Chapter Seventeen: Skin Deep
(One day prior to Spyro's death)
"I know you have it in you." Draikor said to Cynder once more, knowing that he would obtain her demon very soon.
"I know, it has been with me through my whole life," Cynder said as she closed her eyes to ignore the pain. "Every day I wake up to hear the voices from it, eating me away. I have Gaul and Malefor to thank for this. How does it feel knowing that the very thing which powers you can also kill you? The only reason why I'm not dead yet is because it wants a host more suitable than me. I promised myself I would not allow it to escape me until I find a way to dispose of it."
"What is the demon's name?" Draikor demanded as he ceased to break his stare among the world.
"Namulis," Cynder said as she felt the pain of a thousand needles pierce her body once more. "Namulis is the demon of darkness, my curse. Namulis is the equal to Zpharah, the demon of death, your curse."
"It is not my curse, I want your demon as well Cynder." Draikor said as he turned his head towards Cynder.
"You'll have to kill me, something which you can't do," Cynder said as she narrowed her eyes. "If you kill me you kill the demon as well because it is barely surviving in my body."
"I know this, that is why I will purge you of it myself after you watch your husband die," Draikor said as he surveyed the city of Warfang. "Once the demonic hordes are released, they will begin to resurrect the fallen warriors of the past and any civilian whom they desire and this land will be enslaved with blood that will be shed for me!"
"Yeah, you will die by Spyro's hands and mine; he will make sure you die slowly for all of this." Cynder spat as she began to lose consciousness.
"Hunter, why are we following looking for Draikor and Cynder's trail on the ground anyway, they did fly after all." Spyro questioned, even though he fully trusted Hunter's tracking techniques.
"The trail they left in the skies falls and lingers among the earth for a short while," Hunter said as the two pressed through the murky waters of a large swamp. "The only problem is that the trail is becoming distorted and difficult to track. I fear that the trail is beginning to fade however."
"Then we will have to take to the skies soon," Spyro said as the two lingered onward. "What type of power do you suppose I have left now that the demon is done?"
"You still have Cynder, she's the one who gives you strength," Cynder said as the two entered a large clearing which had the perfect view of the Volcano of Cripyro. "As far as I know, as long as you have Cynder, you will always have power."
"Wait a minute, Hunter, the volcano," Spyro said as he examined the volcano. "Look at the overhang at the side and the clouds above."
"Do you think they're there," Hunter said as he sniffed and examined the ground before him and Spyro. "I have lost the trail, he must be up there."
"Hunter, go back to Warfang and warn the Guardians," Spyro commanded as he turned his attention back to the Volcano of Cripyro. "I'm heading up there to inspect."
"Are you sure you'll be alright my friend?" Hunter asked as he drew his bow and an arrow.
"No, not really," Spyro said, swallowing a large knot in his throat. "I just to do this alone; Cynder's life is already in jeopardy let alone your life as well."
"Very well, I will hurry as fast as I can!" Hunter said as he sprinted back the way the two came as fast as they could.
"It will take him at least two days to make it back to Warfang; I'll sleep a little bit to gather my strength." Spyro thought to himself as he curled into a tightly coiled ball for warmth and quickly drifted off into sleep. "If tomorrow I die, it will be for Cynder." Spyro smiled to this thought as he rested his dreary mind.
"Do you think he has a chance?" Volteer asked Terrador as they made their way around Warfang, protecting the citizens as they continued their lives flawlessly.
"I don't know," Terrador stated as he looked among the local restaurants and venders which were now beginning to close for the day. "He is struggling with Convexity; he is unable to summon it. Maybe if he could awaken it he might stand a chance."
"What if he dies, what will happen to us?" Volteer asked as the two flew towards the top of the Dragon Temple to the Dragon Study chamber where Cyril studied Draikor's plot.
"We hope Cynder is strong enough to stop him," Terrador said as they entered the Dragon Study. "Anything new about Draikor's plot Cyril?" Cyril shook his head in frustration as he scanned the seemingly never ending pages.
"Nothing, except there is a certain amount of time which the dimensional rift will be open," Cyril said as he removed his reading glasses. "If one was to destroy both demons which were used for the ritual along with the one who performed the ritual, everything which transpired will be repaired and all of the demons released from the dimension will be returned to their rightful place or destroyed."
"So what you're saying is that once the rift closes, the only way to vanquish the hordes is to kill Draikor and destroy the two demons, correct?" Terrador said as Cyril nodded his head in agreement.
"We'll know if Spyro dies," Volteer said with his head hung low. "When the invasion begins, we will know that the ritual was a success, that's when we'll know we've lost him."