Spyro the Dragon: XIII Scars
By ValkierieDjermegandre
Disclaimer: We've been here before. I don't own Spyro or any related characters that may appear in this story. I own Spyro's god form, his powers, and any original characters including, but not limited to, XIII. Anything that doesn't belong to me may belong to Vivendi Universal or some other generic game producer or mythology. I think that's it for now.
Plot: Pieces of one are never forgotten. A soundless dragon torn asunder, his fragments in sacred armor, with a body of a castle; discarding his face as he is bound between dimensions. The dragon god of creation will confront this being...falling deep within his thirteen scars...
Notes: Sequel! After seeing how many readers enjoyed my Shadows of the Past story, I began thinking about this sequel and here it is. I'll try my best to make this story as good as its predecesor. I'll be taking any character requests for this story, as long as they're reasonable. If you want your favorite Spyro character or original character to fight alongside (or against) the white dragon god himself, send me a personal message (PM) or a review, containing the details of the character and the position you'd like he/she to be in. Now that we're clear on that...it's time to raise the curtain!
Scar IX: The Undefeated Heart; The Zodiac Shrine
Back in the dragon realms, Elder Astor lay on a hill just outside of the Dragon Dojo. He looked up at the rolling clouds and seemed to forget anything that was worrying him. For a while, he was worrying about Spyro and Spira being in the presence of that cursed, black dragon...what was his name? Scion? Right now, it didn't matter what his name was; Astor was content with the day...until a large dimensional rift appeared in the sky. Astor jumped up in surprise, but he soon settled down once he witnessed what came down from the rift. Spyro, Spira and Scion dropped down from the dimensional rift and crashed to the ground; Spyro on top of Spira and Scion atop Spyro. Astor walked up to the three dragons and Spyro looked up; the latter shrugged with a look on his face.
"What's up, Astor?" Spyro said.
"Until now, you were, Master Spyro..." Astor responded, reaching his hand out to help the white dragon up.
"Well, I'd love to talk Astor, but we're kind of in a hurry."
"Hurry? To what end?"
"To the end of the world, actually. Do you think you take us back to the Dragon Dojo? I have something I want to ask Tomas."
"As you wish." After reaching down to help Spira and Scion to their feet, Astor led the three dragons back to the Dragon Dojo...
Inside of the Dragon Dojo, Spyro, Spira and Scion sat in the grand chamber with Elders Tomas, Titan, and Magnus. Noticing the black dragon's transformation and weakness, Tomas was almost ready to ask Spyro the questions. The aforementioned white dragon god rose and begun an explaination before asking any questions.
"Okay...seeing as you three seem to be looking at Scion curiously, I figure I should tell you what happened. We had just found Scion in that destroyed dimension..." Spyro started.
"...The Phantom Dimension..." Scion interrupted.
"Right, the Phantom Dimension. Anyway, we had just rescued him from the A.X.I.S Organization and were heading back here, but a black shadow seemed to alter our course in the dimensional rift; causing us to end up in some wierd dimension called 'The Graveyard of Reason.'"
"The Graveyard of Reason...?" Tomas asked.
"Yeah...have you heard of it?"
"Yes...it is said that the graveyard was created to be a final resting place for all souls caught in between...between good and evil."
"You mean souls that neither go to Heaven or Hell?"
"Indeed. I assume that you witnessed the shinigami's names upon gravestones?"
"Yes...even Spyrol..."
"Did you also see Dark Dragoon's?"
"In fact, we did. But, why was his soul sent there? I thought he was pure evil."
"In his final moments, you told me that he displayed signs of kindness and compassion for you. He probably died a happy dragon...because you were able to stop him. He, most likely, also died loving you."
"..."
"...I'm sorry for interrupting. Please continue."
"No problem. In any case, it was then revealed that Scion was next in line to become our oh-so-elusive God of Destruction...but then, Lucid showed up."
"The Dark Spirit?"
"The very same. He said that Scion was his descendent and that he was destined to follow the very same path of evil. We tried to fight against him, but in the end, we failed to defeat him. In addition, he took Scion's powers, as you can see by the abscence of his runes and his deminishing in stature. And that leads us up to where we are now."
"I see. So tell me, what can I do for you?"
"We need you to tell us how to get to the Zodiac Shrine." Spira said. Tomas stopped for a moment and the room grew silent; an intense atmosphere filled the chamber.
"...The...Zodiac Shrine? No one has entered the palace of the Great One for eons...why would you need to step into such sacred grounds?"
"Because Lucid is going there. I can only assume that he's out for the Supreme Judge's powers during His time of slumber. If he gains the powers of the Supreme Judge or even so much as rudely awakens Him..." Scion said.
"...Than we will have so many natural disasters in our worlds that all dimensions will cease to exist."
"Wow...is this 'Supreme Judge' that powerful?"
