The Legend of Rune: Forsaken Blood

by Deeth Irteen

Four years have passed since the Malefor Ordeal has ended. Rune is enjoying life in his new home. However, things are not peaceful; new conflics have arisen across the dragon realms. The largest of which is Bergan, a purple dragon, and his daughter Tyrrany, a mysterious white dragoness. Rated M for mature themes and violence.

28. Act 3, Chapter 1

It was a warm evening.

The Guardians' caravan had stopped for the night; with the sun close to setting, it was time to make camp.

Rune emerged from a carriage and stretched out his back. He was dressed in a warm cloak, and his sword was in its scabbard. There were plenty of guards patrolling the caravan, but Rune couldn't help but feel like he needed the extra precaution tonight. The air felt nice against his scales, and he took in the fresh air of the prairie; he just wished he could let himself get comfortable.

A few bonfires were set up across from the caravan. One bonfire was tended to by Hontus, while another had Voden as its keeper. Dona was seated beside her husband, with little Riven held snugly in her forelegs. There were even some sausages being roasted in pans over the fire; a nice, humble dinner.

Rune stepped toward Hontus, who looked up and smiled. "Good evening, kiddo."

"Hi…" Rune sat on his haunches beside him and ruffled his wings. "Is the food ready?"

"Just about…" The Guardian nodded. "Will only be a few more minutes."

Rune shut his eyes and inhaled the fresh herbs and spices used to liven up the sausages. His stomach rumbled, and he dug his talons into the ground. And looking up at the sunset, he saw the heavens washed over with beautiful streaks of red and orange. Everything was so peaceful… the way it should have been. Rune was on a trip to his desert home, to spend time with his foster family. So… why did he have to feel so much dread deep down?

Rune's mind had been plagued with worry ever since they'd left Crossbolt, ever since he learned that warning from that stranger. Somewhere, out in the lands, his half-sister was making her way to Glenhaven… if she wasn't there already. There was no telling what she was up to down there.

And that was just one of several things wrong with this trip. Over in the last carriage in the caravan, Prince Jonathan was still kept under lock and key. He'd been a relative nuisance but had mostly kept quiet during the journey. And then there was the constant looming threat of an ambush. Ever since that horrific night out at sea, Dona had become extremely paranoid about more assassins launching an attack on her daughter. So, after some extensive conversations between the Guardians and King Tintreon, several of the lightning king's finest soldiers were loaned to their caravan to serve as night guards. And there they were now; patrolling north and south along the carriages with electrified lanterns on the ends of sticks. It was the closest thing they had to solar magic for repelling magical shadows.

But even all of that wasn't enough to fully satisfy Dona. She insisted that Voden never leave Riven's side by more than a few paces so that her "shadow king" could protect their little princess. Voden was willing, of course! But Rune could tell from the bags under the scholar's eyes that he was growing rather weary from constantly guarding Riven.

Rune shivered, and he looked down at his sword. His fangs clattered; he felt the urge to draw the blade. He surveyed the area once more and tried to see if anything was out of the ordinary. They could have been anywhere, after all…

Rune stiffened when he felt a wing drape over his back. He looked up to see Hontus frowning at him.

"Are you okay, son?" He asked with a frown.

"I… I'm alright, Hontus." Rune said as he wracked his talons on the ground. "I'm… just waiting for dinner to be ready."

"Rune…" Hontus shook his head. "I've known you more than long enough to know when you're worried. You don't have to put on a brave face around me." The red drake patted Rune's shoulders with a wing. "You can tell the truth about how you feel."

"Well, alright…" Rune took a deep sigh and then frowned up at his foster father. "I always feel like someone's watching me. This whole trip, I keep expecting some new threat to jump out and try to hurt someone…" He looked down sadly at his sword. "I… I almost failed that night, Hontus. I don't ever want to make those mistakes ever again."

Rune shivered as he thought back to those three shadow dragons, and the way they overpowered him. He shuddered and gripped the hilt of his sword for protection as he shut his eyes and shivered. Hontus patted his shoulders once again to get his attention.

"Rune, you're not alone out here," Hontus said. "It's good that you want to help, but nobody expects you to be the only one to put your life on the line. You have allies: Me, Voden… and let's not forget all of them." He gestured at the dozen or so guards surveying the area.

"Yeah… I know…" Rune scrunched up his face.

"I know that a lot has happened recently." Hontus continued. "Such as the news of… who did you say she was again?"

"She's my half-sister." Rune frowned.

"Ah, that's right…" Hontus nodded with a curious face. "What a strange thing to learn."

Rune had told both Guardians about the news he'd gotten as soon as he could. Dona was aware as well; in fact, she seemed to sneer at Rune at the mere mention of her. Even now, at the bonfires, the shadowy dragoness shot Rune a dirty look. Rune gulped and looked away as a shiver ran from his head to his tail.

"Just take it easy, Rune," Hontus replied. "There's nothing to be worried about. Everything will be fine."

Rune wished he could believe his foster father, but he still felt dread. However, once the fire dragon gave Rune a plate of cooked sausages, that bad feeling was replaced by hunger. The prince took the plate, thanked Hontus, and spent a few moments eating his meal.

Across the way, Rune saw that Hontus and Dona were eating their plates of food. The shadowy dragoness gave a plate to Riven and watched the dragonling eat. Eventually Riven finished her meal, and decided to curl up to get some rest. Dona happily cradled her daughter until the little dragonling finally went to sleep. And that felt like the perfect time to try asking.

"I… I need to go talk to Dona." Rune whispered.

"Are you sure?" Hontus grimaced. "I don't think she wants to be disturbed."

"I need her help, Hontus." Rune continued with a wing over his muzzle. "There's a magic spell that only she knows; I need to learn to create it if I have any hope of contacting Mother in Warfang."

"Well… suit yourself." Hontus nodded. "And good luck."

Rune put his plate down and got up to walk around the bonfire to approach Voden and Dona. Rune walked with a slow, regal pace and kept his head held high; much the same way that Dona held herself during the last few days. Rune tried not to look nervous as he put on a smile, and he kept his gaze focused on Voden and Dona.

Voden soon noticed Rune approaching, and gave a warm smile. Dona, however, just held Riven to her chest as she scowled at the prince.

Here goes…

Rune stepped up and bowed his head. "G-Good evening, Queen Dona…"

"The answer is no." She snapped immediately.

Rune blinked and lifted his head. "Wh-what?"

"I know exactly what you're doing." She looked down her snout at him. "You think you can just walk right on up, cast a bit of sycophancy, and get me to teach you how to create a shadow-mirror."

Rune gulped. "Well… I…"

"And why not, Dona?" Voden asked cautiously. "Surely no harm could come from learning the magic."

"It's not a matter of harm, my dear…" Dona lifted her head proudly. "I simply don't want to."

Rune grimaced. "But Queen Dona-"

"Oh, stop it." Dona snapped her talons in Rune's face, making him balk. "I gave up the rank of Deep Shadow: I'm not one of your teachers anymore, you snooty boy. Maybe Wraith will teach you when you're back in Warfang next year."

Rune sighed and looked away; he really should have expected such behavior from her. But what happened next was also unexpected; Voden growled at her.

"Stop being so rude to him, Dona."

Dona blinked and looked at Voden in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You may not be one of his teachers… but I'm still very much one of them." The dark-orange dragon declared. He draped a wing over Rune's back; the prince blushed a bit.

"I still proudly call myself a Guardian, and I'm Rune's mentor when it comes to scholarly work." Voden continued. "I've been very proud of Rune over the years. Whatever's happened between you and Queen Elenar in the past, it doesn't change the fact that Rune deserves respect for being one of my best students." He poked Dona on the muzzle. "I won't have you disrespect him again, Dona."

Dona stammered in shock an alarm. She was at first angry… but Voden held a stern expression and refused to relent. Once again, the shadowy dragoness couldn't believe what was happening; she backed up a bit and tenderly held Riven against her chest.

"Well… F-Fine." Dona said, trying not to sound shocked. She forced herself to look Rune in the eyes, and her next words looked like they pained her.

"I… I apologize for being rude… Prince Rune."

"…Apology accepted," Rune said dubiously; it was DEFINITELY more than he ever expected from Dona.

"However, I… I still decline to each Prince Rune how to create a shadow mirror… at least at this time of night." Dona tenderly hugged her daughter "I… I'm not having shadowy magic frightening my little girl."

"Very well…" Voden sighed. He looked at Rune with a shrug. "I apologize, lad."

Rune didn't say anything else; he just backed up a bit so that Dona could rise. She carefully cradled Riven in one foreleg as she lumbered her way over to her carriage. The door was closed and locked; Rune wouldn't be seeing her again for the rest of the night… or possibly the remainder of the trip south.

"I… I'm going to go take a walk." Rune said as he bowed his head to Voden. "I'm sorry for taking up your time."

"No, it's fine, lad." Voden frowned. "And I hope you enjoy your walk, at least."

Rune took a deep breath as he walked around the bonfire to gaze out at the distant plains. He started intently and tried to keep his anger under control.

Dona knew something; there was no question. She knew something and was actively refusing to help. Elenar needed to know that Tyrrany was heading for Glenhaven; Dona should have used a shadow-mirror to send a message immediately! But again and again, Dona either avoided Rune or snapped at him to try and scare him off.

Rune dug his talons into the dirt and growled. He fanned his wings out as he thought of every nasty word he could imagine describing Dona's behavior… and a lot of them were in Runefor's voice.

