The sunlight tickled Spyro's muzzle when he awoke, he had evidently been asleep for the entire night. Quite rare with everything that happened lately. He stood up, stretching his spine. On his bed, Cynder stirred slightly, groaning in discomfort. Spyro heard this and turned around, expecting Cynder to have miraculously recovered, no luck with that, however. Cynder looked much more ill than the night before. Her scales were slowly flaking off, the bed sheets stained with her sweat and blood. Cynder opened her eyes weakly, looking straight into Spyro's eyes. He saw that her eyes had become a fathomless black, pleading with Spyro to help her. With no time to lose, Spyro gingerly lifted Cynder off the bed and descended the steps. He suddenly realized how frightfully light she was. Her wings and tail hung limply at her side, dragging across the wooden floor. She seemed more dead than alive, the way she could barely keep her eyes open.
"Where are we going?" Cynder asked Spyro in a soft, fragile voice, her pain evident in every word.
"We're going to get you help, Cynder." Spyro replied in a gentle voice, trying to remain strong in front of Cynder. For a moment, he began to doubt Ignitus' words, what if they couldn't help her? What if he had to watch her die before his eyes?
He immediately pushed that thought to the back of his mind. No, they would be able to help, he had to believe Ignitus. After all, it was his last chance at saving Cynder. He wouldn't be able to live knowing he could have done something for her but didn't have the courage to carry it out.
When he stepped outside, he was genuinely surprised to find Ignitus standing at their doorstep, the map in his hands. Hunter was also with Ignitus, visibly worried for Spyro and Cynder.
"Thought you might need someone to protect your house while you're gone, Spyro." Hunter said as he stepped forward and placed his paw on Spyro's shoulder. They had become close friends after Malefor's defeat as he was the one of the few who treated Spyro as a young dragon rather than a hero.
"I wish you well on your journey." Hunter said solemnly as he took his place in front of Spyro's house, bow drawn.
"Thanks, Hunter." Spyro replied, grateful to Hunter for guarding his home voluntarily.
"After you left, I was pretty sure you couldn't carry Cynder the entire trip to Lazarus so I followed you." Ignitus explained and he placed the map to Lazarus in Spyro's hand.
"But I already have the map, Ignitus and I'm pretty sure I can carry Cynder for the entire trip." Spyro said with a mildly arrogant snort.
"The thing is, the map is only temporary when it's in your mind and, while I do admire your enthusiasm, it's a three day trip from here to Lazarus. Even if you could make it, you'd need me to give you clearance into Lazarus. They don't take too kindly to strangers, especially two young dragons turning up in the middle of the night. I'm acquainted with some prominent figures there, namely the guardians of Wind and Shadow, so I'll be able to get you in." Ignitus reasoned. Spyro nodded in thanks as he shifted Cynder to a more comfortable position in his arms. With a final salute from Hunter, Spyro and Ignitus spread their wings and took off towards the East, towards Lazarus and Cynder's cure.
By night, they had covered a sizable distance and had decided to take a break in the forest. Spyro lay down and let Cynder rest her head onto his body and, soon enough, he fell into a deep sleep. Spyro realized that Cynder's nightmare ceased when the symptoms appeared. Thank god for small mercies. However, Cynder was still ill and Spyro could not afford to rejoice just yet. As he closed his eyes, he placed his paw on Cynder's head, gently caressing her. Cynder mustered up her energy and placed her paw on Spyro and they both lapsed into a deep sleep, feeling safer than they had ever felt at each other's touch.
Ignitus returned with some tinder to find Cynder and Spyro asleep. As he stoked the fire, he wondered if Baero and Solaris were still alive at Lazarus. They had lost contact after the raids and he couldn't find anything about Baero or Solaris after the raids in the Chronicler's scrolls. The last he saw of Baero was at Lazarus before the raids and he did not manage to see Solaris that day. Recounting that fateful day left his heart feeling like rocks had been piled up on it. He looked tenderly at Spyro and Cynder's sleeping figures as he lit the sticks with a small blast of fire. They had gotten further than Ignitus had expected but this was definitely taking its toll on Spyro. He seemed on the verge of collapse as they neared their present campsite and had apparently fell asleep almost instantaneously considering the fact that Ignitus had only just left to gather tinder a few minutes ago. He lay there reminiscing, willing the stars to tell him about his friends' fates as the flames crackled beside him.
"How much further, Ignitus?" Spyro asked, his wings and arms feeling sore. They had begun flying since dawn and the sun was now setting on the horizon.
Ignitus winced at the touch of familiar, ancient magic.
"We're close…"
"Really? Great! I'm feeling really tired now and…" Before he could finish his sentence, Spyro suddenly blacked out and plummeted towards the ground. Ignitus fought hard against the enchantments as he dived after Spyro and Cynder, catching both of them in midair. He pushed himself through the invisible wall and when he got through, the city of Lazarus lay before him. It seemed to be made up of opaque crystal shaped into buildings with a large spire erupting from the centre of the city.
Ignitus landed before the gates and waved to the two dragons seated atop a pair of guard towers.
"Who goes there?" The dragon on the right boomed menacingly. He was clothed in armor looking every bit like a soldier and yet, he seemed slightly unwilling to do this job.
"Identify yourself!" The other dragon called out in a younger, less intimidating voice, apparently a greenhorn at being a guard to the city gates.
"I'm Ignitus, Guardian of Fire! I'm here to request assistance from King Eratos!" Ignitus called back, shifting the weight of Spyro and Cynder to make himself more comfortable. He hadn't flown this far for a long time and his wings ached sharply with every move he made.
The older guard nodded to his partner and he said in a gruff voice.
"Alright, you may enter the city. OPEN THE GATES!" The gates creaked open slowly at his command and the cobblestone streets of Lazarus lay before Ignitus.
"Thank you!" Ignitus shouted back as he carried Spyro and Cynder into the city. His thanks were greeted with a warm smile from the younger of the guards and a loud snort from the older dragon. The young dragon called out after Ignitus as the gates closed.
"Welcome to back the city of Lazarus, Guardian Ignitus!"