Chapter Six: Aftermath/An Act of Fate?
Italic Texts – Indicates Dream Sequence.
'I don't believe in Heaven, I believe in Pain, I believe in fear, I believe in Death.' Max Payne, Max Payne: The Movie.
Ember and Flame took a sharp head turn upon the echoes of the agonizing scream from the outside world. They knew that scream, which reduced the two dragons to anxiety.
"That sounded like—"
Flame didn't get much of a chance to finish before noticing Ember fleetingly making her exit from the room towards the outside area.
"Ember!!" He called while in pursuit of her, but not before informing the others and the guardians of the development.
Minutes later, Ember arrived at the clearing area to be, to her gasping horrors, introduced to a gruesome display.
There, shrouded underneath the moon's light was a purple dragon cradling, to the pink dragoness' horrifying shock, a severely bloodied black dragoness in his arms. It was Cynder, her best friend.
Slowly shaking her head in horrified disbelief, Ember slowly approached towards the purple dragon's position while a wall of tears formed in her eyes upon the sight of the wounds, especially the one presented at her ruby red belly that withheld their unborn child.
"Oh, no." Her voice whimpered. "Spyro, is she…?"
But she held her tongue. She couldn't say it. She refused to believe it. But her eyes betrayed her and told her otherwise. Cynder was dead in the purple dragon's arms. And what was worse is that they lost their unborn child. It was a devastating truth that brought overflowing tears to her eyes as she slowly braced both her shivering paws to her mouth in horror.
"Oh, God."
Spyro, however, didn't seem to acknowledge her earlier presence as his head hung down onto the deceased cadaver that was his beloved.
Then, suddenly, he slowly lifted his head, yet the expression on his face has altered. His eyes were cold and lifeless while his lips that once held a joyous smile to his face has now been diverted to a venomous sneer; something a vicious animal would have presented itself with.
Unfortunately, Ember grew unaware of this as she noticed his movement with a hint of concern.
"Spyro?" She softly called to him.
Silence was the purple dragon's response for a few seconds and as Ember started to make a single, slow step towards him, her position was halted upon the most haunting words ever said to her.
"Go away."
His voice was deep and venomous. It was something that struck an amount of fear into the pink dragoness' very essence.
But regardless, she decided to take another step in order to reach out towards her purple friend. However, she didn't manage to get far.
As soon as she got within an inch of him, she halted upon, not only noticing his left paw clenching tightly to a bared fist, but also sensing a dark presence from within his very essence.
Strong anxiety mixed with Ember's fearful expression upon this scenery, yet she didn't get much of a chance to speak on the matter due to the words of the mentally imbalanced, and yet enraged, purple dragon.
"I…said…" He started in the same exact tone before sharply issuing his harsh glare towards the pink dragoness behind him. "GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!"
As soon as the bellowing words of rage left his mouth, a projectile of dark fire followed afterwards.
Ember's eyes widened in fear; yet didn't have much time to react before the projectile came in contact with her in full force.
As a result, she was thrown into the air and collided with the ground soil with harsh impact just enough to snap a membrane in her left wing, which resulted in her issuing a scream of pain.
Gritting her teeth tightly in endurance to the rising pain with her eyes shut, she managed to momentarily open her eyes to bare witness to a horrifying sight that was slowly and ominously approaching her direction from the black dragoness' deceased corpse.
Positioned on all four, the proud purple dragon of prophecy was shrouded in darkness throughout his body. His scales coated from elegant purple to darkened black and his teeth bore to vicious saliva-filled fangs.
Then, she saw his eyes…a glowing shade of demonic yellow that struck a huge amount of fear and horror into her very being.
This wasn't him. This wasn't the purple friend that she grown to know and cared about. This was something else…something that manifested itself with his agonizing grief and converted it into a strong, yet sheer force of consumable rage.
This was his darkness breaking free from its dormant prison. This was the form of Dark Spyro.
"Spyro…?" She called out to him in spite of her expression.
Yet, the dark-colored dragon provided no response in kind. Instead, he resumed his slow, ominous advances towards her while the pink dragoness, in her previous position, started retreating backwards out of fear.
Then, the dark dragon halted while the darkness constantly shrouds around his bodily form. As he narrowed his eyes further to a glare, he slowly hunched down in preparation for a vicious pouncing attack on his victim while a snarl escaped his maw.
Ember took note of it and tried desperately to stand and steer her form to safety from the attack. But the pain in her left wing prevented her from that attempt, which as a result, issued a grunt of pain from her maw.
Regardless, she managed to look on in terror upon the sight of her would-be executioner and shut her eyes tightly in wait for the devastating attack.
With a snarling roar, Dark Spyro, in an instant, lunged himself towards his victim, but was instantly intercepted, in mid-air, to the ground by the force of an orange blur.
Ember opened her eyes upon the grunting sounds emanating a few distance from her and the deceased black dragoness as she saw the sight of Dark Spyro and an orange dragon, to which she instantly recognized with a hint of anxiety, tumbling on the ground against each other.
"Flame." She spoke and started to stand, but the pain in her left wing once again prevented her from that attempt.
