In the month since the scout debrief, the three have been rigorously training their recruits in both magical and physical combat. The three of them decided to split the trainees into groups called 'flights' each assigned to one of them. Spyro was handling the trainees who needed help with their elements, helping them focus it more. Cynder took on the students who needed to refine their fighting techniques, helping them with their melee skills. Eclipse had the more advanced students, he focused on merging magical and physical combat styles. It was hard work for everyone involved, constantly teaching new material and then having them practice it over and over again.

Eclipse has also been taking his flight out on expeditions to both give them combat experience and to gather the unique ingredients for the armor. He knew it was selfish of him to use his flight like that but they told him that they enjoyed the trips. They also said that they enjoy watching him fight and how he works. He somewhat liked the idea of being a role model but it also felt unnatural.

From what he could tell, Spyro and Cynder haven't talked about each other yet or at least they haven't said anything about it. Spyro's been getting more and more hostile towards him, going as far as trying to actually injure him during demonstrations. His scales have also been slowly getting darker, but he never brought it up in conversation. Cynder seems to have fully accepted the idea of him not returning her kind of affections, they've stayed close though.

Aurora was released from the clinic but is still recovering from the head trauma. She'll have episodes where she'll think she's still in the forest or she'll suddenly feel tired. She is getting better, usually Eclipse or Frost will help her whenever she needs it. She also comforts Eclipse whenever the stress of managing everything gets to him. Aurora mostly watches them from Eclipse's pseudo-blacksmith terrace.

Whenever he's not training or teaching his flight, he's working on the sets of armor he promised. Though with his flight being more advanced and requiring less attention then the Silver and Gold Flights, he's found more and more time to work on them. So far only himself, Ardere and Frost have complete sets with two more being worked on. He hid the finished sets from them, he didn't want Armavir to see them.

He's been unsettlingly peaceful but that just meant more time to prepare. Eclipse has spotted the same red dragon from the great hall attack lurking around Warfang. The dragon has been stalking him in the streets but he would disappear before Eclipse could confront him. He didn't want to take the chance of Armavir sabotaging the armor or stealing them entirely. Spyro was right, if used correctly, they could change the tide of the battle.

He watched as the trainees continued to spar with each other with limited intervention from Spyro or Cynder. A small smile snuck onto his face as he did.

"I think you should keep this going." Aurora sat next to him. "You clearly enjoy it."

"What use would this training be after the war? After Armavir loses, then who's left for us to fight." Eclipse pulled her closer with his wing.

"What about a normal school instead of just battle training? Not everything is about war." She placed her head of his shoulder.

"I am war, it's really the only thing I can do." He weakly laughed.

"What about smithing? You're good at that." She swiveled around on her chin to look at him.

"Only because I've had help from my other side." He gave her a quick kiss on the nose.

"You put yourself down too often. You need to give yourself credit for some things." She looked back down at the trainees.

"Like what? My ability to train people for war?"

"No, You're good at protecting others." She snuggled closer to him.

"You're head trauma and Flame's wings say otherwise." He shivered remembering how his wings looked after the explosion.

"Eclipse…"

"What? It's the truth. I failed you and at least forty-one others since we got here." He took on a somber tone. She grabbed the side of face and pulled him into another kiss.

"I got a little hurt, it's a part of life."

"You could've died in there." His eyes reflected his sadness.

"But I'm still alive and I'm recovering thanks to you."

"If I was faster or if I didn't go after Armavir-"

"Eclipse, there was no way you could've known he would've done that." He winced. "There is nothing you could do in this world that would make me think that you failed me."

"I still failed everyone else."

"You haven't failed your flight, nor the guardians…"

"Aurora-"

"...you haven't failed Frost or Ardere…"

"Aurora-"

"...not even Spyro or Cynder."

"Aurora, please."

"Eclipse, no one thinks that you failed that day, and no one has thought that. This self-doubt? It's all in your head, you're too stressed." He listened to the reason in her voice, keeping his eyes somewhere in hers. "Take a break, a day off. It's not like your flight of students are lacking in any way. They are the advanced ones after all."

"I don't think I can do that. There's too much at stake here." Then he had an idea. He let go of her and looked back over the trainees. "All flights, please gather round." He ordered. They all stopped sparing almost instantly, then trotted over to him. Spyro and Cynder joined him with confused looks on their faces. "You've all been working hard this past month and for that I wish to thank you for your commitment. So as a reward for all this hard work," He smiled at them. "I decided to give some of you the rest of the day off."

