Chapter 4: Truth
Will alone does not make heroes... and Fate has its last word. Ideal is hard to achieve, yet so quick to shatter...
"I don't like this one bit." Spyro said more to himself than anything else.
Sparx couldn't help but agree. "Yeah. I mean, I know there was this huge blockade outside... but no guards inside at all? Either they just got even dumber or we're running straight to our doom."
Walking through the halls, the two couldn't help but notice how there was absolutely nothing to stop them. No soldiers, no monsters, no traps... nothing. Although it was better that way considering, it still wasn't very easy for their nerves. There was this sense of dread, this ominous hunch... and the silence didn't help at all.
This place... it wasn't anything like they had imagined. The both of them had always made theories about what the Dark Master's fortress would be but none of these came even a slightest bit close to what it truly was.
The Temple of Souls was a dark, damp, eerie place to say the least. The stench of humidity was so strong that even with them having grown in a swamp, it still got to them. Then, there were the rotten, decaying black walls covering in green glowing vegetation unlike anything they had ever seen. It seemed as if they were inside of ruins rather than a fortress... yet, this was the place. Both of them could feel it now, the aura of pure evil ahead...
Then, they passed through the gigantic door and found themselves in what seemed to be more or less a replica of the Dragon Temple's training room or, at least, a twisted, warped version of it. Rather than a statue in the middle, there was some kind of weird well with streams of creepy-looking thingies constantly flying from a hole in the ceiling into the well and the room seemed overall larger, the overall room shaped like an arena or a pit of sorts.
"So... I finally get to meet you in the flesh, purple dragon..." this voice...
Sitting comfortably on the throne on the opposite side of the room, located on the higher part of the room, the Dark One king smirked evilly as he stared at the so-called dragon of legend...
Just before them stood the single most monstrous Dark One Spyro had ever seen. Clad in purple armor, his right eye glowing in an eerie green light as he stared at the purple dragon and his partner, Gaul stood before his guests. The two young ones had seen plenty of disformed creatures born out of the Dark Master's power before... but out of all the beings they had run into, this was definitely the most twisted. To say that Gaul was horrific was an understatement...
"Hmmm... You are smaller than I expected." he simply stated.
And well, if there was one thing that Spyro didn't like, it was when people made fun of his size! Thus, Gaul's reply allowed Spyro to snap out of it and to rebecome serious.
"I know that you're holding Cynder here. Release her, now!" said Spyro, stepping forward and trying to sound as intimidating as possible.
"Yeah, you better listen ugly 'cuz else, we're gonna kick your booty big time!" added Sparx both for dramatic effect and to keep himself from fainting from seeing such a horrible face. Truly, the common Dark One was ugly to begin but this one, eek! It's the face that broke a thousand mirrors for sure!
Then, slowly, a cold, deep, cruel laugh. A very slow and evil-sounding one that sent chills through Spyro's spine. The way Gaul laughed was unlike any laugh he had heard from any Dark One before. There was no excitement in it, no apparent irrational rage. All there was in his laugh was pure, cold, raw evil.
And then, at this moment, hesitantly, Cynder walked out of the throne's shadow and into plain sight, head hanging low.
"Cynder!" at this moment, a mix of relief and intense fear filled the purple dragon. Cynder was alright!... but on another hand, she's next to that huge Dark One and that is BAD!
"Let her go this instant!" he added quickly, his voice shaking slightly.
"Completely clueless, I assume. Well, no matter." the monstrous Dark One got up and made some kind of gesture, as if greeting Spyro...
"Welcome to the Temple of Souls, purple dragon. I am Gaul, the king of all Dark Ones and supreme leader of the Dark Armies. I am the mastermind behind all of the Dark Armies' operations, the Dark Master's very right hand. It was written that this day would come, that we would meet tonight... for tonight is the night of the decisive battle. Tonight, the Dark Master returns... by my hand, with the blood of the Dark Master's chosen, Cynder!"