"Yes. The Great One is in a whole different class of celestial being. If He rages, not even the power of you dragonian gods will be able to stop him. It would be like fighting the very cosmos itself. As such, allow me to escort you to the shrine. Only I have been entrusted with the key."
"Okay then. Everyone, make any preperations that you have to make and then we'll all meet in the Artisan Home."
Spyro and Spira made their gestures of respect and thanks, then made their way out of the Dragon Dojo; Scion, however, stayed behind with the Elders. Tomas found this perplexing; this black dragon was the one that initially proposed to go to the shrine, but he was apprehensive.
"Is there a problem, young one?" Tomas finally asked Scion.
"I...I don't know what got into me. I can barely hold myself upright, let alone fight any battles. I have no sword, no power...all of my power had come from Big Brother helping me. How could I possibly expect to fight Lucid?" Scion responded.
"Ah...I see. You feel you are too weak to fight Lucid."
"I don't just feel it; I know it! He ripped the power right out of me...I don't even feel the strength to garner a simple fireball..."
"No, young one...no one can truly take your power away from you. Everything you need to defeat Lucid...has always been with you."
"What...what are you talking about?"
"Your heart. That will be your true weapon against the Dark Spirit. To defeat the enemy, you must fight using what they don't have. Besides...Lucid has no real power. That's why he stole yours."
"So then...what should I do?"
"You must take your powers back from him...but channel them in your body in a different way. Here...use this."
Tomas revealed a long prayer bead necklace. The beads were blue with snow white lights inside of them along with one large bead that has a magic incantation on it. Scion took the necklace and looked at it curiously, afterward wrapping it around his neck.
"A...necklace?" Scion asked.
"Not just any necklace. It has vast amounts of magick energy in it. Use this on Lucid when the time is right in order to regain your powers. Now then...let us go." Tomas said. The two dragons left the dojo and went to join Spyro and Spira...
"You know...you are no ordinary dragon..."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"The energy coursing through your body is very unnatural."
"Unnatural? What does that mean for me?"
"Just remember this...when you grow up, make sure you know your power."
"Power? Master Rhatara, what are you saying?"
"Scion...I love you more than anything in the world...but, sometimes fate gets in the way of feelings..."
"..."
"Promise me...promise me that if you ever find out the mysteries of your past...that you will never let those memories dictate your decisions."
"Okay, Master Rhatara...I promise..."
"I broke that promise...I broke it so many times over..." Scion thought to himself.
"You okay, Scion?" came Spyro's voice.
Scion's daydream ended and he remembered that he was outside in the plains of the Artisan Home. He looked around and found that everyone was looking at him curiously; the black dragon turned away and sat on the grassy plains as everyone was discussing their strategy against Lucid. At that moment, Spyro directed his attention toward the pensive Scion and sat down next to him. The white dragon looked the black dragon in the eye and saw his fear.
"Scion...are you sure you're okay?" Spyro asked.
"...I'm just...nervous. I don't know if I'll be of any help to you..." Scion said.
"Heh, is that all? If it weren't for you, I'd still be stuck in that Phantom Dimension. I owe you much, Scion."
"I think I owe you more, Spyro. Thanks to you...I'm still here and even much better off than I was before."
"Heh...that wasn't much..."
"Alright, you two! Let's get going!" Spira called.
Spyro nodded to Scion and the two dragons walked over to where Tomas stood. They all showed that they were ready to leave and then Tomas raised his staff. A large magic glyph was etched into the ground by a ray of magic energy; when it was complete, a rush of ether escaped from it and served as a ride for the four dragons. Spyro was taken aback; he never really considered the possibility of riding a cloud of celestial energy. The white dragon god than directed his attention to the north; he could very clearly see the white mountain range.
"The white mountain range...a holy sight in the dragon realms. And beyond..." Tomas said.
Beyond, Spyro could see it: the Zodiac Shrine. It was a beautiful sight; snow white and pearl columns with many precious gems embedded in the bases. Shining Orichalcum and Adamant clusters were apparent all around the structure and trees with snow white leaves. Weapons were also embedded into the ground all around the sight; each one inscribed with a different sign of the zodiac. A celestial aura seemed to escape from the shrine itself. In less than five minutes, the four dragons landed on the grounds and beheld the massive structure.
"Are you serious? Why is it so big?! I thought it was a shrine!" Spyro said.
"It is a shrine. The reason it's so big is because a smaller shrine would collapse on itself from the aura. Now then, let us hurry." Tomas said.
"Yes...you wouldn't want to miss the grand reawakening of the Great One..." came the voice of Lucid.
A cloud of dark energy gathered in the doorway to the shrine and Lucid appeared with a smug look on his face. Spyro and Spira drew their swords and Tomas stood fast with his staff in hand. The Dark Spirit smirked and crossed his arms.
"You're late. I've been waiting here for such a long time...just for you." Lucid growled.
"Hah! Real nice of you to run away only to wait for us here, you abomination!" Spyro countered.
"Watch what you say here, puny pseudo god; He can hear our every word."