Smiles and curious looks spread among them, some of them were were whispering between each other. They're already making plans. He brought his smile to Cynder and Spyro to see that they were still confused.

"I can tell that you would all want the day off," They put their attention back to Eclipse. "However only three of you will get it, one from each flight." He let it sink. "We are going to have a little tournament, whoever gets the most wins gets the rest of the day off and…" One of them cocked their head. "... the three of them have a chance to get the entire week off."

"Eclipse, this isn't a good idea." Spyro whispered to him, but Aurora actually pushed him away.

"Don't worry." He told the purple dragon, seemingly appeasing him for the time being. "Spyro, Cynder, organize your flights' tournaments and I'll do mine." It didn't take long before the event was organized with Cynder's Silver flight going first.

Himself along with the rest of the students watched the fights and they were intense. It didn't look like they were holding back, even Frost was pushing himself to win. It wasn't that surprising that Frost did go undefeated in his flight, he had the real combat experience. Eclipse's Onyx flight was more balanced, with Nathora only winning by a single win. For the most part, it seemed like everyone was enjoying this competition. There were smiles all around the circle, even though there was a prize involved. It wasn't until Spyro's Gold flight, that things started to deteriorate. Mainly it was Ardere that worried him.

Ardere worried Eclipse whenever they had the big sparring matches, he was too competitive. It didn't help that, like with most fire dragons, he also had a short temper. Ardere was aggressive, sometimes he didn't know when to stop. Spyro was constantly pulling him, aside to talk about restraint with him but it couldn't be helped. All flame dragons face the same aggressive and short temper issue.

He was also against Nathora's younger brother, Norgon. A smaller electric dragon that tended to take to the more diplomatic options. He's been working hard just as everyone else, but he was honestly one of the weaker fighters they had. Even with his advanced ability he's not that high on the private rankings the three of them kept. He was also subject to Ardere's harsh treatment because of this.

All the smiles dropped when they realized the next pair of opponents, tension conquered the space around them. No one moved, no one made a sound. It felt like both nothing could happen and everything could happen. He want to call this match off, it wasn't fair to Norgon and he knew what Ardere could, maybe would, do to him.

The red dragon snarled at Norgon, sending shivers down his spine. They began to circle each other, Ardere still snarling. Norgon was calm, he seemed to walk with purpose instead of the usual fear. He was strangely confident in posture, almost in a cocky way. Ardere was low, stalking him like a predator.

Eclipse looked at Spyro, he too looked nervous. His talon was silently bouncing off the ground with anxiety. He wanted to go over to him and ask if he should call this one off, but it felt like that would set the two off. Cynder's eyes were fixed on Ardere as if she was going to tackle him if he moved. Aurora kept switching between the two, Nathora watched Norgon like a hawk. Everyone was holding their breath.

It was instant. Ardere flew across the circle, front limbs outstretched towards Norgon and his yellow scales. Norgon whipped around, bringing his tail to collide with the side of Ardere's head. The impact threw him sideways, shifting all the weight to throw him to the side. He rolled on the ground, stopping himself barely before the edge of the circle.

The side of his head began to bleed, he reached up and felt the crimson liquid. More rage filled his eyes when they focused on his blood. He looked up, locking onto the one who did it. Flame poured onto his scales, slowly covering his scales like a blanket. He launched himself again, his jaw wide open with an orange light at the back of his throat.

Norgon quickly rolled under him, barely squeezing underneath the engulfed dragon. Ardere landed and almost simultaneously turned towards his opponent. His breath of flame shot towards Norgon, the radiating heat reaching Eclipse on the other side of the ring. Norgon dove out of the way, making an ice dragon bring up an ice barrier to stop the incoming flames.

Ardere was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Norgon struggled beneath him, trying to unbalance him but Ardere is heavier than him. They locked eyes and Norgon stopped trying to escape.

"Ardere wins." Spyro called but nothing happened. "You can get off him now Ardere."

He didn't move and neither did Norgon, no one did. Cydner started forward but one of the students stopped her. Eclipse looked around the circle, everyone was staring are the combatants. Their rapid breathing was the only thing he could hear.