"Not if I can help it!" interrupted Spyro. He had expected that the Dark Master would reserve such a fate for Cynder but still, regardless, it got to him and he felt the fear rise. No, this is no time to be afraid! Cynder is counting on him!
Gaul stared at the purple dragon for a moment...
"Hmph. If only you had known..." he mumbled before turning to Cynder. "Now, Cynder. This will not take too long."
Then, Gaul jumped off the higher ledge and into the lower arena causing an earthquake as he landed. Spyro held his ground and stared back fearlessly, the Dark King's massive frame causing a miniature earthquake for each step he made toward his opponent. Cynder sat by the throne, staring as this unfolded...
Then, finally, once Gaul made him in front of Spyro, he stood there, grinning evilly, looking down at him intently. Gaul found it hard to believe that such a small creature had caused him so much trouble. Guess that it's true, appearances are truly unreliable...
"Now now, dragon. There is no need for us to fight. We both know that your miserable little skills are no match for my wrath... so I suggest you sit back and watch the show like the good little hatchling that you are. If you attempt to stop me, you will only get hurt."
Spyro and Sparx remained silent. Stepping back, now?... especially knowing that this is the final battle and that Cynder will be sacrificed or something if they don't intervene? Forget it!
The dragon and dragonfly looked at each others and then nodded. They both knew what was the right thing to do. Both of them turned to Gaul, smirking.
"Not impressed. I mean, asking us NOT to fight you? Heh! Figured out that's the reason why you hid behind Cynder and those monkey things for all this time! You're a loser!" taunted Sparx.
"Dark Master's right hand, heh? Heard that title before, defeated its holder before. I won't back down. I can't. So... I guess you'll have to hurt us!" added Spyro.
And then, a totally unexpected reaction. Rather than becoming angered or anything, Gaul smiled and stepped back. He turned his back to the purple dragon and stood there, seemingly doing nothing... or so it seemed.
Sparx rose an eyebrow. Why was this gorilla shaking more and more?
... and then, Gaul turned back to Spyro, unable to suppress his laughter anymore. He burst into loud, maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!"
... and then, he rebecame serious.
"What a pity. Truly, I thought you would know better of it. Well now..." Gaul brought his hands down and then, slowly, unsheathed a pair of giant swords, one in each hand. "I shall give you a reason to fear King Gaul, dragon."
SLAM!
"OW!"
BAM!
"SPY-"
BAM!
"EEK!"
SPLAT!
Spyro groaned in a mix of annoyance and pain as he slowly slid off the wall. He should have expected this! He should have been ready!... though, on another hand, he had no way of knowing that Gaul was so fast. Usually, foes that are this huge were slow... yet, Gaul had jumped right in front of him at an absolutely incredible speed.
Within a moment, he had felt the hilt of Gaul's left sword smashing into his stomach, sending him slamming straight into the wall. A mere second later, Gaul struck Sparx with the flat of his right sword's blade, sending him slamming into the wall as well.
"That... didn't feel good..." whined Sparx as he shook his head, shaking the dizziness off.
Well, Sparx's okay so he guess there's no need to worry. Still... why did Gaul target Sparx? Most of the time, all of the foes they met focused exclusively on him. Why aim for Sparx?
Oh well, this is not the time to ponder about this.
Spyro stepped forward and gripped the ground as he assumed his battle stance. Gaul fearlessly stared back, turned slightly to the side, not facing Spyro directly. A strange battle stance... but one that sure helped Gaul take advantage of his gigantic size and weight via momentum! Spyro noted this mentally. He will have to make sure not to attack Gaul from angles that would allow him to smash him again like this.
Then Spyro dashed at full speed, head lowered, decided to charge into that oversized monkey!
CLANG!
Predictably, Gaul blocked it. The impact caused Spyro to recoil but that was his plan all along. He opened his mouth and...
SMASH!
BAM!
"Wha... WHA? How did he move so fast?" Sparx had definitely not expected this attack to fail. He had seen Spyro use this strategy before and it was the first time he saw it fail!
