"I'm sure you've never heard of me, Spyro." Lazarus said in a deep voice that commanded respect from all that heard it.
"Well… no one told me about you and I was more or less unconscious until today." Spyro replied coyly.
"Ah, I see. Well, I'm the first purple dragon…"
"Wait, I thought Malefor was the first purple dragon?" Spyro interjected. He immediately regretted this action when Lazarus fixed him with a piercing gaze. Spyro felt he was about to pass out from fear when Lazarus relaxed his gaze on him. Spyro braced himself for a scolding but was instead greeted with a warm laughter.
"In the Chronicler's texts, yes, he is the first purple dragon." Lazarus laughed softly as he fixed Spyro with a warm, comforting gaze.
"So, there were purple dragons before him?" Spyro asked curiously.
Lazarus nodded.
"Yes, there were 10 before him. Originally, purple dragons were granted anonymity from the Chronicler's texts but, alas, Malefor decided he wanted to be heard and asked the Chronicler to record his life as well as those of future purple dragons." Lazarus explained while Spyro listened intently.
"He wanted to be remembered for bringing about a new world through the "Great Cleansing". Adolescent foolishness, if you ask me."
"Before I continue, I'm sure you're wondering where we are, aren't you?" Spyro nodded eagerly.
"I know all about your predicament with Cynder and the Guardians. Bolzan is rather daring for risking his life on the both of you."
"You know Bolzan?" Spyro asked, perking up at the sound of that name.
"He is one of the few dragons capable of conversing with me and, thus, I have come to rely on him as my "Messenger" and it was I who told him about what to do earlier. As for where we are, we are conversing in my heart."
"Really? It doesn't look like what I imagined the inside of a heart to be like. I thought it would be slightly more… gory."
"Well, that's what the inside of a real heart would look like but the place we are conversing is within the soul, the true heart. It is also here that Cynder is fighting off Malefor."
"Cynder…" Spyro muttered, worried for her.
"If you like, I can let you look inside Cynder's heart for a moment." Lazarus raised a large crystal mirror with the flick of his paw. The mirror was all fogged up and cloudy when it rose from the ground. However, as Spyro approached the crystal, the image cleared gradually until it revealed what seemed to be a once-beautiful foyer with crystal chandeliers and large, magnificent windows. The walls were now covered in malicious, black vines. Cynder was chained to the ground of the foyer, covered in lacerations as a sinister shadow looked over her. Nearby, 4 glyphs, each holding a wispy cloud of light, were covered in dark crystals.
Suddenly, Cynder turned her head towards the mirror Spyro was looking through and mouthed the words "Help me". The shadow noticed this and swung a large claw, knocking Cynder to the ground. Spyro clenched his paws in rage; he couldn't stand seeing Cynder being tortured like this by Malefor. This act only strengthened Spyro's will to help Cynder, no matter the cost.
"As you can see, it is imperative that we help her soon." Lazarus said and with another flick of his paw, caused the mirror to sink back into the ground, leaving no trace of its presence.
"How can I help her?" Spyro asked, his voice shaking with anger.
"First, let me explain the duties of a purple dragon…" Lazarus began.
"I DON'T WANT TO KNOW MY DUTIES; I JUST WANT TO HELP CYNDER!" Spyro roared in fury, the darkness hidden deep within his heart threatening to resurface.
Lazarus sighed and, with a casual flick of his tail, pinned Spyro to the ground with numerous crystal shackles.
"Calm down, Spyro. I will help you but first, could you please listen to me for a moment? This part is as important as curing Cynder. Also, I suggest you keep your emotions in check, I have no doubt that is what Malefor and Eratos want; to tap into the darkness within you." Lazarus said calmly. He then undid the crystal shackles with a small flick of his tail. Spyro stood up, breathing deeply to calm himself down as he turned towards Lazarus.
"That's better. Now, purple dragons have the ability to master more than one element, as you should know. There is a reason behind this. Purple dragons have always brought about a "Great Cleansing"." Spyro looked shocked when he heard this so Lazarus explained.
"However, Malefor is the first purple dragon who thought of this in a warped sense. All the purple dragons of the past have brought about their cleansing by ridding the world of evil or aiding those in need. In my case, I built this city at the cost of my life to defend the inhabitants from an oncoming surge of darkness."
"But if you're dead, how come we're talking like this?" Spyro asked, extremely confused.
"My heart was preserved within my physical body and, as long as nothing happens to my body, will remain so, encased in crystal." Lazarus explained patiently.
"Also, how did I get into your heart?" Spyro asked, realizing on a subconscious level that there were no obvious ways in and out of the cavern.
"As for that, a willing conduit must act as a bridge between two bodies. I taught Bolzan how to do this fairly early on and he is now acting as the pathway between our hearts. Before you get mad at him, it's best to do this while both hosts are asleep as this eases the strain on both hearts. This takes a lot out of the conduit and comes with a risk for all of us but mostly, the conduit takes the full brunt of the transfer." Lazarus explained.
Spyro nodded, acknowledging the risks Bolzan was taking for him. He really was risking it all to help them.
"Now that I've said everything I have to say, it's time I told you how to help Cynder."
Lazarus got off his throne and slowly walked over to Spyro.
"I have been waiting for the 12th purple dragon of prophecy to come here. Now that you're here, I will pass on one of my elements to you. Malefor once asked me for this element but I denied him this privilege. The element of Flare takes on the form of the user's heart and, knowing Malefor, it would become an all-consuming force of destruction. After I denied him, he swore that he would bring about the "Great Cleansing" by himself."
Lazarus placed a paw on Spyro's forehead and a warm light shone, spreading throughout Spyro's body. It was all over in a few moments and, when Lazarus removed his paw, Spyro felt a strength radiating throughout his body along with a comforting warmth deep in his heart.
"I believe that you will bring about the true "Cleansing", Spyro, I have faith in you…"
Lazarus' voice slowly faded out as Spyro suddenly felt a tug deep within his heart as he was pulled through a dark tunnel.
Spyro suddenly found himself awake before a crystal containing a large dragon, presumably Lazarus'. Spyro heard a loud panting next to him and when he turned, he found Bolzan panting on the ground, his eye patch gone. For the first time, Spyro saw Bolzan's left eye. There was a complicated insignia within the eye that Spyro could make no sense of. Bolzan turned his head to look at Spyro, a grin forming on his face.
"Did Lazarus give you the element?" Bolzan panted, trying to stand but collapsing under his own weight.
"Yes. Are you alright?" Spyro asked anxiously as he looked at Bolzan's exhausted body.
"I'm fine. We have to help Cynder now, don't we?" Bolzan said quietly as he tried to stand up. Spyro went over to support Bolzan as they limped up the stairs.
"By the way, what's with that eye?" Spyro asked as they slowly made their way up the stairs.
"Malefor did this to me…" Bolzan muttered softly, his eyes moistening with tears.
"If it isn't too sensitive, would you care telling me about it?" Spyro asked warmly.
With tears pricking at his eyes, Bolzan began his story as they walked up the stairs.