Meanwhile, Flame, with much difficulty due to the recent attempted bite attacks from the opposing party, managed to pin the form of Dark Spyro to the ground underneath him with his forepaws clenched tightly against his arms to keep him at bay.
A struggle issued between the two dragons as Dark Spyro was growling viciously towards the orange dragon while Flame was trying to no avail to reach out to his friend.
"Spyro, listen to me. Listen!" He spoke to get his attention, yet the struggled resumed. "This isn't you. You have to stop this, you hear me, goddamnit?! You have to—"
Suddenly, Dark Spyro roared with an intense vicious fury before dark fire escaped his maw in the process and met with Flame's face. The result caused the orange dragon to strongly recoil, relinquish his hold on the dark dragon and covering his face while screaming in pain from the direct attack.
While he was distracted, Dark Spyro reversed the maneuver on the orange dragon and wasted little time before, with a snarl, sinking his vicious fangs into the flesh of his best friend's right shoulder, which resulted in a bloodcurdling scream from Flame.
The metallic taste of the orange dragon's blood was intoxicating to the dark dragon as Flame gritted his teeth to endure this pain and attempted to fight his way out of this predicament, yet nearly found it difficult at this time.
Then, suddenly, Dark Spyro issued a bloodcurdling, yet demonic roar of pain as a strong wave of electricity was discharged onto his bodily form, which resulted in him relinquishing his hold on Flame, who, while breathing heavily, bore witness to this with pain in his eyes.
As the attack seized, Dark Spyro collapsed to the ground on his left side while the darkness shrouded around his body has relinquished itself from his form.
Dark Spyro was gone and a familiar coloration of purple was in its place.
The unconscious form of Spyro was seen lying on the ground, electricity sizzling around his form and convulsing his body in the process, as Flame, despite the deep bloody bite mark on his injured right shoulder, noticed with a strong hint of anxiety before issuing his gaze towards the source of the attack.
Positioned on all four just a few feet from his position was the thunder guardian, Volteer, who looked down to the purple dragon with such sadness in his eyes before directing his attention to Flame.
"Are you alright, young one?"
Flame wanted to speak, but found that he was lacking the capacity to do so. Instead, he issued his gaze to where Ember was positioned to find the other three guardians present at the clearing.
Ignitus was slowly carrying, to Flame's horrifying notice, the deceased form of Cynder in his embrace with an expression of sheer sadness in his eyes while the other two guardians tended to Ember.
Then, he diverted his gaze to the unconscious purple dragon before him with such anticipation. Then, tears formed in his eyes. He knew why this happened. His best friend just lost his beloved along with his unborn child.
It became a devastating truth indeed, yet it didn't begin to help Spyro's case in any way, shape, or form.
As Volteer helped Flame to his feet, with difficulty due to his injury, he went and carried the unconscious form of Spyro in his embrace.
Afterwards, they made their transverse back to the temple in relative, yet dead silence in the aftermath of a gruesome tragedy.
(Three Hours Later)
Three hours has came to pass, yet during those hours of night, Ignitus and the other guardians wasted little time in preparing a memorial for the deceased.
Many residents and friends in the village grew deeply saddened and devastated by the sudden loss, yet none has grown more grief-stricken by this tragedy than that of the closest friends of the black dragoness, mostly Bianca and Ember, who were in devastating grief upon this loss.
Momentarily, both females found their solace in the arms of Hunter and Flame, but it was doubtful that it would ease them, especially Ember, of the pain that this horrible tragedy has caused.
However, there was one individual that was the closest to the black dragoness, one who has been side-by-side with her in battles through the very end, and one who has shared a passionate love with her throughout the years. That individual was a purple dragon that was lying, in his unconscious state, back first on a bed inside one of the quarters in the temple under the recent watch of both Hunter and Flame.
Sparx, who was on watch alongside them, grew devastated upon this loss as well and wanted nothing more than to console his adoptive brother in his time of need whenever he wakes up. Yet, he grew increasingly concerned for his brother's well being for the obvious reason.
Recently, they, minus Flame and Ember, who were healed from their earlier wounds throughout the three- hour period, were informed by the elders on the incident regarding the purple dragon and grew startled by what has happened.
Regardless, they were grateful that the issue was settled, yet most seem to wonder at some point: What mental damage has this tragic night done to their purple friend?
Silence was the only response protruding in their minds to the question, yet they didn't pursue the matter any further. They could only hope that their purple dragon of prophecy would soon wake up to the loving console of his friends.
(Two Hours & Fifty Minutes Later)
Two hours came to pass, and fifty minutes later, the long memorial has came to an end. Everyone, including close friends, issued their farewells to the deceased. Some, mainly Ember, provided those farewells with strong difficulties due to emotional response. Few provided solace towards them, but despite it all, it did nothing to deter the grief that was mounted onto them.
Regardless, everyone decided to make their leave from the temple, but most has stayed behind in the confinement of their own quarters.