What a foul, miserable, pain-in-the-arse! Runefor growled in the prince's head. Constantly refusing to help! Always acting so damn high and mighty! And to think she called herself a Queen. Ha!

But there wasn't anything that Rune could do; not tonight, at least. Maybe he could enlist Voden's help to strong-arm Dona into creating a shadow-mirror. There had to be something Rune could do, besides sitting around each night and waiting to be taken south.

After a few more minutes, Rune took another deep breath. He fell back onto his haunches and wracked his talons on a rock. He watched as the sunset reached its end, and the land became slowly engulfed in the darkness of the night. Rune looked to the heavens, in hope of seeing the first star of the night. He clasped his forepaws together, bent his head low, and shut his eyes to offer a prayer to the ancestors.

He prayed for the well-being of everyone he left behind in Warfang. He thought of Elenar, Cyrus, Urobos, his Aunt Elza, and his Uncle Albanion. They all would miss him as much as he missed them, and he hoped that they would get along fine.

Next, Rune thought about his friends; Holly, Brisa, Ozul, Ricin, Tina, and Chalice. The apprentices weren't a part of his life for nearly as long as the friends he had in Glenhaven… but he still treasured his time with the Deep Shadow apprentices. He could imagine all of them following behind Cyrus, as he led them into some rather ridiculous situations.

Then there was Helianne, and her brother Lantel. Rune wished he'd left Warfang in better standing with those two. Rune never wanted to hurt the golden prince, nor did he want the flowery princess to be left humiliated by the student body. But Rune was far away from the now; all he could hope for was that they'd get by in the next half a year.

Lastly, Rune offered a prayer for his half-sister. He'd never met her, and she had caused their mother grief… but still, he didn't want her to come to harm. Whether it is for her own sake or Elenar's, Rune wanted to see this older sibling brought to Warfang.

Rune was far away from Warfang, and he had no means of seeing what was going on in the outside world. But he just hoped that, despite how unlikely, things could finally turn out fine for everyone. Everything wrong with the world could just… STOP.

But… he had a gut feeling that it wasn't the case. That even though he was surrounded by empty and sleeping plains, the world beyond was alive and moving. Anything could be happening out across the dragon realms, and he'd have no way of knowing or seeing it. And once again, Rune felt that feeling of dread in his gut; that something would be making its way to Glenhaven.

For no matter how much he wanted to be on the sidelines… there was never any rest for a black dragon.

~~…~~

It was the middle of the night in Glenhaven. And Tyrrany couldn't sleep.

The white dragoness had tossed and turned on a hardwood floor; with a few old cushions to use as a pillow. There wasn't much else to use for accommodations, in this old abandoned hovel. Her friends Flame and Arthur were downstairs, sleeping on a torn-up couch.

The trio had spent the last several nights hiding out there. During the day, they'd roam the various districts of the city, so they could map out a layout of Glenhaven. During the scouting, the dragonesses wanted to keep a low profile; plus, her funds were already running low when they'd arrived in the desert city. Thus, hiding out in an old, barely functioning place was the best she could do to save money that would have otherwise been spent on a single night in a fancy tavern.

Still… it was miserable. The floor was old and creaky. There was a thick, ambiguous scent in the air. And Tyrrany couldn't help but feel like little bugs were waiting to crawl all over her scales if she went to sleep…

Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore; Tyrrany sat up and went to the window. She threw on loose garments of her disguise for warmth and stuck her head outside. There wasn't much to see, save for a vacant, decrepit alleyway between other hovels. There wasn't much ambiance, save for creaking crickets and occasional blowing winds. Before long, even that wasn't enough to satisfy Tyrrany; she needed more fresh air and a real view. So she did something that was probably very dangerous; she extended her wings and flew outside.

Tyrrany hurriedly flew up to the roof of the hovel, where she came to a landing to lay on her back. It wasn't any softer than the bedroom floor… but gazing up at the stars was much preferable.

The sky was so… so beautiful; it was unlike anything Tyrrany was used to. In Faeshrine, there were so many lights on at night that the sky always looked like a black void. And over in Warfang, Tyrrany never had the chance to see what the sky looked like. Then there was the journey south; Tyrrany had been so focused on either traveling or preparing to meet Nellie that she never stopped to relax. But it was different now; Tyrrany had spent days waiting around for things to happen… there was nothing to do but wait.

And now… Tyrrany could just stop and look up and gaze upon that incredible sky. She could see constellations up there that she'd only ever seen in the pages of her astronomy books. And there were the twin moons; they were so beautiful. Tyrrany sighed in relief as she relaxed in the relative quiet of the night.

A quiet night; was another thing she couldn't get used to.

Growing up in Faeshrine, it was a city that never slept. There was so much hustle and bustle at all hours; it felt like the outside world was lost in an apocalypse. But down in the smaller kingdom of Glenhaven, everything seemed so… peaceful. Like everyone in this city was safely tucked away in their beds, eager to await what the day had in store for them.

Tyrrany got up and wandered up to the edge of the roof to gaze out at more of the cityscape. There were so many buildings; some even stacked on top of each other for dragons to fly up to. Way off in the distance, Tyrrany could see the grand palace, with that ominous airship floating around it. It was just… floating there; silently keeping watch over the city. How long had it been there? Why hadn't Tyrrany heard about there being a real-life airship? Was her father looking into it? Surely he'd be curious about ancient technology such as that; it could change the way people traveled the world…

But she was getting ahead of herself. Tyrrany shook her head and sighed.

I need to focus on the now, she thought. I need to focus on… my future home.

Glenhaven was the rightful home of General Saul; that meant that his son Jonathan was the rightful future king. And once Tyrrany married Jonathan, she'd be the queen of Glenhaven. It was so strange to think about that part of her father's grand plan; perhaps that was why she'd poured so much of her attention on the plot to get revenge on her mother… which, ironically, was sidetracked by a trip right here.

Tyrrany idly flapped her wings as she gazed out at that palace. She imagined what it would be like to officially move in. She would be the Earth Queen, ruling over a nation of strangers. Would she have to keep her disguise going? Jonathan would no doubt be eager to pretend to have a purple dragoness as a trophy wife. And if the charade was thrown away, and everybody could see her for what she was… would they fear her? Would the people of Glenhaven cower before the sight of a fearsome white dragoness as their queen? Or maybe they'd simply flee the city, leaving for parts unknown?

Either way, Tyrrany would have to bear Jonathan's children; possibly a dozen or so, depending on how eager he was. Then again, he'd likely sneak off to have mistresses; former members of his gang…

Tyrrany grimaced and shook her head; she was overthinking things again. She'd have to think of the positives… like living in the same relative comfort that she had in Faeshrine. Fine food, fine music, fine clothing… everything she'd been provided with before. Just thinking about it made the dragoness's stomach rumble; she'd barely kept herself going on plain bread and water for days to save on funds.

Why does everything lead me back toward negativity? She wondered with a sigh. The dragoness flapped her wings and looked toward the heavens. I… I need to just… do something better.

Tyrrany spread her wings wide and filled her body with wind magic. There was something she'd wanted to do for ages but always stopped herself before. But here, in this quiet city where everyone was asleep... who was to see her in flight? The dragoness took careful breaths as she trotted from one end of the roof to the other. She spread her wings wide, boosted herself up on the wind… and flew skyward for the first time in ages.

It was an exhilarating feeling to fly. Every time she flapped her wings, she felt a jolt of adrenaline. She could hardly believe it was happening as her body practically hovered over the rooftops as she continued on her flight path. She swerved her body left and right to fly around various spires. She lifted herself higher and higher so that everything was far below her. Nobody could see her, and nobody could reach her; the white dragoness was free.

Tyrrany's heart beat wildly, and her eyes teared up; the edges of her muzzle teased a smile from her. And the higher she flew, the more she felt like nothing could stop her. Here she was, flying high above the streets of Glenhaven. And she could go higher… higher than the palace, higher than that airship… higher than the whole realms. She could fly up, up, and away. She could leave it all behind if she wanted to; she could leave Glenhaven and hide away to the south. She could forget about the awful dragons who wanted to hunt her kind; she could forget about Jonathan, Saul, the twin princes, or even her mother. She could just fly away and never return.

But… she'd also leave Flame behind… and Arthur… and her father. And all of her brothers and sisters back in Faeshrine.

Tyrrany's heart stopped racing and started aching. She looked down at the sleeping city, and how small it looked. She shut her eyes and scowled as she tried not to cry. She could just go right then and there… but how could she leave behind everyone she loved? She could probably beg Flame to come with her, and he'd agree… but then she'd just be tearing him away from his own family. And… what would the others do, when they learned that Tyrrany had left them all behind to run away? She'd hurt her siblings, betray her father, and make enemies of Saul and Jonathan. They might even come after her for revenge for ruining their schemes, should they retake Glenhaven.

Once again, Tyrrany felt all the smaller, and her wings became heavy. Her heart sank, dragging the rest of her body with it down to the distant city. She sucked in sharp breaths and shifted to glide back down to the roof of her hovel, where she'd resume hiding away to wait for the chance to get the plans in motion. There was nothing else she could do; she was still just a pawn in a larger game. And she couldn't break rules, without suffering for it.

This city now felt so big; a great, wide prison from which she couldn't escape. She could roam around within its walls, but she was tied down. First for the arena match, and then… for life. Tyrrany could only hope she could find the strength to keep going to play her part.

