Chapter three- An Evil Reunion

As always, the soul plate was quiet, except for the noise emitting from the portal to the spirit realm. A vast nothingness spread as far as the eye could see except for floating bits of rocks and frequent streaks of light flowing through the sky. It was peaceful… maybe too peaceful. The purple stone floor that spread out throughout the plate, splattered with various cracks and missing pieces. A barrier was put up around the portal, letting no one in or out. Chief Prowlus stood at the top of the wall, looking out to the portal. It seemed to whisper to him. Telling him that trouble would be coming. Telling him to leave while he still could. His red cloak blew in the wind, along with his fur and blue, linen shirt. He shivered as a cold chill ran down the back of his spine, and then took an uneasy breath. He turned around, leaving his back to the portal.

Don't turn your back on ME Prowlus! I know what you fear…. A strange, almost inaudible deep voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What do you want Malefor?" Prowlus hissed. Somehow Malefor was able to communicate telepathically to him. His power was returning…

Only to return to say a proper farewell to your heroes. I do miss them so…

"Over my dead body."

Don't make promises you aren't willing to keep… you stole something from me… or… someone…

"Cynder is under the protection of the Avalarian council and we will protect her, even from you."

RETURN HER TO ME! His voice seemed to echo throughout the plate, for the rest of the soldiers also heard him.

"She is not an item that can be won. You lost your chance to redeem yourself. Now be gone hell-spawn!"

You must choose your next words carefully… for if you choose wrong… they will be your last… Just then a shadow covered the entire platform, leaving the soldiers to draw their swords and keep their fear to themselves. The shadow lowered into the ground and started to move into one big blob. It began to morph into something else… a creature of complete evil.

"Fire at will!" Prowlus screamed to his archers, leaving them shooting the blob with hundreds of arrows, but they either missed or got absorbed into the black figure. The arrows stopped flying and the figure stopped growing and morphing. Everything went silent for a very long moment, but then the figure released a blast of pure dark energy that destroyed the ground where the soldiers stood. They were all running and trying to get up to their feet, only to get shot once again by the demon. Flying soldiers went everywhere, flying off the side of the cliff or falling back to the ground dead. Prowlus gasped and looked at the total destruction this one… thing… has caused. A massive, black paw appeared out of the darkness and was brought down on several soldiers. Then another. Then another. Then another. Two wings protruded out of the dark, and lastly a massive head with piercing red eyes and five sets of horn running down its neck.

"Dear ancestors… what is that?"

THAT… is Aryll. The terror of hell. The pitch black dragon who enforces madness, despair, and death... Aryll continued killing and destroying the cheetah battalions, then focused on Prowlus. He reared up on his two legs. Showing just how tall this dragon was. He was the hugest dragon Prowlus has seen, easily five times as large as Terrador. Aryll fell on his front legs and released a blast of dark magic at the wall. Prowlus jumped off the wall just as the energy hit it, sending the entire side of the wall to the ground. Prowlus got to his feet and trembled at the power of this dragon. It walked through the rubble of the wall to the portal, and presented a purple gem. A gem that could release malefor from his spiritual torment.

"NO!" Prowlus shouted as he drew his sword and charged the dragon. Noticing this, Aryll whipped his tail at him, sending him back against a wall. Prowlus crashed to the floor and tried to get up, but to no avail as he fell back to the ground.

You see Prowlus? You're not the only ones who have allies. I had much more than Cynder in my arsenal, and now, when I return, I will call upon them… to reek havoc across the world, and kill the famous purple dragon, and his traitorous wench! HAHAHAHHAHAHA! Aryll put the crystal inside the portal, and the it opened.

"No…" Prowlus said weakly. Out of the portal opening, a figure walked out. A tall, dark purple dragon with huge horns. He walked over to Prowlus and stopped by his side.

"You must choose your words wisely, Prowlus." And with this he walked away from his crippled body. Prowlus struggled to get to his feet; he had to warn Spyro and Cynder. He was pushed to the ground by a massive paw, and he looked up to see Aryll's piercing red eyes staring into his soul. He gave a sickening smile, and with an added amount of energy he crushed Prowlus beneath him, and left his body there to decay along with the soul plate in time.

Spyro woke up in a cold sweat, screaming, breathing heavily, sweat beading down his face. He wiped his face with his paw, and was shaken when a paw rested on his shoulder. He spun around to see Cynder with a worried look on her face.

"Spyro? What's wrong?" She asked worried for him. Spyro grasped her paw in his and tried to calm down.

"Prowlus… he's… he's dead." Spyro said in between breathes.

"What…?" Cynder asked after a moment of silence.

"He's dead. And Malefor… he's back. One of his servants freed him." Cynder started to tear up in fear. She gave Spyro a hug, and tried to keep herself calm as well.

"It was just a bad dream Spyro. Everything is fine." Spyro also started to tear as he held onto her for life.

"It seemed so real… like I was actually there."

"It's ok. I'm here. We will have to tell Terrador about this. See what he thinks of it. But… please. Try to sleep?" Spyro pushed away from her a little bit to look in her eyes. He gave a faint smile, and lay down on his bed.

"I'll be right down the hall, ok?" With that she left the room and walked down to her room. Spyro closed his eyes slowly, putting his head down on his pillow.

It was so real… he thought to himself.

It was real, purple dragon. Spyro's eyes shot open, and he got up and spun around the room. He could never forget that voice, the voice hat haunted his dreams as well as Cynder's.

Don't try looking… I'm not there… yet.

What do you want from me? Spyro answered.

Nothing you're willing to give; I want what's mine… the black dragoness.

You will never take her… not while I'm still breathing. Malefor laughed at this. His deep, blood-curdling laugh.

Believe me, that can be arranged. But I'm not the one you should be worried about…

The black dragon… who is he? Spyro was trying not to yell, scratching his claws against the wooden floorboards.

You had the dream. You tell me…

Get out of my mind! Now!

Or what? You'll torch me? Freeze me?

Don't give me any ideas. Again Malefor laughed.

Young dragon… I would LOVE to see you try…

We did once… we can do it again. And this time… I'm going to kill you!

Wow… I almost believed you. But if you've got the nerve… try me. Spyro could not take this anymore. He thought he was going to explode if he held it in any longer.

"Get out of my MIND!" He shouted. And just like that Malefor's voice was gone, and Spyro could hear Cynder coming down the hallway.

Crap. Spyro thought to himself, smacking his head with his paw. Cynder came around the corner.

"What is it with the screaming?" Cynder asked a bit annoyed. Spyro chuckled. She did say that she was down the hall if he needed her. Sparx, being a deep sleeper, was still snoozing in a hanging from the ceiling.

"It can't wait till morning. I heard him."

"What?"

"No time to explain now. We need to tell Terrador. NOW."

"But it's so early. He's going to be angry." Spyro's smile went away as he started for the door.

"Better now than later." He ran out the door leaving Cynder thinking to herself, but then decided to follow Spyro out the door to Terradors room.