Spyro, him, begun to feel the pain. This time, Gaul did not bother smacking him with any weapon... but maybe it would have been better if he had as Gaul proceeded to deliver the mother of all left body blows to Spyro, sending him slamming into the wall almost twice as hard as last time. His back, stomach, and wings already ached a whole lot... and considering the fight had only begun, this was NOT a good thing!
Still, Spyro quickly got back on his feet and despite the pain, stood in defiance before his foe.
Gaul looked carefully at the purple dragon and then, slammed both swords into the ground violently, causing an earthquake! Spyro was taken by surprised once again and found himself paralyzed due to the shockwave.
Gaul jumped just next to Spyro and slammed the hilt of his left sword into Spyro's back, just between the wings!
SLAM!
"OOW!" that was all Spyro could think of saying as he found himself lying on his stomach, slammed into the ground from the strength of the impact, unable to move.
Spyro slammed his paws into the ground, attempting to get back up as soon as possible... only to have Gaul deliver his incredibly powerful left body blow to Spyro's stomach, sending him slamming into a column nearby.
BAAAM!
Spyro's eyes widened as he slammed into the column with enough strength to make the room shake a bit. He tried to yelp in pain but found himself unable to, gulping and almost choking on some kind of liquid. When Spyro opened his mouth, trying to breathe, he instead found himself unable to keep in the blood that had flooded his mouth in.
Sparx's eyes widened as well when he saw his adoptive brother vomit a big glob of crimson. That was NEVER a good sign. He flew to Spyro's side as he slid off the column, seemingly dazed.
"SPYRO! Answer me! You're okay buddy?" he asked, worried to no end.
The dragon frowned, his paws reaching for his aching chest. In fact, his whole body ached. That body blow had surely caused something to cave in and those repeated impacts against the walls and now that column must have broken his back and his wings. The purple dragon didn't know how much he had been injured but considering how insanely strong Gaul is, he couldn't afford to take too many more hits like that.
"Hmph. Is that all you got?" Gaul stood before the two, staring blankly at the two as if sorely disappointed. "Is that all that the Dragon of Prophecy can do? Is that the so-called power that my master fears? How utterly laughable. You are weak!"
Spyro looked to the side and saw her... Cynder, looking at him from the higher ledge. He could see the worry in her eyes, her fear. He... he isn't going to give up. He's not going to let this end this way!
As Spyro got up, Sparx recognized the glow in the purple dragon's eyes as he was about to unleash the full power of his fury. Well, about time the mauve one got his act together! Sparx hid behind a column and hovered there waiting for the show of pyrotechnics...
Gaul rose an eyebrow wondering what was happening when Spyro begun to relax and slowly begun to hover, as if carried by a weird power. His eyes widened when he begun to see the flames gathering and he begun to step back, knowing that he wouldn't be able to block THAT.
SWOOOOOOSH!
CLANG!
BOOM!
The sound of Gaul being slammed into the wall by Spyro's Fury Attack was deafening, the impact violent enough to make the entire arena shake.
When Spyro landed, he opened his eyes slowly and smiled, seeing Gaul getting back up, a few traces of black on his armor. Looks like they're even now!
The monstrous Dark One stood there, breathing heavily and then, he begun to laugh. He just stood there, laughing.
Sparx got out of his hiding place and hovered near his friend. "Okay... I think you might have sent him slamming into the wall a bit too hard..."
Spyro simply stood there, weirded out by this turn of event. "What are you laughing for?"
The Dark One stopped and then, stepped forward, wiping the dust off himself as he did so.
"I won."
Spyro stood there, wondering what he meant. Gaul think he won? Why was he...
"SPYRO! LOOK OUT!"
Spyro turned just in time to see the column into which he had been slammed collapsing. That last earthquake must have been more than this column could handle. And well, conveniently, it was falling straight toward him!
Unfortunately, although Sparx managed to get out of the way in time, the purple dragon could only stand there, eyes widened, realizing that he had no way of escaping what was going to happen now. He tried in vain to get out of the way, kicking into the floor to send himself out of the way, knowing that he wouldn't be fast enough.
BOOOOOOM!