She would have given up the world, was it hers to give, if it meant fleeing to escape beyond the mountains.

~~…~~

Smoke clouds filled the skies above the city of Aeroshard, as the forges roared nonstop.

Dragons of various colors worked tirelessly from dawn to dusk for days in the forges of the occupied kingdom. They forged everything that an army would need for a fresh march; helmets, chest plates, arrows, bolts… there was hardly a thing that wasn't crafted for the oncoming march.

And surveying it all, from high atop his balcony, was General Saul.

The earth drake had dreamed of this every night for nearly four years. He grinned from ear frill to ear frill as the last of the suits of armor was doused in cooling water from specialized buckets. They were then gathered up and sent off to dry before they'd be placed in the inventory to await distribution. Soon, everything would be complete; his army would finally have the freshly-crafted gear to begin the westward march.

But the armor wasn't what held the most of his interest; after all, his blacksmiths had been creating suits of armor nearly all month. No, what drew Saul's attention, was a specialized forge reserved for employees of the Faeshrine Trading Company.

There were a few fire and earth dragons at work, but most of the strange machinery was supervised by moles. They wore thick goggles and dark gloves as they meticulously crafted something very special; the slotted gauntlets.

One of the moles poured molten metal into a mold in their forge. After a burst of steam, the mold split open down the seams, revealing a super-heated chunk of metal vaguely shaped like the gauntlet. The moles pressed a few buttons, and a hammer-wielding apparatus descended from the ceiling and pounded the metal furiously to force it into shape. Soon, the gauntlet was put into a proper shape. The mole pressed another button, and the machine switched to a more precise speed; it pounded on designated spots on the gauntlet, knocking holes in it perfectly shaped to fit gems into. It was a marvel to behold… or at least, the nearby dragons thought so.

Saul couldn't take his mind off of the gauntlets ever since Flamaedelus demonstrated the power of the prototype. Saul could hardly believe his eyes when he beheld the dark creature summoned forth by the fire drake's very talons; a crepsculus. Saul feared it, loathed it… and yet he couldn't help but marvel at the display of magical technology. And for the last week or so, the moles of the FTC were crafting even more of the gauntlets. And these new ones were said to be even more potent than the prototype.

If they work like a charm, I can give them out to every soldier in my army… Saul thought curiously. He looked at his hand and imagined himself wearing a fully-charged gauntlet. His scales trembled as he pretended to summon forth several crepsculi about himself. The General then winced and looked away; even the memory of their beady red eyes sent shivers along his spine.

My soldiers will be very uneasy wielding them… but a useful tool shouldn't be tossed away. Saul decided. Especially not when it's given as a gift from a… friend.

As Saul surveyed the forges for another minute, someone approached from behind and saluted. Saul turned to see a young earth dragon appearing with a nervous expression. He wore a squire's uniform and trembled as the General loomed over him.

"Uh… Lord General?" The squire gulped as he gave a salute. "The Council is waiting for you at the meeting."

"Hmph." Saul raised an eye ridge. "Tell them I'll be with them shortly."

"Y-Yes, Lord General." The squire bowed his head and fled inside.

Saul took a deep breath as he turned away from the balcony; he flexed his wings as he prepared to venture into the fortress.

What was once the castle belonging to the Wind dragon royal family, had long since been converted into a military base. Saul made his way down various stone corridors, passing by several servants as they worked tirelessly to keep everything polished to a shine. Saul approached a set of two double doors guarded by earth dragon soldiers. The soldiers saluted the General before they pushed the doors open for him.

Saul found himself at the front of what was once a grand throne room. It was two stories tall, with a grandiose stained glass window looming at the far back. Pillars held the distant ceiling aloft, as well as a second story for dragons to gather during council meetings. And splayed out at the back of the chamber, in place of a throne… was the war table.

Around that table were six earth dragons of varying ages. They looked up at Saul and nodded as he made his way up to one of the empty cushions.

"Good evening, Lord General." An elderly drake said.

"Good evening," Saul said as he seated himself. "I hope the Provisional Council can forgive my lateness."

"We can… just as we have many times." An old dragoness said with amusement.

The Provisional Council had served as the governing body of Aeroshard ever since King Boreas and the last of his family were slain. They were a council specifically appointed one by one by King Gaius after the war, and they'd maintained order in the whispering city ever since. So, when Saul and his family were forced into a life of exile, the Council welcomed them with open arms. Saul was even granted a seat on the Council, and they had been in support of his plans to retake Glenhaven ever since.

Saul took a moment to survey the table between the council members. It was splayed with a map of the southern continent. All of the major cities were represented with wooden blocks; Aeroshard was surrounded by a war pavilion, and half a dozen watchtowers were placed around the plains and part of the mountains. Saul looked down at the block representing Glenhaven; he glowered as he looked upon three little figures made to symbolize the Elders of Glenhaven.

Traitors…

"I trust that the forges have crafted gear to your liking?" A dragoness asked with a stern expression.

The General blinked and looked up from the table to appraise her. He grunted as he sat down properly.

"Everything's going along as well as it can," Saul said. "The regular supplies are almost finished, as are the FTC's gauntlets." He glanced over at an elderly dragon. "I trust that the city guard is prepared for any pre-emptive assaults before we leave?"

"We've doubled our watchmen in the last month." The old drake said as he gestured to the watchtowers. "Lookouts all across Aeroshard's territories have been keeping a close watch on anyone traveling through. All nomadic tribes are stopped and searched for dark dragons, while merchants are forced to do business only in designated areas."

"And what about forces from Glenhaven?" Saul asked cautiously. "Any of them seen?"

"Not recently." Another earth dragon said. "As far as we can tell, Glenhaven is unaware of our plans. Things can proceed unimpeded."

"Good." Saul grinned.

"You're free to take command of the army whenever you see fit, Lord General." The elderly drake nodded his head. "We wish you all the best of luck."

"Thank you… but I can't start the march yet." Saul shook his head. "I need more time for Bergan to arrive."

The elderly drake grimaced. He exchanged glances with several of the nearby members and then focused squarely on Saul.

"Lord General, I can't help but express some… concerns."

"What do you mean?" Saul asked.

"Well, if everything's all but ready for the westward march… why wait on Bergan?"

Saul snorted, and he flourished his cape as he stood taller. "Because he'll be arriving with the final piece we need for the liberation of Glenhaven."

"Lord General…" The old drake gave him an uneasy look. "None of us here have been in contact with Bergan for quite some time. We've received no messages, nor have any of his associates arrived since Flamaedelus left some days ago. And… didn't you say that you lost had to contact with him before he was venturing west for Warfang?"

Saul bit his lower lip; everything he said was true. He'd lost all contact with Bergan for a long while now. And he'd received no word on when the purple dragon would reach out to him. Still… he had the itch to give the order to march.

"I… I can't put our allies at risk." Saul said. "Flamaedelus and Lady Nymph are in Glenhaven right now. We can't launch the liberation on Glenhaven so long as there's a chance that they'll be caught in the crossfire." He wracked his talons on the table. "We can't afford to alienate Faeshrine or Frostwryng by endangering their leaders."

"That's a fair point." The elderly dragoness said. "Plus, there's still the matter of the Day of the Bonds. None of our soldiers will be motivated to fight during a time of love and compassion."

"Bah…" A younger dragoness rolled her eyes. "Two nations on the verge of war don't just go out on holiday. That's just an opportunity for one nation to strike from the shadows."

"Regardless, we've left the army in our General's hands." The elderly drake said. "We have our reserves at the ready to defend Aeroshard in case there's retaliation. The people shall have their holiday, while the army fights to protect them."

"Right…" Saul stood up from the table. "With that said, I think it's time I retire for the evening; my wife is waiting for me."

"Enjoy your rest, Lord General." The old drake replied. And the various council members nodded in agreement.

Saul bowed his head and then turned around to leave the war room. Along the way… he took deep breaths and contemplated what to do.

Two of his allies were in his home city, gathering up those that they want to withdraw from the war zone. And Bergan was far off in Warfang, gathering up the last crucial supplies that would help in the war effort. All Saul had to do was wait… he had all the reason in the world to wait…

And yet he wanted to march. He wanted to gather his forces and make a move on Glenhaven as soon as possible. The Elders of Glenhaven were none the wiser, and their scraps of an army would be lax during the Day of the Bonds. It would have been so easy… so swift…

But did Saul trust his chances?

As Saul made his way down the corridor, he felt a surge of unease wash over him. He'd taken every precaution he could to ensure that nobody outside of his allies was aware of what was to come. He'd spent four years training as many soldiers as he could; a mixture of those who defected from Glenhaven, and the loyalists here in Aeroshard. His supplies were of high-quality build thanks to trading with the FTC. And soon, he'd have those gauntlets as a special precaution…

But there was still the threat waiting for him in Glenhaven. Not just the Elders, but the full force of the Southern Guardians would rise to do battle to protect the desert city. And Saul was fully aware of what the Guardians were capable of on the battlefield; he'd even traveled with several of them in the past to witness their power firsthand. If Saul made a single mistake, they could potentially overpower his forces and come after him with hatred and fury.

Saul needed help. He needed Bergan to provide the secret weapon to turn the tides of the war before they even started. So Saul would wait for as long as it took. He'd keep the army primed and ready, and every soldier would be given one of the gauntlets, just in case anyone launched a preemptive attack on Aeroshard.

I have to be smart about this… Saul thought with a shiver. I… I just wish that damn purple dragon would show himself already.

