IX

Here is a summary of the story so far: Falzar the Dragon of Convexity was experimenting, and he accidentally created Four powerful Dark Guardians, bent on conquering everything. The Dark Guardians acted quickly, killing off the current Guardians, leaving only their kids, Ignitus, Cyril, Volteer, and Terrador. Time passed, and the Guardians have been strangely inactive. Now, all of that is changing. UPDATE for previous viewers below. Story beings on non bolded letters.

What's up guys? Thought I was gone? Nope. I'm back and better. More at the bottom but for now, enjoy the new chapter, one of many new chapters. By the way, the story will now be in third person perspective, so I can cover everyone's thoughts and emotions while keeping things from them hidden. This chapter will show why it had to change.

"Where are we going, Ignitus?" Spyro asked, his purple eyes filled with curiosity.

The two were walking in a thick green forest. In every direction, massive trees and red mushrooms could be seen in abundance, as if they never ended. The grass below them was wet with the rain from the previous night, and with each step came with a loud wet squish. Spyro couldn't help but giggle at the sounds it made, and his constant happiness and curiosity never ceased to amaze the Guardian of Fire.

"Somewhere special, little one," Ignitus said, showing his big toothy smile to the dragon.

"How special is it?" Spyro said.

"Ah. Very special, just keep walking on my friend." Ignitus said.

Despite everything that was going on, it was now that Ignitus had peace. Despite the war against the Dark Forces, the tensions bubbling between the neighboring nations, and the hundreds lost with each day, he had to smile at the times he'd spent with the ones he'd cared about.

The two then walked in silence, taking in the beauty and silence of the wilderness.

Suddenly, Ignitus stopped walking, his eyes narrowed. Spyro stops as well, confused at the sudden halt.

"Stay close to me Spyro, something's not right here," Ignitus said. Spyro obeyed, hugging close to the massive dragon.

His voice was calm but serious. He knew something was wrong. The tranquility of the forest just disappeared all of the sudden. The birds were flying away, the sounds of growls and footstep replacing them.

Apes.

But why here? Why so far away from the battle?

"I know you're out there. Show yourselves."

Finally, the eyes that did little to hide themselves came out from the bushes, revealing apes as expected.

All of them were dressed for war as they donned large suits of armor across their entire bodies, leaving barely any hair to see, which was fine by Ignitus and Spyro. All that could be seen was their disturbing faces, not fine by the two.

"Ah, Ignitus. Guardian of Fire, Blazer of Evil, One of the Four Saviors of all the Realms," a large, disgustingly deformed ape said. "It's too bad; it appears you'll meet your end here."

Ignitus smirked, unafraid by the apes that outnumbered him. He knew he was surrounded, but he also knew he's been through worse, and apes don't get smarter over time.

However, he had to keep Spyro safe, which was different from his troubling past.

"All right, since you're so confident. Seize him! Get the purple dragon!"

With feral roars, the surrounding apes charged at the lone dragons.

Easy enough, Ignitus thought.

Gathering his flames within him, Ignitus drew in a shaky breath. As the apes closed the gap, the heat around him and Spyro grew more intense. Ignitus's back burst into flames, the intense heat causing Spyro's vision to become wavy.

Counting down in his head as the mongrels approached, Ignitus brought Spyro closer to him, instructing him to stay still.

Three, two…

Ignitus suddenly spread his wings, sending his explosive flames outward in a devastating explosion. The sky around them became a reddish orange glare as the blast grew and grew. Every ape around them was incinerated by the flames, leaving nothing but ash and charred ground.

Ignitus finally rested his wings, seeing that he'd defeated the apes.

He looked down to see that Spyro was alright, unaffected by the blast due to being so close to the dragon.

"Young one," Ignitus began, "We must visit the statues some other time. We must head back to the temple and inform the others of this attack."

Ignitus put the purple dragon on his back, and launched into the sky. Flapping his massive wings, he turned in the direction of Apollon, the city the temple was located in.

As the two soared in the sky, they were being watched by another large ape in a tree high up.

This ape had a grotesque face, covered in warps and scars. On top of his head was a menacing helmet with draconic-horns, possibly from a dragon he'd killed in the war. Replacing his left eye was a large jewel that seemed to change colors with his mood. In his belt, he had two massive scimitar swords, and in his right hand he carried a staff overflowing with power.

