Chapter Eighteen: Today and Then

(Present day)

"She's waiting for you to rescue her Spyro," the voice of Ignitus faded in Spyro's mind as he shook away the voice. "Be warned of the danger which you seek to destroy."

"I know…this might be my final day to live," Spyro said calmly as he stretched his tense muscles in his legs, arms, neck, wings, and tail. "Alright Draikor, give me your best." As Spyro began to fly towards the Volcano f Cripyro, the dark, ominous clouds released large amounts of rain which felt like hail pellets over Spyro's face as he pushed onward.

"Hunter, why aren't you with Spyro?" Cyril questioned as Terrador and Volteer gathered around Hunter who was desperately trying to catch his breath.

"He's at the Volcano of Cripyro to face Draikor; he wants you to assist him now!" Hunter sputtered out as the three Guardian dragons stood in awe.

"Alright, allow us to sound the alarm to get all the citizens to shelter before we depart." Volteer said as he dove from the balcony towards the city streets.

"He's coming, I can feel it; he's very close." Zpharah said in Draikor's mind as his eyes glowed a distinctive red while his body pulsated with a jet black aura.

"I know; he'll die slowly by my hands." Draikor said as he grinned insanely while clinching his fists.

"He's been through tougher; he'll make it through this." Cynder yelled as she tried to spit poison at Draikor but failed.

"Tell me Cynder, what happens when your own shadow moves faster than you?" Draikor said as he gripped ahold of Cynder's chin and rocked her head from side to side.

"You are nothing of his shadow, you are nothing of him!" Cynder said in anger as she yelped in pain from the restraining spell.

"Draikor is not, but I am!" Zpharah said in a blood chilling voice as the black aura among Draikor formed into a dragon-like figure.

"I hope he kills you, I hope you bleed as he snaps your bones like twigs!" Cynder screeched with rage.

"Get your hands off of her!" Spyro yelled as he landed among the stone overhang.

"Finally, here at last I see," Draikor said as he shoved Cynder's had away into the ground. "Are you ready to die you purple pest?" Spyro saw Cynder's motionless body and panicked.

"What did you do to her?" Spyro yelled as he bearded his teeth.

"Don't worry, she's not dead yet," Draikor said with a smirk across his face. "It's the effect of an entrapment spell, commonly used to keep the insane immobile. It locks the joints and tightens the muscles. Pain will come if attempted to move."

"Let her go, she has nothing to do with this!" Spyro yelled as he lowered his head.

"If you only knew Spyro," Draikor said as he lowered his head as well while bearing his teeth. "She has the demon which is needed for the ritual to work so the demon horde can be unleashed among this world!" Spyro froze in disbelief.

"Cynder… is this true?" Spyro staggered in awe. Cynder struggled to raise her head as she nodded slowly.

"It was Gaul, the Ape King," Cynder said as she struggled to keep her head upright. "He knew that if Malefor was to possess both demons he would be the strongest Dark Magic dragon, no, THE strongest dragon of all time. Gaul was ordered to curse me with one of the demons until it was time to resurrect Malefor during the great eclipse. The beam of Convexity was a direct portal to Malefor for the demon to travel among. But Spyro intervened in the trial and was cursed with the demon himself. Memories from so long ago now remembered… I wish I never knew of them."

"If the demons are drawn together… was our love only for one another because of the demons?" Spyro asked, hoping for a "no" from Cynder as his heart was heavy enough as it was.

"No Spyro," Cynder said as she collapsed. "Not on your life."

"Enough babbling already, now you die!" Draikor screeched as he charged towards Spyro.

"Keep focused," Spyro thought as he barely dodged Draikor's lethal horns. "Let your moves flow with the wind, a constant current of attacks." Spyro watched Draikor slam into the side of the volcano as his horns were shoved deep into the volcano's side, causing him to be caught in the hardened earth.

"Now, attack him while he's stuck!" Spyro thought as he leaped onto Draikor's back with talons digging into Draikor's flesh. Spyro then clamped his vice-like jaw around Draikor's neck and sunk every sharp tooth into the demon possessed dragon.

Pain ceased to irritate Draikor as he ripped his horns away from the volcano and grabbed Spyro's tail and yanked him from his back, leaving large lacerations on Draikor's back as Spyro crashed into the earth surface.

"Come on; bleed until your heart beats no more!" Draikor yelled as Spyro inspected his jaw, noticing he had a small cut from a sharp rock chipping his face just before impact to the ground.

"He's strong," Spyro yelled in his mind as he cracked his knuckles. "I need to attack him from behind." Draikor charged uncontrollably again as Spyro leaped behind the dragon and clamped his powerful jaws around Draikor's tail.

"Foolish little brat!" Draikor yelled as he whipped Spyro into volcano's side by grapping ahold of his tail at the last second, knocking Spyro's breath from his lungs as his spinal cord popped from the impact.

"Come on, get up Spyro, she needs you…" Spyro thought as he struggled to stand on his feet. Draikor showed no mercy however as he slammed his tail into Spyro's jaw, nearly knocking unconscious as Spyro tasted blood through his teeth as he laid motionless, absorbing his pain.

"You shouldn't have shunned his power Spyro," Draikor said as he placed his right paw on Spyro's side. "Now I have the power which rightfully belongs to me!" Draikor shifted all of his body weight and strength onto Spyro's side as three of his ribs popped like a bar of soap as Spyro cried in pain.

"Your mother and father would never approve, even if they did leave your life!" Spyro said, hoping to reason with Draikor's sadistic mind.

"They died because of their view of the world," Draikor yelled as he ripped one of his claws across Spyro's side, causing immediate pain to the purple dragon as he began to bleed out. "They thought chaos was the ruining of a world, it forces the world into evolution! The strongest always survive and the weak die, it creates the foundation of strong leaders!"

"You believe a world of serial killers is the answer!" Spyro said as he staggered to his feet, feeling the kaleidoscope of pain which ripped through his broken ribs and sides as he limited his breathing to minimize the pain.

"I'm insane, therefore, I kill!" Draikor yelled as he grappled Spyro's throat and threw him near Cynder, bringing him closer to unconsciousness as Draikor neared the broken purple dragon that lay helpless next to his beloved.

"This is, I've got nothing left…" Spyro trailed off as he looked towards Cynder, allowing a single tear fall from his eye which crested over the three scars among his face. Struggling to place his paw near his beloved, Cynder still lay motionless as Draikor wrapped his hand around Spyro's throat again and hoisted him off of the hardened earth.