~~…~~

Bergan was seated at a desk in the middle of one of the various empty chambers in The Nexus. The drake had a fireplace burning bright behind him, and he held a forepaw before himself as he clasped one of his crystal balls. He took deep breaths… and nervously shifted the ball back and forth as he peered through it.

Several days had gone by, but he couldn't get the revelation out of his head. For the first time… something happened that Bergan didn't foresee. Something huge; something that nobody in all the realms could have ever expected.

Bergan would never forget how his heart froze when he emerged onto the cold stone of the Pit of the Fallen that day. Something had beckoned him to that spot; a strange gut feeling. There was a hole in one of his visions; like something was clouding around a specific event. So, with the aid of Prince Cyrus, Bergan traveled from Convexity to the dragon realms to investigate. And… There they were. Looming before him like ghosts.

But they weren't ghosts at all; they were alive and well.

Lord Spyro and Lady Cynder.

Bergan didn't know what to think or feel. At the time, anger and frustration returned to the surface. There was a… disagreement, and it resulted in Bergan calling upon Cyrus to provide a distraction. But now, after having returned to the realm of Convexity… Bergan couldn't stop thinking about them.

The how and when were pretty obvious; Urobos and Elenar had performed the revival ritual to bring the two heroes back to life…. Moments before Bergan even emerged. Perhaps that was the clouded vision that the purple drake couldn't see through.

But as for the why… Bergan didn't want to think about it. But he couldn't help but ponder what Lord Urobos had said.

A great disaster, which affects the whole of the dragon realms… Bergan growled in his throat. He looked through his crystal ball and tried to peer through the thunderclouds held within. Something caused by… myself?

No… No, it couldn't have been by Bergan's paws. The purple drake had worked tirelessly for years to PREVENT calamity.

Sure, there were some… incidents that happened by Bergan's doing; the most recent of them was the fires of Warfang. But by setting key locations ablaze, Bergan had forced dangerous dragons out of hiding and into the hands of the authorities. And what's more, Bergan had rescued hundreds of children from those bloodthirsty monsters.

Then there was the war between Aeroshard and Glenhaven… which Bergan had manipulated to the letter. Thanks to his machinations, Saul had delayed his conquest several times over. Soon, the right people would be making their way to Glenhaven to provide just the right aid. Spyro and Cynder were even going to be stepping in to aid in the efforts. And Saul would never see it coming; he was doomed to failure.

At least… he should have been. It should have been as clear as the crystal in Bergan's grasp… except, no. No, the crystal Bergan held was clouded; blurry. And that just shouldn't have been the case.

Bergan had created dozens… no, hundreds of crystal balls in his life since growing up. And whenever he peered into one, he saw a vision of the future. And that future always came true… unless he intentionally stopped it from happening. So then… why was this one cloudy? Why couldn't he see anything happening in the dragon realms? There had to be a reason; some explanation. But what? What could he do?

With a growl, Bergan put the crystal ball down and stood up from the desk. He glared into the fireplace and wracked his talons as he tried to think.

I think… I'm getting ahead of myself. He thought with a sigh. I should head for the chapel; there's still quite a bit of work to be done.

Bergan doused the fire and walked around the desk. He stepped outside and made his way down the halls. There were quite a few supplies that the purple drake needed to prepare. If everything was to go the way Bergan wanted them, then he needed to take action. He'd delayed for long enough; it was only a matter of time before things happened beyond his control.

It had to go right… even if he couldn't see the future in his crystals, Bergan held the visions clearly in his mind. He would make sure everything went right; he would be the hero that the dragon realms needed.

~~…~~

Tina slumped over in her cell and sighed. She tapped her talon on the side of the wall and sneered as she gazed out at the ominous abyss that sat outside her window. She'd been stuck in here for days now.

All she could do was think about the events of what had happened…

~~…~~

It was several days ago; the day that Cyrus turned brainwashed and crazy.

All of the children down in the dungeons of The Nexus were gradually woken up. Bergan ordered the Crazy Aces to escort the children upward through the stairwells and corridors to make their way out into the fortress's courtyard. Many of the younglings were scared, and rightly so; they had the horrific visage of General Cyrus glaring down at them.

It sent shivers down Tina's spine to see Cyrus mutate into such an imposing form. He snarled and growled whenever some of the younger dragonlings got too close.

Bergan sighed as he looked out amongst the many children. General Cyrus sat at his left, while Elza stood at his right. The wind dragoness still had the dazed look in her eyes; that Serenity Gem still worked like a charm. Down in the crowd, Cyrus had taken the liberty of locking several dragons in chains. Lantel and Helianne were the most heavily shackled. Next were Chalice and the rest of the apprentices. Each of them struggled in their bonds, with little hope of breaking free. Tina was the least bound, but her magic was still suppressed via a muzzle. Bergan didn't like the sight, but Cyrus had insisted on imprisoning them to stop them from meddling in any affairs.

All around the courtyard, the members of the Crazy Aces stood at the ready. Kass and Mora were at the front of the crowd, glaring all around. Meanwhile, far in the back, Bulb had taken to sitting and watching the show with a smirk beneath his mask.

Bergan frowned as he looked upon the frightened crowd. The white dragonlings looked scared stiff of their surroundings. Bergan had hoped that some "fresh air" might have helped them calm down. But perhaps the pale faces of the gang members' masks were a bit too much.

"What are we doing out here?" Cyrus demanded. "Having a massive staring contest?"

"Oh, calm down," Bergan whispered back harshly. "We need to find a delicate means of helping the children get used to their new home away from home."

"Whatever…" The black drake snorted. He looked around and spotted something. "Here comes one now."

Bergan looked down to see a little dragonling carefully tip-toeing its way up to Bergan's forepaws. They shook in place as they gazed up with watery eyes at the purple drake.

"Where are we?" The dragonling asked fearfully. "Why are there monsters out there? Where's my mommy and daddy?"

Bergan sighed; his heart practically melted upon hearing the scared wails of the children. He crept down before the crowd cautiously and slumped down onto his belly. He put on a soft smile as he looked down at the scared little boy.

"Your mommy and daddy are in Warfang, little one." He said softly. "You'll see them again very soon. Everything's going to be alright."

"R… Really?" They asked with a sniffle."

"Yes, really." He said again. "Now, just take a few steps back and sit with your little friends. You're not alone, okay?"

"Okay…" The dragonling waddled back to their original place, and Bergan gave a soft sigh; sometimes it wasn't easy to speak with these little ones.

Bergan stood up taller and looked around at the older younglings; many of them weren't taken in by the purple drake's warm words. He figured as much; after all, they didn't exactly consent to be brought here. But, not wanting chaos to erupt, Bergan cleared his throat to get the children's attention, and put on the friendliest smile he could.

"I'm well aware that some of you are quite upset about being taken from Warfang so suddenly." The purple dragon said aloud. "But please understand that you haven't been kidnapped. I merely spirited away The Nexus from the dragon realms temporarily."

"How long are you going to keep us trapped here?" One of the dark-red students demanded.

"Trapped? You've got it all wrong." Bergan sighed. "This place is a sanctuary of sorts; to protect some of you from the Sons of Culmubrae, the Extremists, or even both in certain cases."

"Yeah, sure…" An earth dragon snapped. "Then what's the deal with the creeps in the white masks?"

"We're not creeps!" Kass snarled. "We're the Crazy Aces!"

"Aren't the Crazy Aces part of that gang that tried to capture Prince Cyrus?" A water dragoness asked.

"Technically, yes…" Bergan made a gesture with his forepaw. "However, they've had a sort of… change of employment. Now they work for me, and are here to establish a bit of order."

"Oh, order, huh?" A lightning dragoness tapped her talons on the ground. "Is that why those kids over there are locked in chains?"

A lot of eyes fell upon Lantel, Helianne, and the apprentices. They'd been placed near the front of the group, where Cyrus could keep a close watch on them. Immediately Lantel and Helianne struggled in their bonds, hoping to get someone to help free them. A few students even moved to help… only for Cyrus to blow smoke from his nostrils and growl. The students immediately backed up, while the white dragonlings cried in fear.

"Cyrus, please…" Bergan scolded. "Control yourself."

"Hmph…" Cyrus flapped his wings and rolled his eyes. The purple dragon then sighed and faced the crowd once again.

"Those eight are a… special case." Bergan shrugged his shoulders. "Our dear General Cyrus demands that these teenagers in particular be locked away for the time being. The rest of you are free to roam about The Nexus as you see fit. I'm even planning on getting some classes up and running in a few days, to-"

"Classes?" A shadow dragon student stood up and grimaced. "So you're a teacher now?"

"I run an entire academy back in Faeshrine…" Bergan chuckled. "But the point is; I'm well aware that there are bright young minds among you all, and I wish to stimulate those minds by educating them on a whole host of marvels and fields of scientific study…" He tapped his talons on the floor. "The classes are tailored to suit every student in the crowd. Nobody's going to be left behind."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're totally trustworthy…" A wind dragon rolled his eyes.

"Well, we'll see how things go in time." Bergan smiled. "And in case anybody asks: No, I'm afraid now's not a good time for you all to go back home. There's still some danger lurking in Warfang, and I don't want to risk the lives of any students. Especially not the white dragonlings."

"So what are we supposed to do, then?" An ice drake demanded.

"Well… have a look around." Bergan gestured with a forepaw. "Take in the sights and sounds of the realm of Convexity from our little fortress. Read some books. Talk with your friends. This isn't supposed to be a prison, little ones: I want you all to be comfortable."