"You failed me, and you deserved to die. Damn, I must report this to Brontes, and he will not be happy about this."

He jumped off the tree, landing impressively onto another branch in another one. Jumping from tree to tree, he made his way back to his base, his anger shown by the redness of his jewel eye.

In The Past

"Are you sure you don't need anyone to tag along?" Karaia, the orange scaled dragoness asked him.

Ignitus shook his head as he stepped outside of the temple, about to start down the stairs.

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Ignitus said.

He went down the stairs leading to the temple, and walked out into the city. It was about mid afternoon, and the sky was cloudy, with storms imminent. Few people were out and about, and those who were seen we're hurrying anyway.

"Alright," Ignitus said, "Some new furniture for my room, and maybe a snack or two."

He was surprised Karaia and Eozack let him out. No doubt he could take care of himself, since even at the age of six; a dragon can still handle itself if trained. Still, he was told to be careful and watch out for danger, which was… understandable.

The streets cleared and it seemed he was the only one left.

"Um…."

Strange, there wasn't anyone around. It was the afternoon, and he was sure in such a large city, there'd always be someone out and about.

The crimson dragon continued on, undaunted by the sudden emptiness of the street. However, he halted when he saw a shadow in front of him.

It had no recognizable shape. He couldn't tell whether it was the shadow of a dragon, mole, cheetah, or even an ape. It had no features, any ears, horns, arms, nor legs. It was just… there. It was just a blob in front of him.

Ignitus looked up, and a look of shock shone on his face. Not only was it impossible to tell what creature the shadow was showing, but the shadow had no creature to make it. There was nothing that made it appear, and on top of that, the sun, while hidden well behind the clouds, was behind Ignitus. Whatever was in front had no light to create it, but yet the shadow was pointing towards Ignitus.

What?

As soon as the words left his mouth, the shadow dashed towards him at blinding speed. It bounced left and right, before sailing straight at him.

Ignitus quickly launched into the sky, and flapped his wings, staying above the strange creature. It reached him way to slow, as he was up in the air long before it could ever catch him.

"Whatever you are, leave me be!" Ignitus growled at it, his teeth bared as he prepared a fireball.

The monster had already seemed to do just that. When he looked around, he couldn't see the creature anymore, as if it completely vanished.

Strange, it was just here, Ignitus thought. I'd better stay in the air; I doubt it'll give up that easily.

Flapping his wings, Ignitus continued on in the sky, leaving the still empty street. It was then that the rain started and the wind picked up.

"Darn rain…" Ignitus said, clutching his money bag tighter.

He continued on, weaving past massive buildings.

"This view would be so much better if it weren't so hard to see."

At his height, Ignitus could see the beautiful forest up ahead, which was in a stunning spectrum of red, yellow, and orange, hence its name "Autumn Forest." To his left, far in the distance, he knew there was a large snowy mountain that, at the right time of the year, would sit perfectly under the moon. It was named after Archanosis, a dragon legend believed to have power over the stars.

Ignitus, too distracted by his thoughts, failed to notice what was headed right for him, until…

SLAM!

Ignitus was grabbed onto by a large ape, its snout and teeth inches away from his face. It had latched onto him, causing them both to fall due to its weight.

"Ah! Let go! We'll both die!" Ignitus cried, his voice both angry and terrified.

The ape simply looked at him as they flipped and flipped, picking up speed as they plummeted towards the ground. Its lips curled into a smile, as it clearly enjoyed his terror.

"Oh, you'll die, but not here, not just yet." Its voice was gruff and deep, but undoubtedly female.

Then, right before Ignitus's eyes, the ape began to morph. It lost its hideous face and body, as its body became dragon-like. It grew large, platinum scales, powerful legs, 3 long horns, and a beautiful female face. The dragon grabbed Ignitus with its paws, easily holding him and preventing him from making any move to escape.

The two stopped plummeting maybe a hundred feet from the ground, and was soon flying in the air again, leaving the awed citizens lucky enough to everything that had just happened.

Ignitus, who was upside down as he was being carried, struggled to see who his kidnapper was. He knew it was female, or at least that what it had changed to, but other than that, he had no idea who, or what, it was.