At the moment, the only individual that was present inside the temple courtyard was the fire guardian, Ignitus, who was looking down solemnly with a hint of sadness towards a golden plaque that engraved the name of the fallen while both his paws braced both sides of the front of the monument statue, which was carved in the black dragoness' likeness throughout the five-hour period.
"Cynder." He spoke softly as he slowly looked up towards the monumental statue.
Upon sight of the statue, Ignitus could feel the tears attempting to force its way from the prison of his eyes, yet he managed to refrain himself from doing so.
Instead, he shut his eyes and cringed his face with a renewed sense of inner rage and thoughts protruding in his mind.
Who would do such a thing to someone so innocent? Who would do such a thing so vile and heinous to someone who was raped of her innocence in the past by the essence of darkness? Who would do this to someone who was like a daughter to him? And who would go as far as to murder her unborn offspring in the process?
These were valid questions, yet silence was his only answer. Then more questions protruded in his mind.
How can they not have seen this coming from the vision pool? It could've been prevented, yet it happened nonetheless. Was it an act of fate mounted onto them?
Slightly, he shook his head upon that last thought. No. He refused to believe that fate had anything to do with what has happened out there. Someone was held responsible for that attack outside. And he was more than willing to find out.
"Ignitus?" A worried voice spoke.
It was Terrador, yet the fire guardian provided no response at the time as the earth guardian advanced a few feet forward from behind him.
However, before he could speak any further, Ignitus, his eyes opened and his expression stern with anger, spoke first.
"Assemble the rest of the guardians, Terrador." He ordered, yet the earth guardian grew confused by this.
"For what purpose?" He asked.
"We're going to scattered that entire field." He spoke before turning around to face the earth guardian, granting Terrador the privilege to see, to his startle, the stern, angered expression masked on his face. "Someone out there has warranted this attack on our land and took one of our own. And we are going to find them."
To the earth guardian, that almost sounded like the words of vengeance from his long time brother and before he could gather the words to speak, Ignitus took note of this and eased his expression a bit while speaking on the matter.
"I know what you must think, brother. And you are right. Vengeance isn't the answer, but justice is. Rationally, I would think that this was an act of fate, but I will not take that into consideration until I know for certain of what has happened out there. Spyro, subconsciously, submitted to his dark form upon this tragedy and, clearly, he wasn't in his right state of mind at that moment. I would hate to think what would become of him if I were to return here and inform him that this was an act of fate."
In silence, Terrador took this into thought. Ignitus was right. Most likely, Spyro would awake to the news of his beloved's death and would want nothing more than to find the individual held responsible for the deed. If he were to discover that this was an act of fate, it would devastate him to no end.
Upon that careful thought, the earth guardian nodded before departing from the courtyard to inform Cyril and Volteer of the ordeal while Ignitus turned back around toward the statue, his expression slowly turned solemn upon sight.
"You needn't worry, Cynder. Your demise will not go in vain." He spoke softly before making his leave from the courtyard.
(Ten Minutes Later)
Streaks of tears formed from the pink dragoness' eyes as Ember was sobbing silently, yet uncontrollably while under the comforting solace of the orange dragon, Flame.
Recently, they, including the others under watch for the purple dragon, were informed on the ordeal that involves the elders seeking the individual held responsible for the attack.
Mentally, Flame would want nothing more than to go out there himself and search that entire area for the culprit, yet chose not to due, not only for Ember's sake, but for the unconscious purple dragon lying on the bed nearest their position.
There was no telling when their purple friend was to wake up and it was in their best interest to watch over him in case he does wake from his slumber. Momentarily, Flame managed to dismiss Hunter, Bianca, and Sparx, in spite of their protest, from the room since he and Ember will be watching the purple dragon. And also informed them that they were to be notified should Spyro awake at any time.
Reluctantly, they made their leave while Flame and Ember were alone with their unconscious purple friend.
But at the moment, he was in the middle of comforting Ember, who eased her sobs and sniffed her tears before managing her speech into words.
"Wh-Who would do this, Flame?" Her voice cracked and broke as her tear-stained eyes met with the orange dragon's eyes. "Who would take her away from us with this kind of savagery?"
Flame shook his head.
"I don't know, Ember." He spoke, softly.
Yet, by the time those words left his maw, Ember resumed with her words.
"S-She didn't anything wrong. That was-That was all in the past. She was taken from the hatchery and was forced into Malefor's evil." She spoke, then her words strained in a fit of devastation. "W-Who the fuck would do such a thing?!"
"Ember!" Flame spoke, his voice hardened and stern. "Calm down."
Instantly, Ember's expression, to Flame's notice, cringed with sadness and anger.
"Flame, how can I calm down? Huh? How can I calm down when my best friend is dead? Huh?! How can—"
Abruptly, Flame issued his soft embrace to the devastated pink dragoness while she resumed her grievous sobbing onto his chest.
"It's going to be okay." He spoke softly, yet the pink dragoness provided no response due to her sobs. "The guardians are going to find the bastard responsible for this. Let's pray that they face judgment for what they've done here."
Ember heard him, yet she resumed her sobs. Then, to Flame's notice, a shuddering gasp issued from her upon thoughts of the purple dragon as she lifted her head from the orange dragon's chest with her anxious eyes meeting with his eyes.