"Ardere get off of him." Spyro commanded, breaking from his place in the circle. Ardere whipped around and struck the side of Spyro's head with the blunt side of his tailblade. Exactly what Norgon did to him. Spyro fell to the ground unconscious. Eclipse saw the orange glow of fire building in Ardere's throat, his fear pushed him forward.

He tackled him off of Norgon, bringing them into a roll. Nathora grabbed Norgon and pulled him behind her then into the circle. Cynder dragged Spyro away as they wrestled across the ring. Eclipse smashed Ardere's head into the ground, forcing him to stop. He was on top of him while Ardere was noticeably dazed. The orange glow faded at the back of his throat. Eclipse released his hold on his head but kept him on the ground.

He felt everyone's eyes rest on them along with the same unsettling silence as with Ardere and Norgon. They're scared of you. No they're not, they're afraid of Ardere. Then why do I feel the same fear as from the village? He looked around, meeting everyone's eyes and the hard truth presented itself. They are afraid of me. He noticed that his free paw was wrapped around Ardere's throat. He slowly got off of him, studying himself as he did. His paws were shaking, his legs felt weak, he felt his own fear swell inside him.

You need to calm down. I was ready to kill him, I was going to kill him. Eclipse, calm. What's wrong with me? He kept stepping backwards, the students eyes still watching him. Calm. His talons began to uncontrollably twitch, he felt his muscles spasm in his back legs. What are you doing? You need to leave. His vision was flickering from normal to the crimson tint of his counterpart.

His wings spread without his consent, his eyes widened in shock. He was in the sky and flying away before he could say no. The yells of Aurora and Cynder faded the farther away he went, slowly disappearing under the silence. He was taken to a ruined building far away from the training ground. They said nothing to each other as he entered the dark building. The only light came through the sheets that covered the holes in the walls. Dusty furniture inhabited the dark rooms, long out of use.

He walked between the rooms encased in bouncing thoughts and internal conversation. He heard the soothing voice of Aurora in his head, his counterpart finally releasing his body. His heart slowly relaxed and his fear fell away with the dark thoughts. His counterpart silenced himself, leaving him alone.

He found himself in front of a doorway covered by another sheet of cloth. Dread creeped up his spine, almost like he didn't know what was on the other side. Faint whispers swam around him and a dark light peeked through the cracks. He released a large breath, he's worried thoughts slowly dissolved. He lifted the sheet and stepped under it, letting it drop as he passed through.

The whispers and darkness retreated as his eyes adjusted to the lighting of the room. Orange fire light illuminated the other wise lightless room, painting an orange tint on everything it held. Six wooden racks formed a circle in the center of the room, four of which were filled with full sets of armor. His fabled sets of armor, specially crafted to enhance a dragon's natural element and abilities.

He ran a paw over the cold plates of the nearest suit. While it was cold to the touch, but he could feel the familiar warmth of dragon fire reach for him. While they paled in comparison to his armor during his time under Malefor, he had no doubt they would serve their purpose fine. He sat in the middle of them, studying the forged metal for imperfections. There was no room for error.

They eased his mind of the battle to come, he knew that he didn't need to worry about the wearers as much as he did. Many would die in the siege; dragon, mole, cheetah, all would surely see staggering casualties. He wanted to save them all, for him to be the only casualty but he knew death followed war. He grabbed the helmet of another set, holding it for him to see.

"So this is where you keep them." Cydner passed under the cloth door, slowly walking towards him. "They're beautiful."

"You followed me?" He ignored her compliment.

"You took off like a ghost was chasing you, I was worried." She ran her paw along the same piece of armor she did. "How is it doing that?"

"Enchantments paired with a bit of fresh obsidian." He answered, placing the light helmet back on the stand. "Nothing too fancy for our hot-headed friend."

"He almost killed Norgon and knocked Spyro out. Aren't you mad?"

"Anger doesn't exactly look good on me. Besides, now isn't the best time to be putting splinters in relationships." He looked at her with a grin.

"What should we do with him and the others?"

"I'll deal with Ardere, and tell the others we'll continue the competition tomorrow. They have the rest of the day off." He exited the circle of armor and stood in front of her. "Is Spyro being seen by a doctor?"

"He's already awake but yeah, he hobbled off before I left."

"Good, he's strong. I can see why you like him." He smiled again.

"You mean stubborn?"