"OOOoooOOOW!" cried loudly Spyro, tears streaming down his cheeks as the massive stone column crashed on his back, effectively crushing his body and trapping him.
The pain... was overwhelming. He felt his entire body shaking as the powerful impact probably caused most of his body to effectively cave in. Despite the incredible pain and the tears streaming down his cheeks and blinding his vision, he was decided to struggle still. He attempted to move but then, the truth came to him and horrified him. The column didn't move and he didn't felt any of his limbs. He was paralyzed, totally stuck...
"Spy... Spyro..." the dragonfly just hovered there, jaw hanging in disbelief.
Slowly, Gaul begun to approach and at this moment, terror filled Sparx's heart. Spyro was now defenseless. If Gaul was to try to strike him now...
"Hang in there buddy! HANG IN THERE!" yelled the dragonfly as he pushed against the collapsed column with all of his strength in a vain effort to move it off his partner.
Gaul couldn't help but grin. The look of pure sheer terror on the dragonfly's face was pure gold and he enjoyed every moment of it. Every single step he took, the despair in the stupid reptile's friend's heart grew, causing him to push against the column harder. A worthless gesture ; a creature this weak cannot move such a heavy object. The dragon didn't even seem like he was noticing anything, stuck where he was, a red puddle slowly forming under him from the lethal injuries he received.
Sheer panic possessed Sparx as Gaul was now just in front of the purple dragon, a devilish grin on his face as he stared down at his fallen foe.
"No... NO! Back off you... YOU FREAKY THING!" Sparx flew to Gaul's face and repeatedly flew back and forth, trying to shoo him off by smacking him in the face repeatedly. However, all those attacks were nothing but a mere breeze to the oversized king.
Without even saying a word, Gaul swiped at the air and smacked Sparx with the flat side of his right sword, sending him slamming into another column.
SPLAT!
Sparx's eyes widened as he suddenly felt very dizzy. Being slammed head-first into that column REALLY didn't feel good. Not saying a word, Sparx rolled his eyes and fainted. Spyro was now alone...
"You have lost, purple dragon." said the king, slowly looking down at the dragon.
Victory was so sweet. At long last, the stupid being that had foiled so many plans, destroyed so many machines, killed so many soldiers... finally, he was before him, fallen. The despair on the reptile's face, his look as he had no choice but to accept to die, it was so... satisfying. Truly, why he didn't go out there and took care of the purple dragon himself was a total mystery to him. Rather than wasting his time with minions, he should have done this months, no, years ago!
Regardless, the purple dragon is now out of the way.
The dragon stared back as he stared back. Hard to believe that the purple dragon was a mere hatchling, harder still that he was still alive and conscious after receiving such injuries. He truly is a powerful creature... too bad for him that he was no match for the almighty King Gaul!
Spyro stopped trying to struggle as he realized that Gaul was right. He had been defeated, easily at that, by Gaul. It was over...
"Please..." this weak voice... could it be? Not only is he winning but the purple dragon is going to beg him for mercy? Tonight is surely the best night of his life, that's for sure! The Dark Master is returning, Cynder's back, and now this? It sure feels good to be the king of all Dark Ones right now!
"Please... spare my friends. I'm the one you wants. Please... let them go."
Well, that is rich. Even when forced into such a situation, the purple dragon to blurt out that idealistic non-sense. Although it was less satisfying than seeing the dragon break down into a fit of tears and beg for mercy, it was still more than good enough. Gaul couldn't help but smile in anticipation of the face the reptile will do when he will refuse his request...
"Fact is, I cannot grant you this request. Cynder's blood is required for the ritual that will bring back the Dark Master into this world." Saying the words felt sooo good and that look of sheer horror on the enemy's face felt even better to watch. Truly, what a good night this is!
"Then... use mine."
Huh? What? What was that stupid dragon saying?
"Use my blood... please spare Cynder's life..." finished the dragon.
Gaul stared at the dragon and then, slowly, an urge rose within him and within seconds, overwhelmed his mind, causing him to burst into maniacal laughter.