"I'd be feeling a lot more comfortable if you'd free Lady Elza from her mind control!" The wind dragon from before beat his chest and hissed. He pointed a talon at the Deep Shadow, who had been staring off into space the whole while. Bergan just sighed again and shook his head.

"If I freed her now, she'd be trying to kill me and thwart me at every turn." Bergan snorted. "No, I think I'll be keeping her passive until I'm secure that everything's going smoothly. Which means I'll be keeping a close watch on her. So don't try anything funny, kiddies: I'll see it coming a mile away."

"And what about the prince?" A shadow dragoness asked worriedly. "Why is he so big?"

"Don't be too concerned about the prince." Bergan gave a hearty laugh. "He wanted to be seen as a strong, masculine dragon. And he finally got his wish… for now."

A number of the dark dragon students exchanged uneasy glances. Bergan figured as much; they weren't exactly going to adapt so smoothly to this turn of events. He simply shrugged his shoulders and stepped back from the crowd.

"Well, for the time being, have yourselves a wonderful day," Bergan said. "Let's make sure that everyone here stays safe, alright? Adventure around at your leisure and risk." He looked down at the white dragonlings and put on his friendly smile. "Let's get you all to a nursery, okay?"

The white dragonlings weren't exactly thrilled to follow the purple dragon, but they didn't especially want to be stuck sitting around beneath the surreal abyss that was Convexity, either.

"Elza, dear, would you please lend me a forepaw?" He asked sweetly.

At once, Elza stepped forward to push the doors open. The younglings followed her and Bergan into the building, while the Crazy Aces went about keeping law and order for the other students… or at least, the closest thing to law and order that they had.

"Oh, and I nearly forgot…" Bergan looked over at the great black dragon. "Cyrus, my lad…. How long do you intend to keep your friends locked up?"

"Friends?" Cyrus repeated bitterly. He cast a furious glare at the eight dragons in turn. Lantel tensed up, and Helianne backed up to shrink down beside her brother. He looked over the apprentices in turn. Holly, Brisa, and Ozul were still in shock that they'd been locked up at all. Ricin seemed downright miserable he didn't even try to fight the shackles. And lastly, Tina looked up at him with heartbreak in her eyes. She didn't say a word, nor did she try to fight the shackles, what little she was locked in. How could Cyrus do this? How could he lock up one of his longest, closest friends, let alone all the others?

"Hmph." The black dragon snorted. "The moment I let them go, is the moment they'll try to get in your way, Bergan."

"I suppose that's a fair line of thinking…" Bergan scratched his chin. "But I'll leave them under your watch, should you change your mind."

Cyrus snapped his talons, and the eight teenagers suddenly became surrounded by a black aura. They were lifted off the ground and gradually floated their way forward through one of the side doors. Lantel and Helianne did their best to fight their chains and gags, while the apprentices resigned themselves to be carted along under Cyrus's control. And all the while, Tina just looked up at Cyrus sadly.

How could this have happened? She wondered. How could Cyrus allow himself to be mutated into that big, hulking… THING? Did he just forget about what Convexity does to a dragon? After all of that weird stuff we saw happen way back during the whole Malefor thing?!

Bergan escorted the white dragonlings down the hallway that led to a nursery. Cyrus moved past him to head to the dungeons with his prisoners. Once the children were secured, Bergan followed along with Elza in tow, just to make sure things went without issue.

Despite his personality change, Cyrus hadn't become a fool. He led each of the eight dragons to different wings of the dungeon; he kept them as far apart from each other as he could to ensure they didn't form a plan of escape together. Everyone was left to fend for themselves.

The first one to be locked up was Chalice, who had kept their mouth shut the entire time. Nothing Bergan said or did get any kind of response from them. Next was Helianne, who looked to be just about ready to break down in tears. Cyrus had taken to putting a blind over her eyes and dumping a sheet of cloth over her face. Tina wasn't sure why; maybe he was just that spiteful toward her for hurting Rune's feelings.

Next, of course, was Lantel, who struggled and fought the hardest to break free. He shivered and gnashed his fangs from the way Cyrus growled down at him. Ultimately it was pointless, as Lantel found his limbs bound and spread apart on the far sides of the jail cell.

"I just want to reiterate once again that I'm not too happy about all of this," Bergan said with a frown. "Would if I could, I'd send you straight home to be with your father Horus."

"You liar!" Lantel snarled. "You could easily order Cyrus to let us go! You're the one that's controlling him!"

"Only barely." Bergan shook his head. "I'm controlling him in the same way that a zoologist controls a wild animal. Best not to poke him with a stick, or he's liable to go nuts."

Lantel responded to that by throwing out a series of rather colorful insults. Bergan just sighed and shook his head; he couldn't say that he hadn't anticipated that response. Tina thought that Lantel was being too nice about the whole thing.

"If it makes you feel any better, his change isn't permanent," Bergan said aloud. "He'll be back to his old self in time."

"Ugh…" Cyrus glared at Bergan. "Can't you make it permanent?"

"I don't think we're ready to discuss that yet." Bergan scolded. "We're still very early into preparing for the future. There are quite a few errands to run. Just… try to keep a level head, my prince."

"Fine…" Cyrus snorted. He lifted a foreleg and flexed his muscles. "But I'm not giving this up so easily."

Holly, Brisa, Ozul, and Ricin were locked away next. Each one was placed far apart, and each one had different reactions.

"Cyrus, stop!" Holly pleaded. "This isn't like you!"

"It is now." Cyrus snapped.

"You're supposed to be better than this!" Brisa yelled. "We're supposed to be friends!"

"If we're friends, then why did you hit me?" Cyrus blew smoke in her face.

"Fine, lock me up…" Ozul said quietly. "Just… Just don't hurt my sister."

"Ugh…" Cyrus rolled his eyes. "As if I'd have anything to gain from beating up a little girl."

"Cyrus, please…" Ricin cried as he sat in his cell. "Don't do this."

Cyrus said nothing to the indigo drake; he just slammed the cell shut and marched off.

As the last one to be locked up, Tina was taken quite far away from the other teenagers. It seemed like Cyrus had a special place in mind to keep her prisoner; the deepest, darkest part of the cell block. As Tina was put on the ground, Bergan gave a rather soft sigh.

"Alright, once we're done with the last of your guests, we can set to work on our primary objective…" Bergan said as he walked down the hallway. "Elza, if you'd be so kind, pull out a ledger so we can start keeping track of the inventories, please."

The wind dragoness kept staring forward as she nodded her head in agreement. Meanwhile, Cyrus took the chains attached to Tina's collar and grasped them. He forced her to walk forward after her, to which she struggled and fought. Cyrus merely grunted as she fought against him, although Bergan looked upon him with concern.

"And just where do you think you're going with her, Cyrus?" He asked.

"I want fifteen minutes alone with her," Cyrus said around the chains in his muzzle. "The two of us need to… talk."

"Well, suit yourself. But be quick about it." Bergan tapped his forepaw. "There's much work to be done, and I'll need your assistance."

With that said, Bergan and Elza continued on their way down the hallway, leaving Tina alone with the mutated drake.

Cyrus set to work chaining Tina to the wall. She shivered as the cold metal stung her scales, while the black dragon backed up to loom in the doorway. He gazed down at her silently as she struggled and fought in her chains.

"Cyrus…" Tina looked upon him fearfully; the scales on the back of her neck ached, and she shivered as his corrupted eyes roamed over her face. "Whatever you're thinking… don't do it."

Cyrus lifted a forepaw into the air… and gently brought it down upon one of Tina's. The dragoness flinched and pulled her forepaw away, which made Cyrus sigh.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Tina." He said calmly.

"You're… you're not?" She asked in genuine shock.

"I NEVER wanted to hurt you." The big black dragon insisted. He lowered his head so he could look her more closely in the eyes. "But this was the only way you'd ever take me seriously."

"Wh-What?" Tina flinched.

"I could never get you to stop and listen to me when I looked a girl." Cyrus snorted as he showed off his rippling muscles. "I wanted to be the REAL me; the big and powerful black dragon I was born to be!"

"Cyrus…" Tina said cautiously. "You never had to change the way you looked to get me to take you seriously."

"What are you talking about?" Cyrus demanded. "You've always been giving me pet names like Runt and Shorty."

"Yeah, but that's because I like you so much." Tina shifted to fall back onto her haunches. "We've been friends for a long time, you know? And I know how serious you can be when you set your mind to something… like when we all left on that quest to bring back your mom."

Cyrus blew smoke from his nostrils as he lifted his head a bit higher. He tapped his talon on the floor as he rumbled in thought.

"Chalice said something about you trying to get me to ask you out." He said calmly. "Was that for real?"

"Of course, it was real, dummy." Tina snapped. "You're always wanting to be the charming, flattering prince. And I always enjoy sneaking off to be with you somewhere private… and yet you've never tried REALLY making me your girlfriend."

"I…" Cyrus looked away and growled. "I tried. Really. But it didn't work out…" He snarled and glared back down at her. "You're often sneaking off with Chalice, too. It made me think that he… she… that CHALICE is a rival for your affections!"

"Chalice is… Chalice." Tina sighed. "And Chalice is just a friend. At the end of the day, I'm just not interested in Chalice the way I'm interested in most other dragons."

"What?" Cyrus blinked. "Other dragons?"

