Chapter Fifteen: Blood Trail
(Seven days prior to Spyro's death)
"Is everyone here in one piece my brother?" Hunter asked Prowlus as the two inspected their growing village.
"No, the demon dragon has made his way through our village; he destroyed our crops and kept asking for Cynder." Prowlus said as he pointed in the direction of Draikor's path. 'He made his way towards their cave, and then we saw him fly away with Cynder in his arms."
"The news most likely brought fear to Spyro's heart; I don't know how he will cope with Cynder's kidnapping." Hunter said as he ran his hand over a decorative totem pole lined with hawks, snakes, dragons, and other creatures.
"He will respond with anger and honed for Draikor's blood drained to be more accurate Prowlus." Spyro said in anger as he appeared from Draikor's path. "Hunter, you can lead me to him, take me now."
"Patience young dragon," Prowlus said as he stepped towards Spyro. "Hunter, lead him to Draikor, the village will be ok without you here."
'Very well then," Hunter said as he retrieved his bow and arrows. "Let us not make any more valuable seconds slip away. I will help you find Cynder Spyro."
"Then let us go now before another day slips by." Spyro said with a scowl look on his face, not wanting his anger to slip away as he knew his power would be amplified through anger as the two ventured off into the forest.
"I know how you're feeling Spyro-" Hunter began until Spyro cut him short with n angry remark.
"Then you will know well enough to leave me be, allow my anger to consume my morals." Spyro's anger was beginning to change his personality as Hunter grew worried of Spyro's condition.
"This is not the way this problem should be faced; anger consumes more energy than fear." Hunter said as he looked among the forest trees.
"That's why I'm saving it for Draikor, nobody touches my wife." Spyro said as he flapped his wings slowly as he kept his anger knotted in his heart.
"Draikor would rather kill her in front of you rather than to kill her before you could witness it." Hunter said plainly, hoping to calm Spyro down.
"I just don't want her to be hurt." Spyro said as he felt the bloodthirsty knot for revenge inside of his stomach loosen a little bit.
"You need to keep a calm head, say focused and clear your mind, otherwise you'll lose your concentration and you may pay for it with your life," Hunter said as the two pressed onward through the forest and into an open meadow which was relatively small size. "Anger makes you explosive and impulsive. Calmness makes you keen and prone to danger."
"What about my elements, what do they drive in me?" Spyro asked as the two crossed the meadow, alarming a small pack of sheep which flew in an instant.
"Well, I guess each element is a symbol of your personality I believe," Hunter said, trying to keep Spyro's anger bottled for the time being. "I believe your fire element represents the courage you have when you are face-to-face with danger. Your ice element represents your cool nature when it comes to socializing with others. Electricity is your speed in which you react and act through danger. Finally, your earth element represents your firm attitude when serious times come through your life." Spyro smiled to Hunter's words as he thought of himself as an idol.
"That doesn't apply to everyone right?" Spyro questioned as he knew Cynder's powers were dark based.
"Not all no, some just adapt to their elements in a way of thinking, many just act the way they are." Hunter said, Spyro still held a half hidden smirk as the two continued onward into the forest yet again.
Cynder began to think to herself as she lay among the large overhang which protruded from the edge of the Volcano of Cripyro; "I should have left for him, he could have protected me. Ribs feel caved, bruised, like he must have dropped me fruitlessly here. Do I taste blood? Must be when he either punched me or when my jay hit the earth. I think my forearm is broken, it feels brittle, like a twig."
"You won't believe what evil I can create Cynder, you will be begging to join me once I kill that purple pest," Draikor said as he smirked at her beaten body. "We are going to unleash the demons from the Forbidden Realm to enslave this world in blood and carnage."
"He won't let you; he'll stop you before anything can escape that realm." Cynder spattered as she still lay motionless among the rocky surface.
"I beg to differ," said Draikor as he looked staggeringly towards Cynder, admiring her seductive body. "Why don't you join me? Together we can rule the world."
"I rather die than to be with you!" Cynder exclaimed as Draikor moved steadily towards the beautiful, beaten dragoness.
