The first thing Spyro felt as he regained consciousness was the pounding of his head. As his eyes fluttered open, he was unable to make out where he was. Still disoriented, he slowly rose to his feet, his eyes regaining focus as he did so. With his vision now clear, and the throbbing of his head subsiding, his eyes widened as he realised where he was.

The rock that he stood upon floated in an endless black void, filled with stars as far as he could see. Over in the far distance, the celestial moons floated side by side. In front of him there stood a familiar looking structure with architecture that reminded him of the Dragon Temple before the war.

"Welcome, young dragon."

The sudden voice nearly made Spyro jump out of his scales. Acting on instinct, he looked around in an attempt to decipher which direction the voice had come from. Of course, doing so was a futile effort, for the voice seemed to echo from all directions.

"Chronicler?" Spyro called out. "Is that you?"

There was a short pause before he received an answer. "Yes."

For a moment, Spyro was confused. The voice that spoke to him sounded familiar, but it didn't sound like the Chronicler he remembered. The voice still had a sense of great wisdom to it, but it also spoke with a warm, almost fatherly tone. He shook his head, concluding he had merely forgotten what the Chronicler sounded like.

"Why am I here?" he asked the space around him as he walked into the building. As he remembered, the spherical chamber inside was completely empty, except for the pool of visions that lay at its center.

"I have summoned you here, Spyro, because of the looming threat that endangers our entire race."

"The humans?" Spyro guessed.

"Indeed."

"But what do you want me to do? Terrador told me that the only thing we can do right now is wait for them to reach Warfang."

"He is wise to do so. There isn't much that can be done at this moment in time, but if you wish to emerge victorious, then it is vital that we talk in person."

That caught Spyro's attention. Were the humans really that much of a threat that the Chronicler needed to intervene with events? The thought filled him with worry, and he wondered whether even he could hold them back when they reached the dragon city.

"Do not fret now, young dragon," the Chronicler's voice said encouragingly. "As long as you live, there is hope for us all."

"I know that," Spyro replied, "and I'll do all I can to stop them. I just don't know if it'll be enough..."

"It will not be, young dragon," the Chronicler interrupted, his voice sombre, as if he regretted saying those words. Spyro felt his heart sink in his chest, shock overcoming his body. Did the Chronicler really have no faith in him? After all he'd done to save everything from the Dark Master?

"Not on its own."

"You mean Cynder?" Spyro asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not," the Chronicler answered. "She will indeed stand by your side of her own free will, but there is someone else who must fight alongside you if you are to be victorious."

"But who?"

As soon as the words left Spyro's lips, the pool of visions at the centre of the chamber began to glow brightly. Seeing this as his answer, he approached the pool slowly. Gazing into the waters, he could make out the silhouette of a creature of some sort. It stood on its hind legs like a cheetah, but he could not make out its features. As he leaned forward to get a better look, he heard the Chronicler's voice once again.

"Find this one, young dragon. Find him, and may the ancestors watch over you..."

Cynder stood by Spyro's bedside, keeping her eyes on the purple dragon, who lay there motionless. After he had collapsed without warning, she and Sparx had rushed him off to the academy's hospital wing. The doctor had assured her that Spyro was not ill, though he was puzzled as to why he would just collapse as he did. In any case, he had said to Cynder that Spyro would be fine and would most likely awaken before long.

Sparx had also backed the claim up, explaining that Spyro had had these episodes before but had awoken after a few minutes. Despite this, she still stood there waiting, not moving an inch away from the bed the purple dragon lay in, watching for any slight movement that indicated his regaining of consciousness.

Cynder knew that what she was doing was a little over-the-top. If he was going to be alright, why was she doing all of this? On the other hand, why shouldn't she? After all they had been through, all they had experienced together, she had every right to worry about him.

"Didn't you hear the doc?" Sparx asked suddenly, snapping her out of her train of thought. "He said he'd be fine. Why are you still here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Cynder replied, narrowing her eyes in annoyance.

"Hey, I'm his brother!" the dragonfly defended. "It's my job to be here when he's like this!"

"And I'm his friend, Sparx," she retorted. "I think I have the same amount of responsibility that you have."

"You know, I don't get why you won't just outright say it," Sparx suddenly said, beginning to chuckle."

"Say what?" Cynder asked, confusion replacing her annoyance.

"Come on, Cynder. Everyone in the whole academy knows about you and Spyro! It's not really gonna be a big shocker if you start calling him 'boyfriend.'"

"Then why should I say it, Sparx?" Cynder asked in annoyance. "If everyone knows we're together, what's the point of calling him that?"

Sparx was about to retort to her statement, but was cut off by a faint moan.

"Spyro!" Cynder cried in joy as he stirred in his bed. His eyes slowly fluttered opened, suddenly widened, and he sat bolt upright in the bed.

"Spyro, what's wrong?" Cynder asked in concern, taken aback by Spyro's sudden surge of energy.

"We have to go, Cynder," Spyro answered, turning to face her. "To the White Isles."

Back at college now, so I though I'd upload the next chapter before that. Don't know what will happen now that college is back. I'll try to update when I can, so stay tuned!