarnations of Spyro and Sparx as they originally knew them, or the incarnations that came to them from the vortex, they would know that no matter what, there will no longer be any damage granted towards their kingdom in any shape or form.

For all they knew, the assault on the Sorcerer has resulted in a long-lasting era of peace and tranquillity. And even if perils open up again, they know that under the influence of their departed heroes, they will be able to fight on in levels of courage that would be able to match up with them.

For them, it was a time to move on and a fresh start to life once again…

The twilit sky that hung above the temple suddenly started to turn to a night sky, illuminating with a wide assortment of stars that hung brilliantly above the ground. Each of them shone down among the fauna like a faint set of spotlights, illuminating the scenery with a subtle mood around them.

Spyro remained on the balcony, looking out ahead, his thoughts continuing to focus on the venture. With that in mind, his mind soon focused onto another task – trying to discover the Dark Master's next move. It wasn't long until Cynder started to make her approach from nearby, looking equally curious over whether he managed to locate anything yet.

Meanwhile, in a not-so-nearby forested area, the mushrooms that graced it were lit with a sign of wonder, showering light around the area in an eerie lilac color scheme against the incoming darkness. It wasn't to say that the entire clearing was to be brought into silence, however.

"If you go out in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise, if you go out in the woods today…"

Sparx was seen hovering around the area on his own accord, a glowing yellow and white light from his body being all he needed to see around him at the coming late hour. His rough singing tone could end up being enough to startle any small insect that would crawl on any nearby tree that he passed.

But then, his motions ceased as soon as he came towards the end of the clearing that he was currently in. And right ahead of him, he brought his eyes straight towards what looked like a structure ahead of him. It reflected in his eyes subtly as he looked straight up at it with wonder.

"What…" his jaw dropped at the sight of the building. "What is this thing?"

He quickly hovered through a pair of trees, and witnessed the spectacle in full. Standing right there was a temple, looking no different than the Dragon Temple that the dragons gathered and resided in together, especially in color scheme and its general majesty.

Yet, the general architecture resembled a significantly more gothic feel to it. The sight of it was enough for the dragonfly to be left trembling slightly, knowing that it might get worse if there was the slim possibility of any kind of creature that would reside inside it.

Regardless of its structure, he carefully approached it, trying his best not to disturb any of the scenery that surrounded him in the process. And just as when he managed to get up close to the stone panels that formed the interior, he started to circle around it, bringing his arms out, feeling the walls as they were.

"This place looks awkwardly different… whatever it is."

All of a sudden, his hands suddenly touched a hard yet awkward surface. He quickly stopped, and saw that he was looking straight towards the sight of a wooden plank embedded inside the building. Quickly, he tore it off and read it as it was – all he sensed was some ancient language, yet by instinct he knew the location that he was facing – the Temple of Souls.

The strange structures were enough for Sparx to look on at it with a perplexed state of mind, placing one of his hands on his chin to analyse the scene. Yet before he could even do that, the sound of the ocean waves were enough to completely distract his own attention.

And there, he saw a boat make its parking towards a distant cliff side – a wooden boat with a large mast, looking just like some of the wooden ships when encountered on the way to Dante's Freezer not too long ago. The boat wasn't entirely empty though – out came a strange furred creature that almost resembled a monkey in posture, but had more canine and lupine qualities to it, donning an eye patch, a bandana and all sorts of hunting garments around its body.

"This creature", he raised an eyebrow at its peculiar getup. "It looks strange. What did mom call these mythical beings again… pirates?"

Sparx blinked at the sight of the coming creature making its way towards the scene. Yet he didn't realise that it would come with friends, and as soon as its five-person army was settled onto the ground in full, he quickly shivered in place, looking around and feeling around for a means to counter the situation himself.

And so he flew towards a nearby tree, where luckily enough there was a small hole that led inside its stump. Hesitantly, he made his way deep inside, completely covering himself by the darkness that filled much of the interior.

He brought his head out, and saw the pirates coming closer and closer towards the temple, each of which looking as devious as the next. Then it got to the point when four of the pirates remained in place meters away from the temple, leaving the ring leader to approach it alone.

"Do I tell Spyro about this?" he muttered quietly to himself, still trembling gently. "Do I tell anyone?"

Cautiously he looked straight towards the scene and then back towards the path he came. Though the Dragon Temple could only just be made out in the distance, he knew that it would be a long journey back whether he wanted to share the news or not.

Before he could even come to a conclusion on how he would approach the situation, his eyes were met towards the pirate ringleader once again. And there, he quickly gestured towards the dragonfly, almost shrieking in place as if he managed to spot him from nearby.

"Get him!"

"Oh, CRUD!" Sparx exclaimed, knowing that he was to soon get caught. "Get away from me!"

In a quick reaction, the ringleader pointed his hand straight towards the tree. And there, the other four creatures started to make their rush straight towards Sparx, now obviously shown inside the tree thanks to the glow that radiated from around his body.

Quickly, he made his haste from straight out of the hollow of the tree, hovering his way straight towards the forestry that he initially came from. There, the henchmen ended up chasing the dragonfly straight inside the area, with swords drawn out, ready to make their strike towards him.

Faster and faster, Sparx continued to hover through the thick forestry, trying to escape from the clutches of the coming creatures, all of which doing their very best in running while slashing various trees down for the cause of getting towards their target quicker.

The dragonfly kept hovering and hovering away, until… he ended up crashing face first into a nearby rock face. As soon as he recovered himself, he looked on at it, seeing that he ended up bringing himself into a shallow crevice into a nearby cliff side.

He looked behind him, and right away, he saw his eyes getting met with all four of the henchmen, with their leader coming from right behind him. The sight of the steel blades, ready to shed his blood, was enough for him to shiver right at the sight of them and the coming ambush.

Knowing that there was no escape, he had to accept the fact that the swords would have to take his life, removing all of his knowledge of the Well of Souls as well as every memory he had. And almost as quickly as he thought of that, a blade ended up swiping its way straight towards his neck.

"Yeeeargh!!!"

Sparx suddenly felt himself sit up in place, gasping for breath. Looking around his surroundings, he saw himself lying on an upturned leaf that was lying upon the grassy ground beneath him, located two hill climbs away from the Dragon Temple.

Was the vision that he saw meaningful in any method whatsoever? Thinking about the entire situation, the pirates felt so real in front of him, and so did the Well of Souls. And was it something that he would explain to Ignitus, a potential candidate to interpret such visions?

With that feeling creeping over his mind, he brought himself away from the leaf and hovered away from it – where he was hovering to, no one knew. For all that remained firm on Sparx's mind was the events that occurred during his vision.

It was the beginning of an experience that could haunt his mind. And with the way the sky was looking, the vision was a trigger to force him towards a night with fear and discomfort - an eternal night.