He wasn't going to stay in the dark forever, as the two landed on the edge of the city, just a short walk from one of the gates. The dragoness dropped Ignitus on the ground, not caring that it wasn't a soft landing.

Ignitus was quickly on his feet and in his fighting stance, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Sorry kid, nothing personal," the dragoness said. However, she wasn't a dragoness anymore. Instead she was a cheetah, walking straight to Ignitus with her eyes closed, a smirk on her face.

"But, you have something I need."

She got right in Ignitus's face with incredible speed, her face so close her fur tickled him. Slowly, she opened her onyx eyes.

The moment Ignitus was caught in them, it was too late. He slipped out of consciousness quickly, stumbling before falling to the ground with a quiet thump.

"It's too bad. You'll be really cute when you get older."

The shape shifter had just finished with Ignitus, tapping her needle filled with blood. She quickly shape shifted again, this time becoming a mole. She simply walked out of the alley, and onto the street, disappearing into the night crowd.

Ouch.

Ignitus had a splitting headache from his apparent kidnapping. He tried to sit up, weakly rising from the soft bed, but only failed, slumping down again on his side, the pain in his head and entire body too great.

"W-where… am I?"

Slowly, he opened his eyes and he saw that he was back in his room. The sun was setting outside his window, leaving a pink glare in his room. Frowning, he looked down to his aching leg, to see that it was patched in cloth, which at first was white, but grew darker shades of red due to his blood trying to seep through it. He tried to sit up on his bed again, only to howl out in intense pain, and slumped back down.

Bursting through his room, Terrador nearly hit Ignitus's bed, his green face with extreme concern.

"Terrador…"

"Stay still," he said, his voice gentle but firm,"Karaia should be returning soon."

"What happened to me?"

The future guardian of Earth frowned, "Guards found you bleeding out in an alley after reports of multiple attacks around the city. Do you remember what had happened to you before you blacked out?"

The door opened wider, and in stepped Eozack.

"Greetings," he said, in a quiet, serious voice. He sat next to Ignitus's bed, watching the dragons closely. "Carry on, if you may. I would like to know."

Terrador nodded to him, as Ignitus started, "A strange shadow had appeared in the road, and it tried to attack me, sort of."

"A shadow?" Eozack said, intrigued.

"Yes, but believe me, it wasn't normal. First off, it was in the wrong place to form, and second, it could move freely on its own."

Terrador looked confused, but Ignitus noticed that Eozack only seemed to become more interested. His eyes remained wide, and he scooted closer to Ignitus, as if he wanted to not miss a single detail. Maybe it's because he wants to keep the thing at bay, Ignitus though, but still, maybe he knows what it is.

"I escaped it by flying away, but my problems didn't dwindle much. I didn't fly very far before I was tackled from the sky by… an ape."

Terrador and Eozack looked at each other, and then nodded, wanting me to continue.

"As we plummeted from the sky, I struggle to get the thing off me. That's when it changed."

"Changed how?" Terrador questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"It… it was an ape one minute, then a dragon the next… it… it…" Ignitus said, struggling to find the right words.

"Shape shifted," Eozack finished.

"Yes…"

Eozack's face went from surprise to alarm very fast. "This is not good. Not at all…"

"What is it?"

Eozack didn't answer him, "He woke up in a pool of blood. No, this is even worse…"

"Eozack…"

Finally, the dragon turned to them, his serious black eyes darted between the two. Ignitus and Terrador had known him for some time now, and he always had the serious but calm demeanor. Neither of them had seem him so worried, so scared.

"You are… in danger. From now on, we must double your protection. Have someone check up on you hourly. Yes, we must make sure you stay safe." Eozack was staring at the two dragons now, his worried expression never faltering.

"What's wrong?" Terrador said.

"The creature that has attacked you hasn't been sighted in years. Few know who she, fewer know what she is."

"Just tell us." The young dragons said in unison, growing impatient now.

"Her name… is Figura. She is one of a kind, the only known one of her species… a shape shifter."

Terrador looked underwhelmed. "So she can change her looks, what's the problem?"

"You do not understand," Eozack said, sighing. "She can change into any creature she desires. Not only that, but she can use that creature's ability as well."

Now it was Ignitus's turn to be alarmed. "That means she can be anyone we know… anyone."