"What about Spyro? Cynder died in his arms resulting in him suffering the most from that. If the guardians can't find the ones responsible—"
"Ember…" Flame cut in. "They will find the culprit. They have to. Otherwise…"
But he halted from there. He couldn't bring those words out in front of her, especially when she is the closest friend that the black dragoness ever had.
Ember took note of his hesitation in speech; yet didn't pursue the matter any further. Instead, she rested her head back onto the chest of the orange dragon as Flame held his embrace of solace to her.
"Spyro…"
That voice. It was so familiar, so haunting.
"Spyro…"
A sudden gasp escaped the purple dragon's maw while his eyes opened wide. Surveying his surroundings, he found himself lying on his back, wings widespread, before slowly sitting up.
Afterwards, he started looking around to find himself in complete darkness. There were no windows, doors, no ceiling, no walls, or environments of that sort, only pitch-black darkness. Yet, despite his surroundings, Spyro managed to see throughout this dark empty space.
"Where am I?" He asked himself, his voice echoed in the darkness before a sudden thought occurred to him. "Could I be dreaming?"
He didn't know at this point, yet he was going to remedy that problem by calling out to his friends. However, before that could happen, a familiar, yet haunting voice has spoken, which caught his puzzled attention.
"Spyro…"
That voice. He recognized it. It was the sound that he heard years ago in the realm of convexity, a dark prison void where…No. It couldn't be possible. He was defeated, gone. He can't harm anyone ever again, especially not…
"Cynder…"
The voice spoke again, which placed the purple dragon in alarm as he stood up on his hind legs and frantically surveyed his surroundings.
Then, to his notice, the environment started to shift and change to a familiar background. And before he knew what was happening, he found himself staring into the dark eyes of someone that the purple dragon, to his stunned startle, instantly recognized.
"Cynder?"
Indeed it was the black dragoness, but it was then that he noticed her in adult form to the time where she was under her master's will of evil. Her bodily feature was just as he remembered her in the past. Now here she was positioned on all four and harshly glaring down into the one dragon that she was charged to kill.
Then, Spyro issued glances to the environment upon remembering where he was at this point.
"Convexity." He softly spoke.
"I'm surprised you remember…" The adult form of Cynder spoke, which issued the purple dragon's attention. "…Lover."
The words that she spoke were tainted with seductive malice, yet, to his puzzling startle, the last word that she spoke, which also his beloved would say, was in a dark manner laced with pure disdain towards him, which came into question: Why?
He wanted to answer that question himself, yet the black dragoness before him spoke first.
"Do you also remember how you have freed me from my master's grip only to see to my demise in the future?"
As soon as those words left the dragoness' lips, Spyro instantly remembered. He remembered the tragedy that has befallen his beloved. And upon that memory, his thoughts dwelled to the words that the adult dragoness has spoken, which reduced him to hurtful flowing tears upon the accusation as he shook his head in denial.
"No. No, that's not true. I loved you with all my very being." He spoke, his voice broken. "I would never plan to do you any harm at all. I would-I would never harm the one innocent creature that I ever cared about."
His sobs were forcing his way from his maw, yet he refrained from doing so as Cynder, with her murderous glare intact, took note of this, yet grew unfazed by it. In silence, she started ominously circling the purple dragon while keeping her distance along the way.
"If that were true, then why did you leave?"
"I-I wanted to provide you a gift. I was coming right back, I swear to God, I was coming back." He spoke in a desperate attempt to reason with the adult dragoness while keeping his eyes on her.
"Hmm, I'll bet that gift was to die for to be gone to a far distance."
"Please, listen to me. I would never put any harm to you. You have to believe me."
Then, to Spyro's shocking notice, the black dragoness halted her stop as she issued a low crouch in preparation for a pouncing attack on her alleged executioner.
"But you did. And as for believing you, I once did, but not anymore."
Instantly, while still in her crouching position, she applied her tail-blade swipe to Spyro, who narrowly evaded backward from the attack, pushing his distance a bit further away.
A deep desperation filled the purple dragon's veins upon this action.
"Cynder, don't do this, please. I don't—"
"And now I will put harm to you. Farewell, lover."
Then, with a vicious snarl escaping her maw, she quickly lunged in his direction.
"NO, CYNDER, DON'T!!" He shouted before shutting his eyes and, with his paws and wings, shielded himself while bracing for the oncoming attack.
But by the time the adult dragoness reached his position, she dispersed in a cloud of black mist before the environment, to his unawareness, switched back to its original pitch-black position.
Then, a sinister, echoed laughter has caught the purple dragon's attention as well as the change in environment. He recognized that laughter, which triggered a strain of anger in his being upon the knowledge that he was possibly responsible for that illusionary image.
"I know it's you, you fucking bastard. Show yourself. You hear me? SHOW YOURSELF!!"
As by command, Spyro was greeted with two yellow eyes similar to the ones he recognized on the doorway of the floating islands. The evil eyes of Malefor stared down towards the purple being in front of him.