"You know, that reminds me; how can you possibly be standing on such a holy sight when you are the very embodiment of evil?!"
"Hmph; how should I know? For all I know, the spirit shield could have been weakened by the Great One's slumber...either that, or He recognizes me as a worthy guest...hmm? Oh, Scion. I wasn't expecting to see you here. I figured that you wouldn't have the courage to come after me..."
"Shut up! I came to stop you from completing your neferious deeds!" Scion replied.
"Don't push yourself; we already lie in the Spirit Realm as it is. You're not far from an eternity in the deepest depths of Hell."
"Wait...we're in the Spirit Realm now? I didn't feel us cross over."
"Well, that just shows your inexperience...what about you, Spira? You're awfully quiet over there."
"After two millenia of chasing your ass, I've grown tired of telling you that I'm gonna kill you; you should know that by now." Spira responded.
After hearing that, Lucid smirked...then attacked with a blade of evil energy that extended from the back of his hands. Scion jumped forward and let the blade strike his forehead, protecting Spira. Blood shot from the resulting scar and Lucid was amazed.
"Well, well...looks like you found something to supplement for your loss of power..." Lucid growled.
"Grr...don't flatter yourself, Lucid. Now then...Harrrgh!!" Scion said.
The black dragon pushed forward with his head and knocked off Lucid's blade. Spyro saw his chance and jumped forward with sword in hand and executed a strong horizontal slash. Lucid took the blow across his chest and jumped back; sending many disks of dark energy at the dragons. Spira leaped forward and deflected them all with his sword, afterward blasting the Dark Spirit with a celestial breath attack.
"What's wrong, Lucid? Lost your edge?" Spira mocked.
"Hold your tongue, fool..." Lucid growled.
The Dark Spirit gathered his energy into his palms and fired off an enormous rush of dark energy. Spyro and Spira held fast, holding up their hands to create a shield. Scion watched from behind and gripped the rosary that Tomas gave him. When was the right time? Would it be now? Aside from that, he felt relatively helpless sitting on the sidelines.
"You could be an asset to them, young one." Tomas said. Scion turned toward him with a curious look on his face. "Use it."
Scion unwrapped the rosary from his body and a determined visage took his face. With a battle cry, the black dragon leaped over the two dragon gods and swung the rosary at Lucid. The Dark Spirit didn't react fast enough and the prayer beads wrapped around his neck. Lucid began to roar and thrash in pain as souls began to escape from his body. No sooner than they made contact with Scion's body did the black dragon begin to change. He was wrapped in a globe of evil energy and when he emerged, Scion regained his stature and his armor; along with his runes. He crashed to the ground and growled at the Dark Spirit.
"Look who's back...grr..." Scion growled.
"Whoa...how did that happen?" Spyro questioned.
Lucid got back to his feet and spread his wings; a string of energy connected between his wing tips and formed a bow. An arrow of dark energy materialized on his back and the Dark Spirit fired the arrow at the opposing black dragon. Scion responded by making a pushing motion with his hands and countering Lucid's arrow with a rush of earth. However, the arrow pierced Scion's earthen wall and raked the black dragon across his shoulder. Lucid rushed at his adversary and tried to take his head off with a dark blade, but Spyro had jumped over Scion and nailed Lucid in the head with an eagle kick attack.
"You okay, Scion?" Spyro asked. Scion brushed the blood off of his shoulder.
"I'm well enough to play leapfrog with you, aren't I?" Scion responded.
The two dragons nodded at one another and rushed toward Lucid; Spyro executed a quick three-hit combo that ended in a strike that sent Lucid into the air and Scion finished their attack with a poweful blast of his potent, purple flames. Lucid took the blow and crashed to the ground; Scion took this chance to get his final revenge.
"I won't be fooled by you anymore, Lucid! Black Inferno" Scion roared.
The black dragon put his fists together and released a destructive wave of black flames that made its way toward Lucid; before the attack could strike him, however, Lucid melted into the ground and the inferno put a huge impact crater into the ground instead. Scion cursed to himself as he watched the black shadow that was Lucid glide across the floor and up the nearby staircase. Scion turned toward the party and they all looked at him curiously.
"...what? I'm not gonna kill you or anything..." Scion said.
"Oh, yeah; he's back." Spira said.
"What's that supposed to mean...?"
"Ha, ha! Alright guys, we don't have time to fool around. We have to hurry and catch up to Lucid." Spyro said. Everyone nodded and followed the white dragon up the stairs...except for Scion. The black dragon looked at his hands; his runes were faintly resonating and a strange mist was escaping his body.
"...so, He found out. Looks like I'm not needed here anymore...than again, I never was. Whether or not I got my powers back didn't matter; it was already too late. Big Brother, Jormungandre...I'll be joining you soon..." Scion thought to himself.
The black dragon ignored his deminishing body and began to follow the group up the stairs...in the words of Fenrex...for one final dance...
Blood Drawn From Scar IX