"This might be a bit hard of me to say… and not quite the circumstances I was hoping for…" Tina sighed softer as she struggled to stand up tall. "But Cyrus, whether you looked masculine or feminine… I would have always liked you." Tina flashed an awkward smile. "Let's just say… I'm not picky."

Cyrus tilted his head and snorted; perhaps it was going over his head in his big, meathead-like state. Tina bit her lower lip and flapped her wings as best as she could.

"I suppose I was never one for conventions…" Tina said. "But, uh… I want to be with you, Cyrus. It's just…" She awkwardly gestured to him with a bound forepaw. "I can't be with you when you're like… THIS."

"You mean looking like an actual DRAGON?" He asked defensively.

"I mean twisted into this big ugly… THING!" Tina exclaimed. "You're straining your body to look like this, Cyrus. It would be one thing if you worked out for years to get this body. But you're poisoning yourself with all of that convexity." She put on a worried face. "There's no telling what it's going to do to you in the long run."

Cyrus gave a frustrated growl and just shook his head in annoyance.

"Lady Cynder was corrupted into an adult form from a very young age. She spent YEARS in that state… and turned out FINE." He huffed. "On top of that, she was FORCED into taking the convexity, whereas I chose it happily." He beat his muscular chest. "Convexity has made me into the mighty black drake I was born to be, Tina. This is who I am, whether you like it or not."

Tina just sighed and shook her head; she couldn't get through to him like this. She'd need some outside help… actually, she needed to get herself and the others free. But what could she say to get Cyrus to relent?

"I… I don't want to lose you, Cyrus." Tina said sadly. "Please don't leave me to rot in a cell." Tina shook her restrained limbs "I get that you're angry at Lantel and Helianne… maybe even Chalice and the rest of our friends. But why am I locked up?"

Cyrus cast his eyes down to the floor, and he wracked his talons cautiously upon the stone. He then looked her in the eyes and sighed.

"I… didn't think there was hope left," Cyrus said. "For there ever being an us… now that I'm like this."

The great black dragon fanned out his fat wings in the cramped cell. He then closed them up and snorted as he looked upon the little dark-yellow dragoness. There was sadness in his eyes; Tina could see it plain as day.

"Anyway, as for letting you go… I'm not sure yet." Cyrus snorted. "Bergan has left me in charge of you and the others. I won't bring harm to those arsehole twins, or any of the apprentices… but I don't want any of them running around starting trouble. Nor can I be sure that I can trust you to not mess with Bergan's plans."

"I won't cause you any trouble! I promise!" Tina exclaimed. "And… And why are you working for Bergan now, anyway? He's the reason all of the younglings were taken from Warfang!"

"But he's RIGHT that there are still bigots infesting the city as we speak." Cyrus insisted. "Nothing my mom did ever got those murderous creeps caught." He held up both of his forepaws. "The extremists made life a nightmare for white dragons, and the Sons of Culmubrae kept trying to kill my brother and me." He clamped his forepaws into fists and struck the floor. "Well, I'm sick of Warfang being a WarZONE. If Began has a plan to make our city a better place, then I'm working with HIM."

Tina tried to think of what to say… but couldn't think of anything. She was loathed to admit it, but Bergan did have a point in that regard: Queen Elenar had made little progress in making the city safe for the younger dragons of Warfang.

"But… But that doesn't mean his way of doing things is the right way." Tina protested. "He still brought all of these children here against their will."

"What, was he supposed to send out permission slips to all their parents and wait patiently while Warfang BURNED?" Cyrus scoffed. "He did what he had to do, Tina. All we can do now is go forward to make Warfang a better place."

"So… So that's it, then." Tina frowned. "I'm stuck here."

"Only for the time being…" Cyrus gave a soft breath as he leaned his head down toward hers. "I only want to make sure that you don't get hurt, Tina. Do you trust me?"

"I….." Tina lowered her head to the floor and sighed in defeat. "I guess trust you, Cyrus."

The black dragon smiled at that. "I have to leave now: Bergan needs my assistance. But before I go… may I kiss you?"

Tina flinched back a bit. Did he seriously just ask for a kiss? Exactly what about this moment made Cyrus think that it was appropriate to ask for that? Just look at him: he'd swelled up into a ridiculously-huge, overly-muscular brute! And yet… Tina didn't want to think about what might happen if she enraged the black dragon; not in what kind of a position she was in.

"If I let you kiss me… will you let me out of some of these chains?"

Cyrus rumbled in his throat a bit. "… I'll loosen some of them. But that's all."

"Fine…" Tina sighed in defeat; perhaps that was the best she could hope to get out of him right now.

So, with a heart full of trepidation, Tina lifted her head and puckered her lips. She shut her eyes and waited for Cyrus to have his fun.

And it didn't take long to feel his lips press against hers. There was an odd layer of warmth, followed by the feeling of his weight shifting against her. Her scales shuddered as she felt part of his tongue slide its way into her maw. Ugh, was this what all kisses felt like? She hoped not; maybe it was just the convexity coursing through Cyrus's veins that was making him act this way.

I'll just assume that your head is being messed with, Cy… for your sake.

After what felt like far too long, Cyrus finally broke the kiss. He then reached down with a forepaw to tinker around with part of Tina's shackles. Before long, the chafing began to finally die down, and Tina sighed in relief as her ankles got some sweet release. But alas, they still held onto her just enough to keep her from wiggling free.

"When are you going to let me go free?" Tina demanded as she opened her eyes. "If you really love me, you'll let me out of here."

"Not yet: I already told you." Cyrus scolded. He backed out of the cage and closed the door shut. After locking it, the black drake swung his tail from side to side. "I'll send Aunt Elza to bring you food later."

"Wait!" Tina exclaimed. "Your aunt! Think about your aunt! Are you really okay with her being mind-controlled into being Bergan's puppet?! Think about how much she's done for you over the years!"

Cyrus rumbled in his throat as he rose his head up. He bit his lower lip as he thought to himself. Tina sucked in a breath; maybe that was the one thing he needed to hear to start thinking rationally.

Please, please, please…

"It doesn't matter." Cyrus declared. "If Aunt Elza gets free, then she'll only try to stop Bergan from helping the children. She'll have to remain in that state until we've fulfilled the mission."

And just like that, all of Tina's hopes came crashing down, and her ear frills drooped. Cyrus just ignored that as he grasped the cell door to close and lock it.

"I'll come to visit you later tonight, so we can talk about things here and there," Cyrus said as put the key away in his satchel. "For now… See ya."

And with that, the black dragon turned and marched his way down the corridor. And Tina was left all alone. She sighed in defeat and slumped against the wall. The only thing she could do now was hope to find some means of escape.

Cyrus isn't completely gone. He could have taken me by force: I was completely helpless. Tina thought with a shudder. But instead, he only wanted a kiss, and he promised that I wouldn't get hurt. I guess Shorty hasn't been turned completely evil after all… Oof, I probably can't call him Shorty anymore...

She sighed and shook her head.

I wonder if there are some means of convincing him to let me and the others go. If he wants me to be his girlfriend, then maybe I could sweet-talk him into doing what I want. Then again, knowing Lantel, he'll probably try to incite a rebellion from the first moment he gets out of his shackles. And some of the students just might listen… unfortunately, that would give Cyrus an excuse to use his newfound power to get… violent.

Tina shuddered at the idea of Cyrus unleashing his convexity powers to torture Lantel, or worse… it made Tina sick to her stomach.

I shouldn't think like that. For now, I need to just focus on thinking of a plan to free the others.

The first thing Tina did was think back to what Cyrus said about Cynder's corruption all that time ago.

Okay, so Cyrus was corrupted by convexity into the beast he is now… just like what happened to Lady Cynder long ago. Lord Spyro managed to free her of that corruption. But… how do I replicate that to help Cyrus?

Tina spent a good fifteen minutes working on how to free him. She came up with one plan, maybe two… but as she played the scenarios out in her head, they quickly fell to disaster.

Oh, this is hopeless. Tina sighed. Chalice was always better at thinking this stuff up. I need them to come up with a plan… but that would mean having the plan to free Chalice so Chalice can make a plan! UGH!

As Tina was scowling in frustration, she heard someone approaching from down the hall. She perked her head up in time to see Elza stepping into the light. She held a tray of food in her muzzle as she stared forward blankly. Elza carefully opened the door, placed the tray of food on the floor, and pushed it forward so it was within reach of Tina.

"Uh… thank you, Lady Elza," Tina said with a frown; it was so surreal seeing the wind dragoness like this.

As Tina ate the meat, she glanced up at Elza; the Deep Shadow stood as still as a statue the whole while. She didn't even look at Tina; she just gazed forward at the stone wall behind her.

Why's she acting this way? Tina wondered. What kind of weirdo magic did Bergan work on her? Why would-?

It was at that moment that Tina finally laid her eyes upon the gem Elza wore around her neck. It was mostly concealed by her dark robes, but the sparkling top of the gem shined through. It wasn't exactly evidence to go off of, but it was the only thing that was different about Elza's attire; maybe that was the key to figuring this out.

I have to get that gem away from Elza… Tina grimaced. But how?

A minute later, Tina was almost finished with her meal. She looked up at Elza again and wracked her brain. Until, finally, she got an idea. Tina lightly nudged the tray with her muzzle and pushed it forward before Elza's forepaws.

"I'm finished eating," Tina said as she looked Elza right into her glazed eyes. "You can take the rest away, please."