Spyro, in turn, greeted the eyes of evil with such defiance and anger present on his facial feature.
"Ah, Spyro…such a pleasure to meet with you again." He spoke, malice present in his voice. "Tell me, how is my former general?"
"Don't you dare call her that, you demon…she's your pawn no longer."
"Yes, in life, she wasn't. In death, however…"
Upon those words, Spyro bared his fangs in inward rage.
"If-If you lay a fucking talon on her, I'll—"
The eyes narrowed towards the purple dragon's upon his words, yet felt the inner rage from those very words.
"You'll do what? What more can you do to me, young one, when I am already dead? And more importantly, what more can you do for her knowing that she perished in your arms along with the knowledge that you were held responsible for her demise."
The comment itself struck a strong nerve to the purple dragon's vein as he, to Malefor's delightful anticipation, bellowed with growling rage.
"THAT'S A FUCKING LIE AND YOU KNOW IT!!!! I LOVED HER MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD!!!"
"Even more than your own life?"
The question almost caught the purple dragon off guard at the moment, yet before he could speak, Malefor spoke first.
"No need to answer, young one. You will figure it out in time. Although, if you were to die, what makes you think that you would be reunited with her again considering what you have done?"
Spyro, not having to want to look into this monster's eyes any further, diverted his head downward before shaking his head upon the comment. They were lies. And he refused to believe them.
"No, I told you, I—"
"Not just with Cynder's demise, but submitting to the darkness as well."
Almost instantly, Spyro gasped from his maw upon this revelation. He submitted to his dark side? But how? He didn't know. Regardless, he shook his head in denial.
"That impossible, because if it did happen, then it was your doing."
A slight evil chuckle emanated from Malefor before he spoke.
"Was it or was it the emotional response of your grievance?" He questioned before the evil yellow eyes vanished, leaving the purple dragon once again in secluded darkness.
Spyro grew in silence in thought of the questions. That was a good point. In truth, he didn't know what went on outside aside from the tragedy that he witnessed. But if what Malefor said was true, then something must have happened along the way. Did he hurt his friends in a blind reaction to this?
He didn't know. He needed answers, yet before he could speak, voices protruded from all around him…voices of agony, pain and suffering that surrounded him to the point where it became overwhelming.
Panting heavily, the purple dragon clenched his eyes shut along with his cringing facial feature in his attempt to block the overwhelming voices from his mind, yet it proved difficult to the point where Spyro was slowly positioned on his knees.
"Stop. Please." He pleaded, yet it grew unheeded
"You've failed, young one." Malefor spoke in a whisper from all around. "Your beloved is gone and now you are alone. The darkness is calling to you. Do not fight it. We are the same. Embrace the darkness, young one."
Shaking his head, Spyro instantly braced his paws to each sides of his head in his attempt to block the words from his mind. He wanted out of this nightmare. He wanted to wake up.
"No, we are nothing alike. You hear me? Nothing!! You get outta my head."
Yet, the voices constantly persist in his mind to no end as the purple dragon grinded his fangs.
"Get out of me. Get out of me." He repeated constantly, yet the voices persisted before he arched his head upward and bellowed out to the darkness in complete rage. "GET OUT OF MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!"
As the bellowing words left his maw, the environment changed to an endless wall of roaring hellfire and brimstone in response to his intense rage.
Then, Spyro halted his scream, simultaneously, the walls of hellfire immediately vanished and the purple dragon collapsed stomach-first onto the floor of endless darkness before a sinister laughter of the dark master echoed in the void of the darkness.
Now all was silence around the motionless purple dragon, yet his sense of hearing managed to catch earshot of a gentle, yet feminine whispering voice emanating from up far.
"Spyro…"
"Cynder…"
Flame stirred to his awakened state while a sleeping pink dragoness was in his embrace. With his half opened eyes, he surveyed his surroundings. He found nothing out of the ordinary, yet was left in wonder. He thought he heard something of a whisper emanating from the room.
Slightly shrugging the thought off as a figment of his imagination, Flame attempted to fall back to his slumber before the sound of the whispering voice returned, which abruptly woke him from near sleep.
"Cynder…No."
With his eyes slowly widened in shock, Flame looked over to find that the lips of their purple friend was moving.
"Please…don't leave." His whispering voice spoke again.
"Oh, my God." He spoke before desperately shaking Ember from her slumber of sleep.
In startle, Ember awoke with her anxious, yet tear-dried eyes to the orange dragon's wide eyes.
"Flame, what is it?"
"He's awake. Spyro's awake."
Ember's eyes widened upon those words as she looked to find, to her shock, that her purple friend's lips were moving to the signification of his near awakening.
But before any words could register from her maw, Flame spoke first, which caught her attention.
"Ember, go get the others, quickly."
Briefly hesitant, Ember nodded as she stood up and left the room to inform the others.
Meanwhile, Flame stood up and approached towards the semi-conscious form of the purple dragon. As soon as he got there, he kneeled down to his friend's level before momentarily taking note of his friends, namely Hunter, Ember, Bianca, and Sparx, presence at the doorway, each grew relieved, yet anxious for the purple dragon's well being.
