"What should we do?" Candice asked as she, Tremor, Flame, Ember and Sparx all gathered together. "Spyro just yells Cynder's name and disappears? How does that even happen?"
"It was like he was there one second, then half a second later, poof!" Flame shook his head. "
"You don't think he got vaporized do you?" Tremor looked at the fire guardian who rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was a possibility.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Candice elbowed him sternly. "He must have gone off somewhere. I don't think he got vaporized or anything like that."
"Then where is he Candy?"
"I..." Candice fell silent.
Tremor smirked cocked his head to the side. "I thought so."
"Shut up." Candice smirked back at him. She wasn't going to let him get to her.
"So should we go look for him or what?" Ember asked.
"I say we should wait here." Flame suggested. "We shouldn't move Stella just yet. She needs to rest up."
"She's fine actually." Ember reported. "But I do agree with you, she does need rest."
"So I guess we're just supposed to sit here and hope for the best?" Sparx demanded. "I can't just wait for Spyro to show up when I have no idea what's going on with him."
"Sparx calm down." Tremor raised a paw.
"You calm down!" The dragonfly zipped over and swatted the earth dragon's paw away. "You don't know what Spyro and I have been through! Do you know what it's like to nearly lose someone you've grown up with all your life."
Immediately the other guardians were on high alert. Sparx had just tread onto forbidden ground.
"You did not just say that." Tremor growled and the ground shook angrily.
"Tremor!" Candice jumped in between the earth dragon and the insect. "Let it go! He didn't mean it!"
"My green butt he didn't!" Tremor snapped as his dragoness pushed him back. He wasn't going to waste time on Sparx out of his respect for Spyro.
"Sparx that's enough!" Candice snapped her head around to the dragonfly.
"Yeah." Flame agreed. "That was uncalled for."
Sparx clenched his tiny fists tight and his glow began to shine brighter than ever before. At last he let out a sigh.
"Yeah, you're right." He gave in. "I'm sorry Tremor. I... I just don't want to lose my best buddy."
Tremor sighed and the earth rumbled along with him. "I understand." He nodded. "I wouldn't want that to happen to you."
"Let what happen to him?" Every head snapped around to face the darkness of the forest. Tremor growled and jumped in front of Candice and Sparx.
To everyone's surprise, Spyro and Cynder stepped out of the shadows and into the firelight.
"Spyro! It's you!" Sparx cheered and zipped over to his brother, giving him the biggest hug his little arms could muster.
"Sparx, are you alright?" Spyro nuzzled his brother back. "I'm sorry to have just left you like that."
"You should be." Sparx pointed a finger at the purple dragon. "You interrupted a very nice dream of mine. And if I'm not fully rested by the morning, you're going to have to deal with the consequences."
"Oh great. Now we're in trouble." Tremor muttered to Candice.
Candice elbowed him again. "Well it's good to have you back." Her violet eye drifted to Cynder. "Both of you."
"Yeah." Cynder nodded bashfully. "I don't think I'll be going back to the side of Darkness anytime soon."
"That's good news for us." Flame chuckled.
"Take it with a grain of salt." A deep voice piped up.
"Who said that?" Candice asked looking around the circle of dragons.
"Not me." Tremor shook his head. He stared at Flame who turned to Ember, to Sparx who shrugged.
"Then who..." Spyro and Cynder looked at each other as they came to realize what was about to happen.
From out of the darkness a black dragon tackled Spyro from behind and bit down sharply on the base of his neck. Spyro cried out in pain before Liun twisted his jaws. There was a loud snap and the purple dragon fell silent.
"Spyro!" Cynder screamed. Liun whirled on her in a flash and struck her with his tail. The black dragoness flew back and slammed hard against a tree.
"You!" Tremor snarled and spread his wings as an open challenge. "Back for more are you?"
"Hardly." Liun sneered. He opened his jaws wide and unleashed a beam of dark magic. The blast struck Tremor in the chest, knocking him into Candice. The two dragons flew backwards, smashing through dozens of trees before skidding to a halt unconscious.