Eozack nodded. "However, there is a catch with her ability. She cannot remain in it forever, and has to take time to rest after a very prolonged use. Also, she can only access all of that creature's forms if… if she…"

"What?" Terrador said.

"…drinks their blood only once."

The words hung in the air as everyone dawned on what she had done to Ignitus. The thought was purely terrifying, another Ignitus among them. In other words, another powerful dragon they'd have to deal with. They could all be killed off before they even tried to deal with the Dark Ones. Worse, a powerful Ignitus is bad enough, but what if she can achieve the powers of all of the Guardians. Nothing could stand up to that.

"We need to find her and capture her, before any one of us is safe. I don't want to imagine what will happen if she manages to attain all of your powers. We need to alert everyone of this threat," Eozack finished.

As if on cue, Cyril and Volteer walked in, chatting quietly. The moment they caught sight of everyone's terrified expressions, they were both silent.

"I'll inform them, then the rest of the temple's inhabitants. Rest Ignitus, get better. We'll find a way to deal with this beast soon," Eozack said.

"Wait… before you leave…"

Eozack turned to Ignitus, his expression saying no games.

"How do you know about her? Few are aware of her right? So how do you?" Ignitus ventured.

Eozack's shoulders slumped, a sad expression quickly covering his face. "That… is for another time Ignitus."

He stepped out of the room, bringing Cyril and Volteer along with him. All that was left was Terrador and Ignitus.

It was silent, except for the rustling of the trees outside due to the wind. The moon was out now, providing little light, only barely revealing the dragons' worried faces.

"It was naive of us to think we may ever have peace," Ignitus said.

"Maybe so. Now it'll be amazing if we'll ever find peace again. I fear that the Dark Guardians are behind this, and if they aren't, they'll work this to their advantage somehow."

"I won't stop at anything to make sure we all survive these next few years. I'm sure Figura will be the last of the worries, especially with the Dark Guardians out there."

The two remained in silence, having nothing else to say to each other. They both knew that no one was safe; no one was ever going to be safe again. Not as long as they live, not as long as there is evil in the world. All they could do now was train and prepare, for the long, gruesome battle ahead.

A certain platinum dragoness was flying alone back to her home, some distance from the city the Guardians lived in. The conditions were terrible, as she was flying over a massive ocean and in a hurricane no less.

However, not the loud booms of the thunder or the lightning that flashed so close could even falter the happy mood that Figura was in.

A part of her plan was actually in place! Finally, for thousands of years she'd had this plan, and she's tried it on so many of the past Guardians. Of course, she was always thwarted, not even getting a drop, and she barely made it out with her life all those failed times. But now, she was confident in her success. The Guardians were young and dumb, so easy to pluck from the ground, drain them, and then escape without so much as a scratch.

With just this amount of blood, she'd never have to go into hiding again, and she could shorten her hibernations as well. With the power she had now, it'd be easy to kill thousands, establish her dominance, and rule for eternity. Still, she would need more to be truly powerful, to truly build her empire.

She was amazed at how much things had changed since she'd last hibernated. She would stay asleep for years at a time, and it seemed she woke up much later than she'd anticipated.

No matter. It all worked out in the best way it seemed.

Figura couldn't help but smile, the lightning illuminating her scales as she continued on in the rain.

"Step One, completed. Now, I just have to down this, and his powers will be mine. Gross."

Figura then abruptly stopped in the middle of nowhere it seemed, as she was surrounded by pure dark water. Four hundred feet below, waves were building and crashing intensely, and looking in the distance, she even saw a few waterspouts seemingly frolicking among the watery chaos.

"Hmm," she though, "I hope I took enough to kill the kid. It'd be a little hard to confuse his family and friends if he's still alive. It'll be harder if they found his body out in that alley. Oh well. I'll still be much too strong then."

She started towards the ocean in a nose dive, plummeting at amazing speeds towards the water. All around her, the thunder crackled and the lightning intensified, as if cheering her on.

Closer and closer she inched towards the sea, and before she was engulfed by it, she pulled up expertly, and glide just above the water. She dipped her feet inside, feeling the coldness of the ocean.

Then, she changed her form again. This time she changed into a large purple squid, diving straight into the water, her tentacles flowing behind her.