"No. I cannot do that." And then, he rose his right sword, preparing to deal the finishing blow...
Cynder couldn't take it anymore. She loved the Dark Master, she wished for him to return, she was loyal to him... but... but she couldn't bear to see this. She couldn't bear it anymore. She could stay loyal to the Dark Master, she could hide the truth from Spyro... but she couldn't let Spyro get himself killed. She just couldn't.
"STOP! PLEASE!" Gaul froze, turning to Cynder as she jumped off the ledge and landed next to him.
"What is it?" he asked, wondering why Cynder was crying. Didn't she wait for this moment for such a long time, too? Didn't she lead, alongside him, the hunt for the purple dragon? Why was she unhappy NOW, at their moment of triumph?
"The purple dragon is no threat to the Dark Master, you have proven it once and for all. Please let him go. He will go quietly and never bother the Dark Armies ever again."
... what is the meaning of this?
He stared at the purple dragon and then back at the dragoness... then back to the dragon... and then back to the dragoness...
... hmmm...
And then, he got it.
This is why she didn't kill him in his sleep nor came back before. This was why she maintained the disguise for so long... and that is why he forgave her so easily, why he accepted her and trusted her so quickly.
They cared for each others, deeply. He didn't know how deep it went and under what form but he now was sure of it. She cared for him just as he cared for her.
... and then, it became so ironic to him.
This is why he was never able to predict the purple dragon. He wasn't a great warrior guided by the Ancestors, he had never been so. He was only a common dragon with slightly greater powers protecting those he loved.
How... pathetic.
"Fine... but first, tell him the truth."
The dragoness's eyes widened. "What?"
Gaul turned to face the black dragoness. "Tell the purple dragon the truth about yourself."
Cynder suddenly felt as if a massive ball had formed in her throat causing her to become totally mute. Not only that but she felt her limbs beginning to tremble, out of control.
"What... what is he talking about, Cynder?" the female dragon's face fell even further. She... she couldn't tell him. She just couldn't... she...
"Cynder... telling me what?" Spyro... she couldn't do this to him... she just couldn't...
She turned to Gaul, a pleading expression on her face. He slowly nodded, not the single hint of mercy nor compassion on it.
She lowered her head and closed her eyes...
"Will you promise... to let him go?"
"Of course. You are a dear friend, this is the least I can do for a fellow servant of the Dark Master." replied the king of the Dark Ones.
Her limbs continued to shake as she stared at Spyro. He had trusted her so completely, going as far as to come into this forsaken place and fight King Gaul himself for her. And now she... she...
... she felt so awful. He had done so much for him and he cared so much for her... and she cares for him so deeply. He had been the friend he never had, the being who shown him that there is good in this world. She... she... she even...
... and now, she is going to break his heart. He had trusted her and yet, she had never turned away from the Dark Master.
It was so painful... she loved the Dark Master so much. In the endless darkness, among the hatred of the Dark Ones, he had been her guiding light, her father, the sole being to respect her and love her as Cynder, not as the Dark Queen who will open the portal to the Dark Realm.
... and yet, Spyro...
But... there was no choice. Painful as it was, the time has come to reveal her true colors...
"Spyro... I... please listen to me..." she said, slowly getting closer to the purple dragon, stroking his cheek with her paws.
"Cynder... why are you crying? Please... please don't cry." Cynder shook her head and then made a gesture to show to him that she wanted him to be silent.
She then slowly stepped back and gathered all of her courage...
"Spyro. The Guardians... they don't know everything about me. I hid the truth about what happened to me... about my own time among the Dark Ones."
Spyro was about to say something but the dragoness made another gesture and he remained silent.
"Spyro... I... was never controlled by the Dark Master. I... played the "controlled" card because that I was afraid that the Guardians would kill me if they found out. I... I couldn't tell them. I just couldn't tell them... that I loved the Dark Master. That he was my adoptive father, that he was dear to my heart just as your dragonfly parents were dear to your heart."
Seeing no response, Cynder continued on.