Flame let out an angry roar and lunged for Liun's throat. The black dragon spun around and struck the fire guardian across the face with his tail. Ember snarled furiously and sprang into the air, a fireball forming at the back of her throat.
Shadows spread out from Liun's body and the darkness of the forest seemed to reach out for the pink dragoness. Before she realized what was going on, Liun's shadows had Ember tangled in their grasp. The dragoness began to cough and wheeze as she was being suffocated. She gave a gurgled gasp and fell limp. Liun hurled her body into the ground and stood over her, claws ready to slash her throat.
"Get away from her!" Liun turned as the angry fire guardian lunged at him. Flame swung with his left hoping to catch the black dragon in the head. Liun took the blow full force and staggered back. Flame charged again and knocked Liun to the ground. The red dragon reared his head back, intense flames lapping the brim of his mouth. He unleashed a powerful wave of fire as Liun countered with his own dark flames. The air boiled from the intense heat. Sparx, who had been trying to wake Spyro up, was forced to flee from the scene; less he stay and be burned alive.
Liun smiled wickedly as he and Flame battled for supremacy. Flame's eyes flashed red and the fire-like markings on his body blazed in the night. The sudden surge of power forced Liun back. The black dragon's eye widened and he dug his claws into the earth to brace himself against the power that was beginning to overwhelm him. With another roar Flame gave another push, nearly forcing Liun's own breath back down his throat.
Just as he was about to deliver the killing blow, The shadows of the forest leaped out again. The darkness wrapped around Flame's neck, suddenly cutting off his fire. Liun released another blast of Dark lightning and burned a hole in Flame's chest. The fire guardian didn't so much as utter a cry. The red markings faded away as did his consciousness. Liun tossed him away before turning back to Cynder who was struggling to get to her feet.
"I'm going to do what I should have done straight away." He snarled. "No more mistakes."
"Do your worst!" Cynder spat as her right leg gave way.
"As you wish!" Liun sneered. Without warning he spun around in blur of motion. Cynder was struck across the face and knocked against another tree. Her head rocked and she saw stars. There was a loud "thunk" and a sudden tightening in her chest. The dragoness coughed hard, spattering blood across the ground. Cynder looked down with wide eyes to see Liun's tail blade had rammed straight into her chest. Her blood poured over the tip of his blade and across his tail. Liun smiled at her maliciously and yanked his blade out of her causing the dragoness to scream as she collapsed to the ground, instantly covering it with her blood.
Liun spat on her and turned away, allowing his tail blade to swat her across the face as a last act of disrespect. It was then he noticed Stella laying there still unconscious. "Hm..." He thought to himself and stooped down to stare at her her.
"Don't touch her!" Cynder hissed, spitting more blood from between her teeth.
"And what are you going to do?" Liun laughed. "Stop me?" He summoned the shadows of the night and picked the limp lightning dragoness up. "She's coming with me." Cynder watched helplessly as he walked over to Spyro's body with Stella floating lifelessly in the shadows behind him.
"No...no!" Cynder wheezed. Her breathing was growing more forced. She struggled to lift her head but it felt so heavy she couldn't muster the strength.
"This is the end for you guardians." Liun growled as he hefted Spyro onto his back. "When we're done, I'm going to make the world burn by my wrath." Malefor's voice began to resonate deep inside the black dragon's voice.
"No..." Cynder's muscles twitched as she tried to get up.
"Goodbye Cynder!" Malefor laughed. The young black dragon's body became shrouded in dark magic as he spread his wings. With a few beats of his wings, he got into the air and hovered over the destroyed campsite. With another snort he flew off towards the northwest with Spyro draped over his back and Stella trailing behind in the wake of his shadows.
"No... Come back!" Cynder choked, her voice nearly inaudible. Tears streamed from her eyes; not from the pain but from sheer helplessness. She tried with all her might to rise off the ground but she had lost too much blood. "Spyro..." She whispered. "I'm sorry...I failed you..." She gave a weak sob as she lay dying beneath the tree.