Then, the whispers of the purple dragon issued the orange dragon's attention.
In silence with anxious eyes to his friend, Flame slowly reached out with a touch of his right paw to the purple dragon's chest in his attempt to gently shake his friend to his awaken state.
However, as soon as the soft touch was applied, Flame immediately flinched in startle upon the sudden grasp of his wrist followed by, to the orange dragon's notice, a gasp escaping from the maw of the purple dragon.
Spyro was awake. With his eyes wide open with an amount of fear, his breathing was normal, yet was close to erratic.
Flame took note of this while the others watched.
Ember almost felt compelled to rush inside the room and applied a joyous hug to the purple dragon, but kept her distance for the time being.
"Spyro?" Flame spoke.
Spyro eased his breathing and his expression for a while before acknowledging the orange dragon looking down upon him.
However, no words registered from the purple dragon at the moment for he was surveying his surroundings to find that he was in his quarters positioned on a bed. Then, aside from Flame, he noticed his friends at the doorway. Yet, his mind was placed in wonder that someone was missing from the room.
Flame once again took note of this.
"Spyro…"
"Where's Cynder?"
Flame was forced into silence upon, not only the abrupt question, but also the expression that the purple dragon was directing towards him…an expression that was a mixture of wonders and worry.
And due to that, Flame diverted his gaze downward from the purple dragon's viewpoint in thought of this. Should he tell him what has became of his beloved? Should he look him in the eye and tell him what has happened?
"Flame." Spyro called, yet Flame kept his gaze downward from his view with his silence intact.
Then, Spyro saw the orange dragon's eyes closed with a hint of sadness on his expression.
Spyro's eyes widened in shock upon this sight, yet disbelief was in its place as he slightly shook his head before sitting up from the bed, forcibly grasping the shoulders of the orange dragon and shaking him in his attempt for answers.
"Flame, where is she?" He demanded with a hint of desperation in his tone. "Where is she?"
Flame heard the question, yet he kept to his previous position as Spyro noticed before his expression slowly cringed with irritation.
"Look at me, goddamn you." His voice shivered in a whisper followed by the sensation of tears threatening to make its departure from his purple eyes. "Where is my beloved?"
It was then that Flame lifted his head and issued his expression to the purple dragon. It was a facial expression that put Spyro in overwhelming shock and horror.
It was sadness and sorrow, which indicated to the purple dragon that something has happened. But once again, a strong sense of disbelief was in its place as Spyro shook his head.
Flame took note of this.
"Spyro, she's…"
"No." The purple dragon's voice broke as he issued his gaze to his friends in hopes that this was a cruel joke.
Unfortunately, when he looked in their direction, the same saddening expression applied to them as well.
Then, the purple dragon's breathing increased to a level of erratic as he quickly got up from the bed and darted out of the room, pushing passed the others along the way while Flame and the others took note of this and gave chase.
Flame and the others have made it to the courtyard. But by that time, it was too late upon what they are witnessing. There, kneeling before the monumental statue, was Spyro the Dragon sobbing quietly, yet uncontrollably onto his arms, his hot tears staining the monument of his beloved's form.
The sight of this scenery grew devastating for them to witness at this point as Ember and Bianca were reduced to saddened tears themselves upon this.
Eventually, Flame slowly made his way towards the purple dragon in hopes to provide him solace while the others watched.
During his approach, it took every ounce of Flame's being to hold back his tears in order to keep strong, yet it grew difficult upon this sight.
"Spyro…it's going to be—"
As soon as he slowly braced his right paw on the purple dragon's left shoulder, Spyro spoke, his voice trembled in a whimper.
"Where are the elders?"
"They're out mounting a search of the area for the culprit held responsible for the attack."
Upon that comment, Spyro slowly lifted his head up from his interlacing arms with a sneer appearing on his face. A renewed sense of anger and furious vengeance was seen in his tear-stained eyes, yet unseen by his friends.
"Flame…" His voice spoke in the same tone of voice, yet stern-ness was partly present. "I am going to retire to my quarters. Inform me the moment the elders make their return, do you understand?"
In silence thought, Flame nodded.
"Of course."
As Spyro slowly stood up, he turned around and exited the courtyard towards his quarters. However, during his departure, Flame, Hunter, Ember, Bianca, and Sparx could clearly see the look of pure vengeance in his eyes. An intoxicating need to avenge the loss of his beloved against the culprit held responsible.
The expression in his eyes stunned them to no end, yet it grew mortifying to Ember to see her purple friend resort to hateful revenge.
But they chose to remain silent for the time being and can only hope that the same incident that transpired outside will not happen inside the sanctuary.
(Forty-Five Minutes Later)
Flame paced back and forth on the tile floors of the courtyard as he awaits the return of the elder guardians, his patience wearing ever so thinly upon the long wait.
During this time, he failed to notice Ember watching from the entryway of the courtyard with a hint of anxiety towards him.