"In the darkness, among the Dark Ones who would seen me only as an ugly dragon, one of their enemies, the Dark Master helped me. Spyro, he... he protected me, he taught me, he respected me. Every time I was scared, every time the Dark Ones would try to bully me... he was there for me. I could always rely on his power. I... I wish more than anything else to see him in the flesh... for him to step out of the portal and to hug me, his adoptive daughter... for us to be a family and to spread his power, our way of life across the Realms..."
"You lie. You just say that to please Gaul. Fight him! Don't let him manipulate him!" Spyro... it was as she thought. He would not believe her. She turned to Gaul...
"Believe what you want, purple dragon. Fact is, Cynder is the Dark Master's daughter, the Dark Queen, her most treasured creature! This was why he blessed her with his power, accelerating her growth into that of an adult. He gave her a form worthy of the respect he had for her... for his dear daughter." said the king, slowly walking until he was just next to the dragoness, in front of the dragon.
"And now, today, at long last, the Dark King, Dark Queen, and Dark Master will be reunited together! I, Cynder, and the glorious Dark Master will lead the world to a new age! We, the Dark Ones, shall rule the world in a way that the dragons and their so-called Ancestors never could!"
And at this moment, Spyro saw it, he finally noticed it.
Cynder's eyes glowed in the exact same green color as Gaul's right eye. The exact same green, the exact same glow, the exact same power dormant within. The power... it had never left Cynder's body. She had simply hid back in the form of a hatchling but deep down, she never changed. She was still the Dark Master's monster... and it now became obvious that she will always be his monster.
"No... she... couldn't have been..." Spyro mumbled, denial in his shaky voice.
Gaul nodded, smirking. "She was lying the whole time. She is the Dark Master's servant, now and forever."
At this moment, Spyro forgot all about the column, all about his broken bones, all about the column, all about Gaul, all about the Dark Master, all about Sparx even.
The feeling he was experiencing... this pain... it was just too overwhelming to describe. It was as if time had stopped for him.
"No... no... please no... Tell me you... you..." he cried.
Cynder frowned even more, looking down. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I... I trusted you! I... I helped you! I believed you would be freed! Why? Why do you kept on following him?... even after all he made you do? WHY?" asked the purple dragon, unable to keep the feeling in.
He... he had trusted her, entrusted her with his feelings about so many things, remained at her side, protected her... and now, he learns that she was fooling him all this time. She had never believed him, she had never been good. She had been on the Dark Master's side all this time...
"You have been manipulating me the whole time... You..."
Cynder opened her eyes. "No! You don't understand! I... you truly are my friend! I like you! I..."
She looked down, frowning as Spyro's face begun to distort as sadness continued to tear his heart apart.
Gaul smirked. He could see it through the opening in the sky. The time has come...
"Enough. I will let him be. But first... we have a ritual to finish." said the Dark One, approaching the center of the room.
At this moment, the moons finally came together, forming an eclipse and from the hole in the ceiling, a massive beam of purple light came. The light of the moons... the power that will open the gate.
"Look, Cynder. It is time..." said Gaul, as if in awe.
When Sparx opened his eyes, he saw Spyro stuck under his column, bleeding badly but thankfully, still alive. For a moment, he grinned, amused by his brother's crybaby-like attitude, sobbing quietly like this.
... but then, he remembered two things. First, that was a nasty thing to do. There's a difference between cracks and making fun of Spyro's suffering. Second, Spyro did not cry because of pain. After all, that wasn't the first near-death experience for Spyro. Sure, tears flowed out of his eyes when he was really badly injured... but sobbing like that? Never.
Then, he saw Cynder, standing before Gaul... and he understood.
"CYNDER! Get outta here!"
Sure, he had never liked that black dragoness much... but he knew that Gaul spoke of sacrifice, blood, and other bad stuff! Spyro will flip if anything happens to Cynder!
But then, that look she gave him was just the strangest he ever saw considering the situation. It was a calm, sad, resigned one. How can Cynder be calm in such a situation?!?
"No, Sparx. This is my destiny." she told him.