"By the time he gets here, the evil will already be under way of coming forth to this land," Draikor said as he lifted Cynder's muzzle to his. "Wouldn't you like to taste some of my power? I'm curious of what power is in you." Draikor then firmly kissed Cynder, causing her to whimper in pain and distaste.
Building up what little energy remained in her body; Cynder forcefully pushed a small pool of poison from her mouth which made Draikor jerk away in pain.
"Only one dragon can kiss me." Cynder said plainly as her head hit the rocky surface.
"Very well, you'll die along with him once he shows," Draikor said as he wiped the neon green liquid from his mouth. "The entrapment spell which holds your body down in place will make you feel like a thousand needles are piercing your body if you attempt to move. Once Spyro is dead, you will then be permitted to move, but by then you will be drained of everything you have… including your life."
"How did you not know that demon was inside of you?" Hunter asked as him and Spyro came upon a large waterfall which was teaming with fish and turtles.
"Easily mistaken as the dark side of Convexity," Spyro said as the two rested alongside the waterfall. "Would you like to know about the two sides of the strongest power known of?"
"What do you mean two fractions?" Hunter asked as the two decided to camp for the night.
"I will explain tomorrow my friends, I need some sleep." Spyro said as he coiled up into a tight ball, trying to rest as he though deeply about Cynder.
(Six days prior to Spyro's death)
"The two factors of Convexity are Convexity and Convexital Rage," Spyro began as he and Hunter left the sight of their camp and headed onward on Draikor's trail. "Convexity is the pure power of space, time, life, and death which envelopes this world. Dark Energy, however, is the darker side of Convexity. Driven by anger, jealousy, heartache, pain, grudges, mostly anything that pains us, it is a very explosive power when provoked the wrong way."
"Do all organisms have the power to control it?" Hunter asked as he pulled his cloak hood over his head.
"Long ago I believe yes," Spyro answer as the two pushed through a cluster of vines and thorns. "The Dark Days war fought over the control over Convexity and Dark Magic. Now, only dragons who have the ability to tap into the power can harness it, such as Cynder and me." Spyro them realized that he was having difficulties tapping into Convexity lately.
"Does the power sometimes come under certain circumstances?" Hunter asked as they stopped for a second to check their surroundings.
"That can be plausible," Spyro said as the two continued onward. "I have activated the power willingly before, though lately I have been having trouble trying to activate it."
"Maybe if something terrible happened to you, you might find the power." Hunter said, trying to be ethnical as Spyro thought of Hunter's words.
"Like something in the nature of Cynder dying?" Spyro made himself cringe to his own words as he wished he never said that.
"Possibly…" Hunter simply said, not wanting to upset his friend as they pushed onward throughout the rest of the day.
(Five days prior to Spyro's death)
"Terrador, come quick, I have important news!" Cyril said at his study as Terrador swiftly made his way towards his fellow Guardian.
"What is the matter now?" Terrador asked, studying the old, worn textbook Cyril was skimming through.
"I know what Draikor is possibly planning," Cyril yelled as Volteer entered the study while overhearing the conversation. "He's planning on opening the Forbidden Realm and releasing every trapped demon in it. The ritual is tricky however; the death blood of a purple dragon must be spilt in order to ensure that there is no protector to keep the demons from escaping. The next step involves-" Cyril stared at the pages in shock and awe.
"What's wrong my friend?" Volteer asked as he examined the textbook as well.
"In order for the ritual to succeed, two demons are required," Cyril finished as he closed the textbook slowly. "That means Draikor knows that another demon is loose in our world."
"On a guess, who do you believe is the host?" Volteer asked, not wanting to know the answer.
"She's been possessed this whole time and she has known about it her whole life." Cyril said in pity.
"What do you mean Cyril?" Terrador said, looking a bit confused though knowing what Cyril's reply was going to be.
"You don't mean-" Volteer said, cutting himself short as Cyril nodded slowly as if knowing what Volteer was going to say next.
"I fear I do" Cyril said while hanging his head low. "There was a reason why he kidnapped her…Cynder."