Recently, she noticed, not only Spyro's behavior, but also Flame's as well. Although he was good at concealing his expression from suspicious eyes, it soon became his exposure to her due to the constant wait.
'What the hell is taking them so long?' His thoughts questioned, yet it grew unanswered.
"Flame, it's been—" She started before Flame, upon anticipation of her presence without acknowledgment, cut her speech short.
"I know it's been forty-five minutes, Ember." He spoke sharply.
With her anxiety intact upon the tone, Ember grew silence in hopes to not stress him any further than previously intended.
As the seconds ticked away, Flame halted upon hearing footfalls as he and Ember, who has entered the courtyard upon the sound, looked to a secondary entryway to find the four elders making their entrance into the courtyard with equal expressions of strong sadness in their eyes.
However, those that were present in the courtyard grew unaware of the fact that they were being observed by a purple figure positioned behind the sidewall of the first entryway.
Meanwhile, Flame and Ember slowly approached the elders' position, but halted with equal expressions of shock and disbelief upon note of the elder guardians' expression.
Slowly, Flame shook his head in denial.
"No. Please tell me…"
The orange dragon trailed off his sentence as silence occupied Ignitus' maw while his gaze diverted downward in sorrow.
"We…search the entire area. Aside from the blood of the deceased, there was nothing else out there. No blood traces from any assailant, no traces of dark magic, nothing." Ignitus spoke.
Upon those words, Flame's expression slowly cringed in anger while Ember covered her maw with both paws simultaneously tears were threatening to relinquish from her eyes. They refused to believe this kind of truth.
"Then check again. Because there is no way—"
"We did. We checked it three times. Nothing." Terrador spoke.
From the doorway, Spyro the Dragon grew in shock upon what was said, yet he grew unprepared by what has came shortly afterwards.
"I am sorry, young ones, but…" Ignitus spoke with great hesitant in his voice. "It pains me greatly to say that…Cynder's demise…"
He halted for a while before slowly shutting his eyes in complete sadness.
"…Was an act of fate."
Both Flame and Ember were struck with stunned silence upon this news.
From the entryway, Spyro's eyes slowly widened in stunned, yet horrified shock upon the devastating truth. His beloved's demise was an act of fate.
With the expression intact, Spyro, whose breathing grew close to erratic, retreated behind the sidewall before his expression quickly cringed his anger. Quickly, he shut his eyes and shook his head in denial. He refused to believe it. He refused to believe that fate had anything to do with this. Fate was the reason for his destiny. Fate was the reason for his encounter with Cynder. Fate is the reason why they were brought together as loved ones. Why would fate do such a thing?
He didn't know. Yet, he quickly opened his purple eyes with an expression of desperate defiance. They were wrong, all of them. And he is willing enough to prove it to them.
With the expression intact, he waltzed his way towards the outside area of the temple.
Meanwhile, Ember, her expression intact, shook her head in defiance to this.
"No, you're wrong. No, fate wouldn't do this to her. Fate wouldn't take her away from us like that!!" She spoke, defiant anger apparent in her tone.
"I know it is difficult for anyone to believe, but—" Ignitus started before Flame, with a renewed sense of grievous anger in his tone, cut his speech short.
"Of course, it's difficult for us to believe. But I can only imagine what Spyro would feel if he were to find out about this, which I am compelled to do at this very moment."
Before any of the elders' spoke, Flame, along with Ember, issued their leave from the courtyard towards the room where Spyro supposedly was stationed. However, when they got there, they found, to their puzzling shock, that the purple dragon was missing.
"Where did he go?" Ember spoke out of anxiety.
In silence, Flame pondered that question as he shook his head.
"I don't know, Ember. He wouldn't have left the room, unless…"
He halted as a sudden stunning thought has occurred to him before Ember, with her expression intact, took note of this.
"Unless what?"
"Unless he already knows…I think I know where he is. Follow me."
With Ember in toll, Flame made his way towards the entrance to the outside area.
Meanwhile, Spyro, who moments ago have entered the clearing site where the incident took place, wasted little time in searching the entire area.
He started to sniff any area in his surroundings, but despite the dried blood of his beloved on the earth soil, he managed to find nothing.
Then, in an act of desperation, he started an aerial sweep of the area hoping to find a sense, any sense of blood, body odor, or dark magic that could trace him to the culprit held responsible for the attack.
Momentarily, after minutes of searching, he made his landing back onto the clearing with an expression of stunned shock framing his face while his breathing grew heavy. There was nothing here. They were all dead-ends. Along with that came an even more devastating truth that he grows hesitant to admit: His beloved was killed…by an act of fate.
Falling to his knees onto the dry bloodstained soil where his beloved once laid, Spyro's mind grew into questions. Why would fate do this? Why would fate take away the one innocent creature in all of the realms that he cared about? Why would fate take away his unborn child in the process?
These questions grew unanswered to the purple dragon, which reduced him to overflowing tears along with his shivery breath. His expression devastated beyond comprehension as he slowly looked up towards the darkened skies of the moon's night.
Then, a strong sense of grieving anger replaced his previous expression as he sniffed up his tears before managing his thoughts into words.