Gaul pointed his right sword at Cynder...
"Don't just STAND THERE, idiot! Do something!" why did Spyro just lied there? That wasn't his style! Spyro is the type that you can't keep down no matter how beat up! What's the logic here? Why is he giving up?
Gaul then rose his sword...
"Oh dear... I can't watch this!" the dragonfly covered his eyes and hovered near the floor, disgust rising. Disgust because that he didn't doubt it wasn't going to be pretty. Disgust because he couldn't believe that Gaul actually beaten Spyro that easily. Disgust because he knew things were not going to end well and that he hated bad endings.
SLASH!
The blade sliced smoothly across the symbol on Cynder's forehead, splattering a little bit of red on the floor as it happened. She recoiled a bit from the pain, gritting her teeth and then, looked down.
The red begun to flow, her vision changing, the little drops falling into the cracks of the floor.
Slowly, she brought her tail toward her left shoulder and using the blade at the tip, made a wide cut across the symbol on it. Again, she flinched but she paid very little attention to it beyond flinching a bit...
Spyro watched as Cynder walked around the Well of Souls, her pace deliberate as she walked at the right speed for her blood to fill the cracks, her blood causing a strange reaction on the floor, causing it lit up... as if her own blood was the key to something embedded into the floor. As this happened, Gaul sheathed his sword back and took a strange staff out of his backpack before beginning to recite an incantation in a language long forgotten.
And as he watched this, he saw the sadness in Cynder's eyes... but no remorse. He could even spy a hint of excitement and anticipation beyond the sadness.
He didn't even consider for a second if it was real or not. Cynder had manipulated him. He... he had helped her, he had trusted her... and now this. All this time along, she had faked being his friend and this filled him with... with...
Spyro's eyes narrowed and his expression slowly morphed into a different one, the tears no longer streaming. Gradually, all physical pain and traces of weariness begun to disappear... but the pain of his soul only grew, replaced by a new feeling, one which dried off his tears.
Rage...
She had betrayed him. All this time along, she had been a traitor. He... he had wanted to believe she was good but now, he knew she had never been... and this filled him with hatred. He had wasted his time, he had been naive and now, because of this, he now suffered.
And soon, self-pity begun to vanish as well.
This was Gaul's doing... and Cynder's. All this time along, she had planned to bring the Dark Master back. She had only remained at his side for reasons unknown, reasons he no longer cared about. This was not just Gaul's fault... this was Cynder's fault. Cynder was responsible just as Gaul was.
"Spyro?" Sparx was officially creeped out. What was the deal with Spyro's expression? The way he looked at the two... sure, he saw Spyro angry before but never, NEVER did he see him stare at someone like that! It was just... scary beyond belief. He couldn't believe that Spyro was able to stare at someone in such a way.
Gaul interrupted his incantation as the sound of a Fury Attack being charged echoed through the air. He turned to Spyro, grinning evilly. Finally, his plan's final phase was now coming to fruition... and the purple dragon could do nothing but accelerate the inevitable.
BOOOOOOOM!
The column was blasted into tiny bits, pieces of shattered rock flying about as Spyro broke out from under the column. Cynder stopped and turned to Spyro. How... how did he do that? She thought that Spyro needed to charge up with fury energy using purple gems before unleashing such an attack after using it! How did he unleash two of them in a row?
"So... still wishing to fight? Still, you are too late. Cynder's blood is now spilled and the incantation is completed. You have failed, dragon. The time has come for the Dark Ones to rise! The time of the dragons has come to an end!" announced triumphantly Gaul as he slammed his staff into the ground.
Despite how battered Spyro was, his entire body covered in injuries, he wouldn't let this happened. He dived right toward Gaul and...
"NO! DON'T!" yelled Cynder in panic but it was too late. Spyro, in his rage, dashed right across the room... and went through the ray of light.
FWOOOOSH!
At this moment, the ray of light turned bright pink as the portal to the Dark Realm opened just as Spyro passed over it.