"I would be stubborn too if I had to be stuck with you for three years." He laughed as she hit his chest.

"You were stuck with me for four times that long." She giggled back.

"Ah, you see there's a difference."

"Besides from it being longer and we were both evil?"

"Well there's that," She giggled again. ",but we weren't stuck in a crystal and I could leave whenever I wanted." It was his turn to laugh when she hit him again. "Well, I'm not going to stop you if you wanna look at them, just don't tell anyone that they're here."

"No problem." He went over to a bench in the corner of the room, where a line of neck plates waited for him. The plates began to glow green as he approached, as if it was calling out to him. The glow reached out for him, wrapping itself around his forearms. It creeped over his black scales, repairing them from the fight with Ardere. He smiled as he watched it work, mentally congratulating himself. You get excited too easily. Quiet.

Picking up the plates, he brought them over to an empty rank and slid them on. The glow retracted itself from Eclipse, returning to the armor before dissipating. He looked at the places where it fixed, it was completely healed with no imperfections. He looked up at Cydner but she looked away before they could make eye contact.

"What is it?" He asked as he noticed a small blush on her.

"Nothing." She stated rather quickly.

"Liar."

"Just go back to work." She pushed him away when he approached.

"Cyn," Her blush intensified. ",just tell me"

"There's nothing to tell." She tried to push him again. "So you can get back to work."

"You were picturing me in my armor, weren't you?" He laughed when she shyly nodded her head. "Last time I wore armor in front of you was when I left you at Convexity."

"I know, but for some reason I still find myself attracted to you." She admitted, looking up at him.

"Cyn…" He trailed off.

"I know what I said and I know we agreed on this but understand that, what was three years for you was only six months for me." He understood her explanation, he didn't move on that quickly either.

He pulled her in, wrapping her in his warm cloak of darkness. It was their favorite thing to do, relax in a peaceful embrace. His memories of her came flooding back like a tidal wave. Part of him told him it was wrong, but he couldn't ignore the same warm and happy feeling he felt.

Stop making me feel this way. I'm not, you're doing this yourself. It didn't make sense to him, this affection for her that's been resurrected. What he felt for her, he also felt for Aurora, questions clouded his mind. Some boomed like thunder, others flashed like lightning, they were all not making any sense.

"I'm sorry if I make things difficult between you and Aurora, but I can't help this. It's a part of me that I can't seem to change." She tightened her grip around him, digging her head deeper into the space between his shoulder and neck.

"I would be lying if I told you that I didn't share these feelings." She dug herself deeper into him. "That I don't cling on to those memories of us. That I don't feel jealous when I see you look at him like you looked at me." He pulled her closer, putting his own head on her shoulder. "That sometimes my eyes see emeralds instead of sapphires." His voice cracked. "That your name almost comes out instead of her's. Sometimes her scales change to black and I don't know what to do."

"Then why deny yourself? Why ignore what your heart is telling you?"

"There's something inside me, something that's always been there but never showed itself. It's evil, something we've never faced before and I'm scared. I'm scared that it will claw its way out, that it will devour me." He brought her face to line with his, resting his forehead on top of hers. "I. Love. You. But I'm afraid of what will happen if I let myself love you. Even now it's fighting my other half for control, and she's the only one that can stop it. I love her because if I didn't, then I would fall apart."

"Eclipse, I-"

"I do love her, I fell for her before I even knew she could suppress the thing in me. It only makes me want to love her more, to be what she wants me to be." He let the tears fall from his face and roll down her back. "I need her more than she realizes but at the same time all I want is you."

"We'll find a way to save you." She kissed him and he tightened his grip more. His mind screamed at him to stop when he kissed her back. She pulled back, putting her paws on the sides of his head. "I won't abandon you again. I promise."

Everything felt wrong, everything felt utterly wrong. He couldn't comprehend what he told her, what they did, it was all a mess in his head. The thoughts in his head circled around and around, trying to fight for dominance. He didn't know which to trust and which to block out, they were all the same in some way.

What is your name? My name is Eclipse. Where are you? I'm in my armor storage room, in Warfang. When did you realize you had feelings for both of them? When I told Cynder and Spyro of my journey here. Why did you lie to her about your feelings? I was afraid that I might hurt her. That I was still too dark to love her again. What are you waiting for? I need to find out what's trying to destroy me.