Elza silently stepped forward and reached down to grasp the tray with her muzzle. Tina then abruptly pulled the tray backward a bit. Without a word, Elza moved her neck forward a bit more to grasp it. Then Tina moved the tray even further back, forcing Elza to slump forward even more. And it was just enough for the tip of the gem on her necklace to slide forward out of the neck-hole, until finally, the whole thing plopped out.

Tina grinned in satisfaction; she tossed the tray off to the side so that Elza would mindlessly reach over to grasp it. Once Elza had exposed the gem all the way, Tina snapped forward with her forepaw and grasped the gem. She then pulled back with all her might, going as far as the chains would allow her to go. Elza struggled against the tugging of the necklace; she focused completely on the tray and didn't bother to stop as she choked a bit.

Come on… Tina thought as she pulled with all her might. Break, darn it…

Elza kept tugging more and more, until finally…

SNAP!

The stress on the chain was finally too much, and it snapped in half. Tina was slammed back against the wall; the gem crashed onto the floor and bounced around. Meanwhile, Elza slammed her head against the wall and fell forward in a heap. Tina winced as she looked down at the Deep Shadow.

I hope I didn't cause too much pain.

After a moment, the wind dragoness began to grumble and moan. The glazed look in her eyes was gone, and she shook her head and snorted in frustration.

"Ugh, what…?" She blinked and stood up. "What happened?"

"Lady Elza!" Tina exclaimed happily. "You're back to normal!"

"Wh-What?!" Elza looked down at the dark-yellow dragoness in surprise. "T-Tina? What happened? Why are you chained up? And…" She looked out the window and balked at the surreal scenery in the distance.

"Wh-What's going on?" Elza asked incredulously. "Where are we?! What happened to Bergan?"

"Well…" Tina sighed. "It's a long story. You might want to sit down for this… uh, but maybe after you get me out of these chains, please?"

"Sure, dear…" Elza clicked her tongue. "Right away."

As Elza set to work freeing Tina from the bonds, the younger dragoness explained everything that had happened so far: the fires spread across Warfang, the children gathered in The Nexus, and how Bergan somehow transported the entire fortress to the realm of Convexity.

"…And he used you to help him put the children to sleep, too," Tina said. "He had you use a Siren's Song."

"Ugh, of COURSE…" Elza snarled furiously as she removed the collar from Tina's neck. "I'm going to have Bergan's head on a pike when I'm through with him!"

"Uhhh… s-sure." Tina chuckled awkwardly. She shook her limbs out and stepped off to the side to massage her wrists and ankles; they were still quite a bit red from the tightness of the chains previously.

"But first of all…" Elza sighed and sat down. "We need to find a way out of this place; it's not safe anymore. We'll need the means to transport all of the children out of here and back home."

"Yeah, but how do we do that?" Tina asked with a shrug. "I don't know the first thing about channeling convexity magic, and that's the only thing I can think of as a semi-clue as to how to get back."

"You were thinking the convexity might help?" Elza asked with a snort.

"Well yeah." Tina flapped her wings. "It's not like we can just walk right on out of the dimension, Lady Elza."

"Hmm…" Elza tapped her chin as she turned around. She tilted her head back in thought for a moment, and then sighed and put her forepaw down.

"Alright… I think I've got the workings of a plan going." Elza said. "But Tina… I'm going to have to get you back into the chains for a while."

"What?" Tina exclaimed.

"We need to keep up appearances that we're not up to anything." Elza continued as she picked up the chains. "I know this sucks, but it'll only be for a little while. I've got some reconnaissance I've got to do in the meantime. Just trust me, okay?"

"Well, okay…" Tina said glumly. She straightened out her neck as Elza put the collar back on.

"So… what's the plan?"

~~…~~

Elza took slow, steady breaths as she concentrated on making her way through the corridor. She needed to be careful not to attract too much attention to herself as she skulked around the hallways.

The atmosphere around The Nexus was so… different. Everything was quieter, save for the hushed whispers of the younglings as they made their way about the fortress. Most of the younglings avoided direct contact with Elza; perhaps they feared that she served Bergan blindly. That fact made Elza snarl; she'd have to pay the purple cretin back for all he'd done.

The chapel was awash with purple light of varying hues as the energy crashed down through the opening. Thunder boomed as the flow of convexity darted its way across the multiple metal beams and collided with the altar. And standing at the altar, with that sardonic grin on his face, was Bergan. He used a metal gauntlet to control the flow of the convexity; twisting and binding it according to his will.

Were Elza and Bergan alone in the chapel, she just might have tried to make a move against him. But alas, Bergan was far from alone: The hulking form of Cyrus stood across from the purple drake. Just the sight of the mutated dragon left Elza horrified; she had to fight to keep from shaking. And he was just one of many dragons in the room; several members of the Crazy Aces were gathered around, watching silently as Bergan worked his magic.

The strangest one among the group was a golden-scaled drake, clad in fancy armor that Elza recognized as belonging to Prince Lantel. But it wasn't Lantel; this drake was far too lanky. The golden dragon had his mask lifted, and he casually ate an apple as he watched Bergan performing the strange ritual.

What's going on in here? Elza thought silently.

Soon, the light show came to an end at a wave of Bergan's forepaw, and smoke rose from the top of the altar. There, glistening with shades of purple and violet, were a series of convexity gems. The gang members gasped in surprise, While Bergan carefully picked one of the gems up between two gauntleted talons.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Bergan snickered. "I've never been able to produce such large convexity crystals before. Nor have I been able to mass-produce them as I have now!"

Bergan gathered up the crystals and put them inside a large sack. He then placed the sack down on the floor behind him; several other sacks were stuffed to the brim with crystals.

"Is that why you stole The Nexus, then?" Cyrus snorted. "To use its technology to make a whole bunch of convexity gems?"

"Well, I needed to come up with quite a lot of things in a hurry. And making them the old-fashioned way was taking far too long." Bergan fluttered his wings and snorted. Before Cyrus could even open his jaws, the purple drake tapped him on the snout. "And no: I'm not telling you what the old-fashioned way IS. You'll have to figure that out for yourself someday."

"Hmph. Fine…" Cyrus rolled his eyes. He looked over at the sacks of convexity crystals and twitched his tail. "So… why do you need so many convexity crystals, anyway? It can't be to give yourself phenomenal cosmic power."

"Indeed." Bergan chuckled again. "I don't want to tell you up-front and give you the wrong impression. For now, suffice it to say that a certain somebody was promised a heaping helping of convexity to power some new toys I made for him." Bergan fluttered his wings. "At the rate, I've been working to produce these crystals, I think his liberation schemes will be up and running within a few days."

"Uh-huh…" Cyrus raised an eye ridge.

That can't be good, Elza thought with a shudder. She could already think of one dragon in particular who might be collecting those gems.

"How good for him…" The golden-scaled drake rolled his eyes between bites of his apple. "You don't honestly think that giving Saul convexity will go well, do you?"

Bergan looked at him cheekily. "You think it won't turn out well, Mr. Bulb?"

"Shouldn't you KNOW that it won't turn out well?" Bulb replied with a flap of his wings. "Surely you can see something coming, Mr. Oracle. Gathering up a bunch of gems infused with supernatural power, and just tossing them into a power-hungry dragon's lap…" Bulb raised an eye ridge. "None of this seems like the slightest bit of a bad idea?"

"Hmm…" Bergan scratched his chin. "I suppose, on the surface, it seems like a terrible idea. However, I've got one thing going to keep things under control…" Bergan reached into his robes and pulled out the Lilac Grimoire.

"Heh, a book." Bulb snorted. "Truly, the day is saved."

"Oh, shut up." Cyrus snapped. "What do you care, anyway? Isn't your little gang still working FOR Saul?"

Bulb gave the black drake a sarcastic smile. "Only because he's Jonathan's Dad, Princey-poo."

"Boy, boys, settle down." Bergan scolded each of them in turn. "But to explain things further, Mr. Bulb: I've been following the instructions for the creation of these crystals very carefully." The purple drake patted the cover of the grimoire. "There's a very detailed method for transforming the raw energy of this realm into a purified crystalline state…" Bergan gestured to the sacks. "I've kept a very close count of how many convexity crystals I've made, as well as the exact measurements of their sizes. Plus, with proper distribution, there should be no risk from using them to power the gauntlets."

"Uh-huh." Bulb snorted again. "You must be VERY trusting of Saul."

"Oh, even if he gathered them all up to use them at once, there isn't enough power to deal any lasting damage." Saul continued. "These crystals are very pure and very fragile; if he feasted upon them, he'd burn himself out within a day. And besides; he's convinced that he's the hero of his story." Bergan chuckled. "He wishes to be welcomed back by his people with fanfare and cheering crowds; he wouldn't make a fool of himself so easily."

"Right…" Bulb said with a nod. "Good for him…"

Bergan gathered up crystals to place them inside a cloth bag. As he did so, Cyrus looked down at the large tray of crystals gleaming in the light. He licked his chops hungrily as he reached for one of them… only for Bergan to swat his forepaw away.

"Uh-uh-uh!" Bergan waged a talon in Cyrus's face. "I'm afraid you've had plenty of convexity, my dear General."

"Are you serious?" Cyrus growled. "Can't you just make more crystals to replace the ones I consume? Who's going to miss a single crystal?!"

"It's not a matter of keeping supplies stocked, Cyrus." Bergan continued as he put the bag away in his cloak. "It's a matter of keeping you from killing yourself."