Sparx's eyes widened as he saw his adoptive brother, struck in mid-air by something. Spyro just floated there, screaming at the top of his lungs, immense pain raking through all of his body and soul as a gigantic stream of green energy flowing into him.
... and at this moment, Spyro, just like Cynder, realized, too late, the true nature of Gaul's plan.
His mind weakened by his hatred and pain, Spyro stood absolutely no chance against the overwhelming power that raked through him...
"S-S-S-Spyro..." the Dark Master hissed... from inside Spyro's own mind.
And then, Spyro rolled his eyes as the green energy washed all over his mind like a tidal wave. Unable to fight back, the purple dragon gave in. He stopped struggling. He submitted to his will. He abandoned his soul completely to the Dark Master, becoming one with him.
... and before Gaul's amazed eyes, Spyro transformed, his scales turned dark purple, his wings, horns, and spikes turning blue-ish white, and his eyes turning bright white. An evil aura was now emitted from Spyro's body and everyone in the room felt the presence of the long gone evil that had finally returned to the world...
SLASH!
But then, Gaul's eyes widened as he recoiled back, Spyro's face distorted with hatred as he slashed at the Dark One king's chest.
"Wha-wha... Why?" mumbled the ape-like creature, confused.
Spyro remained silent, staring at Gaul in such a way that even though he lacked pupils at this moment, even a blind creature would clearly see the hatred oozing from the dark purple dragon's eyes.
"Spyro... You okay buddy?" Sparx asked tentatively, slowly hovering near his friend only to have the reptile turn to him in an instant, his face just as terrible as when he was staring at Gaul.
"Out of my way, insect!"
SLAM!
SPLAT!
Sparx was once again sent flying into a nearby column and this time, with enough strength to make the stone pillar collapse. Sparx remained among the dust and chunks of rock, silent, unable to think of anything to say and equally unable to believe this was happening.
Cynder saw Spyro... and her heart was broken.
This... was not what she had wanted. This was not what she been wishing for, what she had prepare for during all those years. This was not how the Dark Master was meant to return. This was nothing but a cruel joke.
She could feel it... the two spirits within, both raked by pain. The Dark Master desesperatly clinging to Spyro as Spyro's own spirit sobbed and cried within, unable to keep the power from harming him.
This is not how it was meant to unfold. For the sake of both Spyro and the Dark Master, this must come to an end.
"Spyro..." and then, among the infinite darkness, two lost souls heard a female's voice...
"Please, do not let it control you. That's not like you..." and then, both of them knew it was true.
"I... I can't... I can't control it..." they both said, Spyro unable to control the Dark Master's power, the Dark Master unable to bear Spyro's pain.
But then, pure sheer hatred rose once more. Spyro hated this female and the Dark Master saw a disobedient servant. Servant? Who cares! He hate all dragons! Stupid dragons! He'll make them disappear, all of them!
Gaul saw Cynder preparing to jump and frowned. NO! She mustn't! If she do this, the ritual will fail and...
The Dark One king roared as he lashed forward, intend on grabbing into Cynder before she could jump... but he was too late.
In an instant, Cynder shoulder-tackled Spyro, knocking him out of the light and splattering a bit of her blood on his chest.
... and as this was done, the light twisted, following the blood as if trying to keep it aligned with the portal but Spyro had already been knocked off into an angle where the light of the moons could not reach.
"NOOOO! FOOL!" screamed Gaul in denial as it happened.
BROOOOOM!
Uh-oh! That doesn't sound good! Sparx flew out of the column's debris to see the entire temple shaking and the floor beginning to crumble as the beam of light supposed to connect Spyro to the portal and the moons went crazy, the connection now broken.
"Spyro... I believe in you..." she told Spyro as she stood on top of him, looking down into his eyes. He saw her cry... and he wondered... why did she do this?
He was so dizzy... he didn't knew who he was anymore. The Dark Master's spirit overwhelmed him and yet... he was still here. Who was he now? Where is he?
BOOOM!
BAM!
CRRRACK!
And then, there was an explosion, a gigantic beam of purple light...
... and then, there was silence.
TO BE CONTINUED