"Why her? Huh? Why take her?" He spoke, as his voice broke into a weak tone before resuming. "She's done nothing wrong. She was stolen from the hatchery and was forced into Malefor's evil. She has amended for her past and she was to live a perfect life along my side carrying our child. Yet, you have taken her from me like sheep to the slaughter."
Then, he exhaled to control his silent sobs, yet it grew difficult as he spoke, anger momentarily present in his tone.
"I want to know why. You hear me? YOU TELL ME WHY!!! HUH?!" He bellowed to the heavens, unable to contain his outburst and grief much longer as he resumed with a seethed tone. "You tell me why you decide to take her and our unborn child! Huh?"
Unbeknownst to him, the forms of Flame and Ember were baring witness to this from behind him in saddened silence.
Then, Spyro spreads his arms out wide with a welcoming gesture while his wings performed the same method in reaction to this.
"W-Why-why can't you just take me, huh? Huh, why don't you take me? Huh?! I was a victim of his evil, too. Take me, too. Com-COME ON, TAKE ME, TOO!!!"
Breathing heavily upon his outburst, Spyro tightly shut his eyes and hung his head while his arms fell to his sides with his claws gripping the soil as he sobbed silently in his shroud of grief, tears flowing from his eyes.
"Please take me, too." He spoke softly as his sobs resumed.
Ember was reduced to tears upon this sight and attempted to waltz over to her grieving friend before Flame held her back by his left paw to her chest.
To Ember's notice, stern sadness was Flame's expression as he shook his head while his attention was still to his purple friend.
"Not yet." He spoke softly.
Almost immediately, Ember has gotten the idea, upon memory of what has transpired hours ago the last time she has tried to console Spyro, and issued a slight nod in response, yet her tears remained as she diverted her gaze to the purple dragon.
After a while, Spyro ceased his grieving sobs before diverting his tear-stained gaze to his left side to find the wreath of roses positioned a few feet away from him.
With hesitation, Spyro slowly reached and grasped the wreath by his left paw and examined it. Traces of the roses were missing from its collision with the ground earlier on, yet the purple dragon paid it no heed.
This was a gift to his beloved, yet the sheer sight of the wreath has steered the purple dragon into a void of silent anger. The only reason that he left her was to get this thing as a gift for her. It was foolish of him to leave her at all to attempt such a gift considering that the necklace was enough.
Upon that rationalization, he almost felt the urge to break the wreath to pieces, but a different rationalization halted him from that attempt and propelled him into a world of guilt.
'It's my fault. I'm the one that left her. I killed my beloved.' His thoughts spoke.
Normally, he wouldn't resort to such thoughts, but the nightmare that he recently had told him otherwise. He should've stayed with her and prevented this from happening. He could've saved her and now she was gone from this world along with their unborn child.
Sniffing the remainder of his tears, Spyro slowly, with both paws, gently placed the wreath down to the bloodstained soil that his befallen beloved recently resided on.
Afterwards, he stayed in that position in a moment of silence before standing on his hind legs. A deep frown graced his facial expression as he kept his gaze droned to the ground soil.
Then, a paw grasp a hold of Spyro's left shoulder as Flame stood by his left side while Ember stood at his right, yet the purple dragon failed to acknowledge them at this point.
"I'm so sorry, Spyro." Flame spoke, softly, but the purple dragon issued no response.
With her tear-stained eyes, Ember took note of the expression in his eyes with a hint of concern before speaking.
"Spyro…?" Ember called to him in her soft tone.
Once again, Spyro provided no response. Instead, he issued his gaze to Ember, who, in slight startle, bore witness to the emotionless expression in his eyes.
And before any words could register from her maw, Spyro turned around, while Flame willingly relinquished his soft hold on his left shoulder, and walked away back to the temple, his tail swaying back and forth in the process.
Anxiety and concern masked Ember's expression as she looked after the departure of her purple friend while Flame took note of her reaction.
"Ember, what is it?"
In silence, Ember shook her head.
"I'm not quite sure, but…I think something is wrong with Spyro."
In silence, Flame looked after the purple dragon's departure before speaking.
"It's probably nothing. I think he just needs some time to himself for a while. He needs time to cope with this as do we."
Shaking her head slightly in silence, Ember spoke.
"Somehow, I don't think I ever will learn to cope with this, Flame."
Flame nodded in agreement.
"Me neither. But…in time, we will."
Ember took a deep breath as Flame gently ushered her along while he followed as they transverse back to the temple. Both hoping that their purple friend would recover from the state that he's in and cope with the loss.
Phew! What a long chap. Originally, the aftermath chapter and the following one after that was going to be separate, but I figured two chaps for the price of one long chapter is a big deal, so I hung with it. Heh, Heh. And yes, I know that the qoute at the top doesn't provide enough signification to the chapter as intended, if that is what most of you are thinking at the moment. But in the next few chaps, it might. Anyway, thus begins the angst-filled turmoil of one Spyro the Dragon. Keep a lookout for the next chap. Ciao!
Next chap: Spyro has difficulties coping with the tragic loss of his beloved.