I hope no one ever asks me how I got this body, she thought, as she swam into the dark abyss known as the deep sea.

Gaul could've been having a better day. He could've been out on the front lines, fighting against those retched Guardians and their lowly minions. Or, he could've been relaxing at his home base, even, being fed by beautiful female ape servants. Well, as beautiful as they could get, with all the snot, blood, and rowdy behavior, anyway.

Instead, he was getting chewed out by one of the most powerful beings in existence. Brontes was less than happy about his apes' performance, as if that was Gaul's fault.

"You must understand, Master Brontes. The apes… most of them are idiots, even forgetting how to walk and talk at times. You can only hope in their fierce fighting skills that they succeed in getting what we need. Unless… you send me out there…" Gaul offered.

IDIOT! You'll become so distracted in all the killing and the ransacking that you'll forget your mission! You know what happened last time…" Brontes's enraged voice finished.

"Now, we want that purple dragon. You are going to get him for us, or you'll die trying! Understood?!

Gaul masked his anger. He hated the dragons for what they've done, all of them. Ever since he began to work for this bastard, he'd despised him, him and all the Dark Guardians. He was serving them, to give them power, not for him or his apes. Not only couldn't he rule, he couldn't kill either. That's what he wants the most, to see dragons die under his paws, to see their precious cities in ashes. The end of all dragons alike, that's what he and his brothers wanted.

Yet, here he was, taking shit from a dragon, a powerful one in fact. He was growing more and more tired of all the Dark Guardians orders. He'd already formulated a plan to overthrow the Dark Guardians, one that, unlike Figura's or Nacht's flawed plans for ultimate power, would allow him to completely overthrow the Dark Guardians, and maybe the Ancestors themselves. He could remake the world in his image then, one with the apes on top, and the dragons scavenging for survival.

Gaul smiled on the outside, right to Brontes's unknowing face. "Yes, Master, Yes."

"Good."

With that highly threatening tone, Gaul left the Guardian and started on his way back to his home.

"Just you wait, Brontes. When it's all mine, you're dead meat."

It had been some time since Ignitus and Spyro had safely made it back to the temple.

The sun was just poking up over the horizon, casting an orange glare across the massive city. Normally, it would already have waves of creatures milling about. However, thanks to the war, the streets were almost completely deserted, except maybe for a few moles and cheetahs. Few dragons had stayed back compared to those who'd left, reducing the city's overall population by thousands.

Ignitus had alerted the cities many guards the night before to be alert on the walls for any suspicious or dangerous activity. Despite the highly trained dragons and cheetahs on the lookout, the Guardians, Spyro and he weren't at ease. He woke up, and walked into the main room to hear a frustrated Volteer ranting to Terrador about the war.

"Thousands, Terrador, thousands have died in the past three months alone. Ever since the war's beginning, who knows just how many have perished at the hands of them and their forces! We have to do something, and soon, or else they'll destroy everything!"

Terrador had nodded as Volteer ranted. He knew that their hard times were far from over, but there wasn't much they could now. They couldn't participate in the war itself, as fully revealing themselves would only work in the Dark Ones' favor. On top of that, the war wasn't getting much easier to fight, as the Dark Armies have only grown in number since the war's beginning. In ten years, estimates of their forces have reached the hundred thousands, and their numbers have only dwindled as time went on.

What also worried him was the advancement of the army as well. To his surprise, it was very slow, having only conquered few nations in this realm alone, and much less in the other realms. However, they rarely slowed or stopped, and their numbers have given them a great advantage, despite the raw power of some of the dragons and dragonesses defending their homes with their lives.

It would be a very long time before the Dark Guardians achieved their ultimate goal, destroying everything that ever existed. Still, they showed no signs of quitting or weakening, while the death toll of those who fight for good rise with each passing day.

Finally, he noticed the Guardian of Fire in the room. "Good morning, my friend. How do you feel?"

Ignitus sighed. "Fine. I sustained little damage during the attack yesterday, but I didn't sleep well. I fear the same for the little one as well."

"The guards were put on watch as you ordered. So far, it appears nothing has happened," Terrador said.

"That is good. But what of the war's progress?" Ignitus asked.

Terrador opened to speak, but he heard Volteer growl.