Cyrus flinched. "Wh-What?"

"Just because you know how to swim, doesn't mean you should go deep-sea diving into the ocean." Bergan adjusted the metal beams to begin channeling some more of the energy. "And believe me… impure convexity can be a very addictive pool to swim in."

"And how would you know?" Cyrus demanded.

"I don't have to know from personal experience; instead, I look back upon history to learn from the mistakes of others…"

The chapel lit up with purple light as Bergan continued to create more convexity crystals. The purple drake hummed a merry tune to himself as he continued the process all over again.

"You're referring to Malefor, aren't you?" Cyrus asked.

"Perhaps…" Bergan stopped the machinery and gathered up the new batch of crystals. "But I prefer a story about another purple dragon; one that just might have some parallels to your experiences."

"What are you talking about?"

"Would you care to hear a story about a purple dragoness?" Bergan asked cheekily as he wiped down the altar. "It's not too long, and it just might be eye-opening for you."

Bulb grinned; stepped a bit closer and took another bite of his apple. "I'm all ears."

"Ugh, fine…" Cyrus rolled his eyes. "But make it quick, Bergan."

Bergan gave a nod as he adjusted the machinery once more. He cleared out his throat and shifted to stand up taller to begin the story.

"A long time ago, there was a purple dragoness. She was fair-faced, full of grace, and dressed in pretty lace…" Bergan snickered, especially after the gang members in the room groaned at his rhyming. "The point is, she was very beautiful and equally powerful. Many dragons were in awe at the way she commanded the various elements of magic. At least… they were, for a brief time. But alas, things changed, and she was upstaged."

"Upstaged?" Cyrus repeated curiously.

"Indeed…" Bergan set up the machinery to create more crystals. "And by her own younger brother; a black dragon. He proved to have even more potent magic in his blood and shocked the world with his power. And as the two grew, more and more dragons loved the brother, whilst ignoring the purple dragoness. In time, some even forgot that the two were siblings. And by the time she was finally an adult, some had even forgotten she was even ALIVE."

The machinery roared to life as Bergan set to work creating more crystals.

"The purple dragoness hated being ignored and forgotten by the whole of society!" Bergan shouted over the noise of the thunder. "Her anger and jealousy grew so vast, that she decided to leave home and find some means of gaining power and recognition! And she left under the cover of night, leaving her parents shocked to find her missing the next morning!"

The thunder stopped, and the light disappeared. Bergan scooped up more crystals to store them away.

"The dragoness quietly wandered through all corners of the dragon realms. She gathered up as much information as she could about different schools of magic…" Bergan wiped off the altar once again. "She studied with the moles, the Atlawa, the cheetahs, the lagomorphs… any groups of beings who had non-draconic magic, all so she could have a leg up upon her naturally-gifted brother. And one day, her travels led her to the foot of Mount Erebus."

"She went to the shadow dragons?" Cyrus snorted. "What's the point in that?"

"I can't say for sure… but she was interested in learning what she could about the Well of Souls…" Bergan chuckled. "And after learning everything she could, she compiled all of her information into a manuscript; a little book of all the spells, rituals, and mysterious practices to be found in the dragon realms. And this book was made into copies, to be hidden away in all corners of the kingdoms."

"Why would she bother with that?" Cyrus asked.

"I can't say for certain…" Bergan shrugged. "Perhaps she just thought it was a good idea."

"Or maybe…" Bulb spoke up with a raised eye ridge. "She was convinced to leave some copies lying around for future generations. That's what I'd do, anyway; always gotta have some backup plans."

"Who asked you?" Cyrus snapped. The golden drake only gave him a cheeky grin, before biting into his apple with a bit more force.

"Well, whatever the reason…" Bergan continued with a roll of his eyes. "After she made copies of her manuscript, she stepped forward with her big plans."

"Plans?" Cyrus tapped a talon on the floor. "What plans?"

"Revenge, of course." Bergan sighed. "Revenge against the family that spurned her and her talents in her youth. The purple dragoness wanted to prove, once and for all, that she was superior to her brother… and even to her parents. She came under the cover of night… with an army of crepsculi following behind her."

Thunder boomed as Bergan began to create yet another batch of convexity crystals.

"The dragoness launched a brutal attack, intent on burning her home city to the ground. She disguised herself, just so she could save the reveal of her identity for her BIG MOMENT. That is, she wanted to beat her brother down in a fight to the death, and give away her identity just moments before the life left his eyes."

"I… see…" Cyrus rumbled uneasily.

"Of course, fate had different plans." Bergan declared. "Before she could cut down her brother and reveal her true form, who should arrive on the scene but their parents? Old age had done little to diminish their fighting spirits, which they were quick to prove in battle. They fought back brutally, and even dealt a killing blow with a slash across the neck of the purple dragoness!"

Thunder boomed once more, but not of Bergan's design.

"After the blood spilled down her neck, the dragoness fell over and died quickly. Then the mask fell from her face… and boy, were her family members horrified to learn the truth."

Cyrus gulped awkwardly, while the Crazy Aces all exchanged uneasy glances. Bulb pursed his lips, and tapped his talons on the floor.

"And that was the sad end of the jealous purple dragoness." Bergan sighed. "Her family did everything in their power to hide the truth from the public. They put on a big show of shaming the slain villain who had invaded their home… while secretly burying her body in the family graveyard, with all knowledge of her evil deeds hidden."

"Is… is there a point to this story?" Cyrus demanded.

"The point of the story, my dear General, is that you'd best be sure you don't become obsessed with trying to prove that you're superior to your brother." Bergan turned and gave Cyrus a concerned expression. "I want you to keep this cautionary tale in mind. The purple dragoness had great magical power… but it failed her. Her obsession with outperforming her brother drove her mad, and her family was left mourning her loss. Don't make her mistakes; don't constantly compare yourself with Prince Rune. Be your own person. Be the real you, underneath all of your artificial musculature."

Cyrus growled and tapped his talons on the floor once again.

"How I see myself in comparison to Rune is of no concern to you, Bergan. I'll help you with whatever plans you've got going here regarding the convexity. But when this power-up wears off…" He lowered his head to glare into Bergan's eyes. "I want more."

"Hmph. Only time will tell if you keep that opinion…" Bergan rolled his eyes. He turned toward the bleachers of the chapel and extended his wings. "Alright, let's get all of these crystals to the vault. I want each of you to carry some. But don't go trying to swipe any convexity crystals for yourselves. Trust me: I'll know if there's any missing… Kass."

The water drake flinched. He backed up against the dragoness to his side, who pushed him away.

"Get off of me, Kass." She snapped.

"Ugh, give me a break." Kass groaned. "I swear I wasn't planning on stealing anything, Mr. Bergan."

"Hmph. See that you don't…" Bergan laughed. He picked up a bag and tossed it over to Kass. "Line up, all of you. I can't carry all of this myself."

One by one, the Crazy Aces stood up to approach Bergan to gather up some of the sacks at his discretion. All the while, Elza quietly snuck around the pillars to find some means to escape the room undetected. It helped that the flashing purple thunder and the awkward shouts of the teenagers provided natural distractions. Of course, being a Deep Shadow, Elza had had more than her fair share of finding ways to sneak around undetected.

"Say, Mr. Bergan…" Bulb spoke up as he slung a sack over his shoulder. "I've got a question for ya, regarding that story."

"Hmm?" Bergan turned to give him a curious gaze. "What is it?"

"This purple dragoness…" Bulb stepped up to the purple drake and scratched his chin. "Did she happen to… have any kids?"

Bergan gave him a dumbfounded look. "Excuse me?"

"You know; eggs." Bulb extended his wings as his armor clanked around. "Another backup plan of sorts… for the ritual."

Bergan bit his lower lip. "Which ritual?"

Bulb's eyes gleamed. "The Revival Ritual."

The other members stopped and look at the golden drake in confusion. Elza peeked around a pillar to look at him. Even Cyrus seemed stunned at the declaration.

"How… How do you know about that?" Bergan demanded.

"I know about it, from our dear prince here." Bulb gestured gleefully toward Cyrus. "He loves to remind everyone who'll listen for five seconds about how he went on that big quest to bring back his mom."

Cyrus growled, but said nothing about it, while Bergan took a breath.

"I… I suppose that the dragoness put it in the manuscript." He said. "But I wouldn't know if she… had children specifically for…" He tugged on his beard. "Bringing her back."

"Hmph. Interesting…" Bulb chuckled a little. "And here I thought you knew everything about everything, Mr. Bergan."

Bergan simply snorted at that. "Well, I know enough to say that the Revival Ritual is a dangerous bit of magic, and not to be trifled with." He hefted up a sack. "Now enough of this; there's work to do."

"Sure thing, Mr. Bergan." Bulb gave a quick smile and a bow of his head. "Whatever you say."

With that said, Bulb rejoined the Crazy Aces in hauling crystals in sacks toward the vault. And Elza quietly snuck her way out of the room.

But as Elza left the room, Bergan casually tugged on his collar. He wracked his talons on the stone altar and began to hum another merry tune.

Keep your nose close to the ground, Elza. Bergan thought with a smirk.

~~…~~

Greetings, friends and loved ones.

It took me a bit longer to work on Act 3's chapters than I would have liked, but hey, it's finally time for more chapters! And this Act is going to be a bit longer than the other two (individually). Here's hoping you like the new scenes, as well as the changes I'm making here and there.

Tenebra ecce Veritas.