"Progress?! This is ridiculous, idiotic, asinine…" he caught himself, sitting up straighter. "Thousands die daily, Ignitus, there's little improvement. We won a small week long battle yesterday, but it won't be long until the Dark Armies try again, and again…."

"I understand your frustration, given the situation of-"

"DON'T YOU SPEAK OF HER!" Volteer roared. Bio electricity danced all over his body threateningly. The Guardian was at his limit, and he was letting everyone know.

Ignitus, startled, nodded to the Guardian. Slowly, the anger drained from Volteer's face, replaced with a worried and distraught expression.

"I apologize for my outburst. I… I do wish to speak of her now," he said after a short silence.

It was then that Cyril walked into the room, a smaller purple dragon following him. Usually, the young dragon was energetic, but just as Ignitus had predicted, the purple dragon seemed to not have any sleep. Ignitus had only been caring for the purple dragon for six months, and through that time, he was able to somehow prevent him from seeing all the violence and pain the war had caused, like the wounded dragons who made it back to the city, some missing limbs, and others barely clinging on for life.

He knew it wouldn't have been long before Spyro was exposed to the effects of war, but now he's seen one of its effects on the dragon, that it scared him. He knew Spyro knew he was a target, and it was terrifying to think what would happen if he were captured.

"Good morning you too," Ignitus said.

Cyril nodded his icy blue head, while Spyro's head hung low to the floor, clearly from fatigue and sadness.

"Spyro?"

"Hi." He said in an especially small voice.

The Guardians glanced at each other, before Ignitus walked to the purple dragon. But before he could speak, he was asked an interesting question by the young dragon.

"A-are there others like me?"

Ignitus's was surprised by the sudden question, and he wondered of its origin.

The dragon had no idea of his specialness did he? He had no idea just how powerful he may become when he's fully matured. Even now, his training in fire progressed amazingly at only two years old! Still, he had no idea just the good he could bring?

"You, young dragon, are a very rare and special creature."

Spyro lifted his head, looking hopefully at the Guardian. "How?"

Ignitus smiled, happy to tell the legend. "The purple dragons are a very rare dragon type, if you will. They are born only every ten generations, and have the ability to master all the elements.

"Earth." Terrador pitched in.

"Electricity." Volteer said.

"Ice." Cyril offered.

"… and fire," Ignitus said. "Purple dragons, those who've chosen good, have brought peace to the realms time and time again. There were others like you, but all have either passed or received immortality and live in the heavens."

"What of those who've chosen evil?"

Ignitus thought hard before answering. "Few have chosen the path of evil, Spyro. Notably, a purple dragon named Telos, nearly succeeded in creating the world in his own image, before he was stopped by another purple dragon, Archi, who saved everything from annihilation. He is the most honored purple dragon in history."

"Let's wish him back then!" Spyro said his voice filled with excitement.

"W-what?!"

Spyro couldn't contain his enthusiasm, running past Ignitus and in front of all the Guardians, who shared confused looks. "Wish Archi back! He can stop those Guardians no problem!"

"Spyro, it's not-"

"Trust me! All we have to do is find the Epithymontas Stone, wish him back, and get him to beat up the Guardians! They'll be so scared they'll never come out again!"

Amazing, Ignitus thought, how does he know of that gem?

"Spyro," Cyril said, "Even if that stone still remotely exists, who knows if it still works? Furthermore, we're…. we're…."

"At war, Cyril," Spyro finished, again astonishing the Guardians. "I'm young, but I'm not dumb."

"Indeed." Volteer said. "But as you said, we're at war, and we can't be searching for gems that may or may not exist. And, even if we somehow find all the pieces, why would we wish someone back?

"Do you think so…..?" Spyro said quizzically. He sprinted back to his room, leaving the Guardians with confused looks.

Seconds later, he returned, and in his mouth, he held a shiny, glowing orange shard between his growing teeth. Ignitus's jaw hit the floor.

"Because I've already found one piece."

Ah. A plan is formed in the head of a small purple dragon. Again, I want to apologize for the lack of activity for this story, writer's block has been hitting me for months. But I'm back, and im finishing this story. I know I've made some mistakes and maybe even a few story errors, so report them to me if you find any. Thanks for sticking around so long!

Chapters will come out when they come out. I won't adopt a schedule because things in my life can change in a flash

Ahero