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.

33. Act 3, Chapter 6

Lantel held a nervous expression as he sat in one of the bleachers. He was stuck in the chapel, watching as Bergan filled the air with bursts of purple light. Soon, another batch of convexity crystals sat neatly arranged on the altar. It wasn't the most pleasant experience, watching this unfold. Lantel couldn't be sure what sinister plans the purple dragon had in store. Still, being stuck here in the chapel was preferable to be locked in the dungeons down below.

"Hmm, I'd say that the final preparations are just about done," Bergan said with a small smile. "All that's left to do is make our way to Glenhaven to watch the spectacle unfold."

"Glenhaven?" Lantel asked in astonishment.

"Oh, yes." Bergan nodded. "You didn't think I was just going to have you sit around doing nothing, did you?" He stood up taller and stretched out his back. "Oh no; we need to be sure that everything's ready for the final act of Saul's play."

"And just what does that entail?" Lantel demanded.

"It's quite simple." Bergan chuckled. "First, we'll need to…"

The sounds of a side door being pushed open drew the pair's attention. When he glanced over, Lantel got quite the surprise; Cyrus was walking in, and he was considerably shorter than he was before. Bergan scratched his chin curiously as the black prince approached with a dour expression.

"Hmm…" Bergan raised an eye ridge. "You must have used quite a bit of power for something, to wind up nearly back to your old self."

Cyrus huffed a frustrated breath of air. "I had to; Ricin would have died if I hadn't done something."

For the second time (from what Lantel could tell), Bergan appeared genuinely surprised. He stepped closer and looked down at Cyrus with pursed lips. The purple drake's talons twitched as he resisted the urge to reach into his cloak for a crystal ball.

"…Died?" Bergan repeated. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Cyrus lifted his head to glare at Bergan. He then opened a pocket on his satchel and pulled out the dart he'd fetched from Ricin's head.

"BULB happened," Cyrus growled. "He shot Ricin, who tumbled backward and nearly plummeted into the abyss!"

"Wh-what?" Bergan snatched the dart from Cyrus's paw and delicately held it up to the light. "Where did you… where did HE get this?"

"From YOU." Cyrus stamped his paw. "You're the one who gave him the blowdart, aren't you?"

"Yes… but he always had a very limited amount of darts. I was sure of it." Bergan put the dart away with a serious expression. "I made every one of his darts myself. He couldn't have had one more."

"Maybe he stole it." Lantel declared, drawing the drakes' attention. "That Bulb has had some very sticky talons, Bergan. Need I remind you that he stole my armor?"

"Hmm…" Bergan glowered as he walked around the altar.

"Every time you're away, he pulls some sneaky crap." Cyrus stepped forward. "He's up to something, and you need to deal with him before things get worse!"

"Hmm…" Bergan said again. "Maybe you're right. He's… He's a very strange boy. Let's see…"

Bergan pulled out a crystal ball and held it up to the light. He focused his gaze upon it as the clouds within swirled. And as the purple dragon stared into the ball, Lantel got up from the bleachers and approached the altar. Cyrus saw him get close and growled.

"Cyrus…" Lantel said with a deep breath. "We need to-"

"Don't you start with me." Cyrus flashed his fangs. "I can still kick your arse. You start a fight, and I'll FINISH IT."

"I just want to talk." Lantel scowled.

"About WHAT?" Cyrus snapped.

"It's… complicated." Lantel bit his lower lip. "But listen; I… I don't want to fight you. I never did."

"Yeah. Sure." The black prince rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Cyrus, things have gotten way out of grasp." Lantel continued. "There's trouble brewing, and we need to work together if we're going to help all the students here."

Cyrus just snorted again and shook his head. "I don't need your help; I know exactly what to do."

"Really…" Lantel's eyes narrowed. "And that is that."

Cyrus cleared his throat and stood up taller. He tapped his talon on the altar to get Bergan's attention. The purple drake blinked and looked up from his crystal ball, and pursed his lips as he saw Cyrus's paw resting near one of the convexity gems.

"Don't think you're getting any more, Cyrus." Bergan declared.

Cyrus's eye twitched and he put his paw down. "I… I just wanted your attention. I need your help with something."

"And what would that be?" Bergan raised an eye ridge.

"I…" Cyrus shivered a bit. "I need help creating another portal, so I can send my friends back to Warfang."

"Is that so?" Bergan put his crystal ball away.

"None of them are involved in any of this, or at least they shouldn't be." Cyrus continued. "So… I just need some help. That's all I ask."

"I see…" Bergan looked Cyrus over and clicked his tongue. "But frankly, I don't think you need any of my help. You have just enough convexity left to do it yourself."

Cyrus blinked. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me, my prince." Bergan gestured to Cyrus's form. "You've got just enough left. If you'd like to send your friends home, be my guest."

"But, I…" Cyrus looked down at his limbs; he had just a bit of musculature left, though his original frame was peeking out beneath it. He could feel the slightest tendrils of convexity flowing through his veins. The prince wrapped this tail around himself and shivered.

"I warned you from the start that your transformation was only temporary, Cyrus," Bergan said sternly. He gathered up the convexity crystals and stuck them into a sack. "It'll be for the best when you're finally back to normal."

"But…" Cyrus shivered even more. "I… I've already lost so much. I… don't want to go without the very last thing keeping me from looking like a… like a…"

"There are other ways of getting the body you want," Bergan said as he gathered up the sacks. "You definitely should get that convexity fully out of your system. And using it to help your friends is the most constructive method."

"But… I thought you needed me to be your General!" Cyrus exclaimed.

Bergan gave a sly smile. "That… That was some cheeky fun on my part."

"So…" Cyrus's eyes turned sunken. "I was never really helping you?"

"I never said that." Bergan shook his head. "You've been a big help. And as the black dragon prince, all of the students here are your subjects. I needed your help to maintain order, just as I do now."

"What do you mean?"

"Cyrus, I'll need you to keep the students calm and collected while Lantel and I are away in Glenhaven."

Bergan held a sack out toward Lantel, who nervously took it in his forepaw. Cyrus watched this incredulously and then scowled up at the purple drake.

"You can't even have me come along to help in Glenhaven?!"

"Need I remind you that you are on Saul's list of dragons to kill?" Bergan scolded. "The moment he sees you, he'll stop at nothing until you're slain. It's for the best that you stay far away, where he can't find you…" Bergan looked over at Lantel. "Now, you be careful with those crystals; they need to be undamaged for when we go to Glenhaven Palace to-"

"Why are you doing this?" Lantel demanded; he held up the sack and shook it. "Why are you helping Saul wage war against the desert city?!"

"Hmm?" Bergan raised an eye ridge.

"None of what you're doing makes any sense!" Lantel continued. "Hasn't your whole philosophy been about HELPING people? Don't you like going around, saving as many lives as you can from destruction and terror and all of those awful things?!"

"Of course." Bergan nodded.

"So… then WHY are you helping Saul SPREAD destruction and terror?!" Lantel flapped his wings. "You're committing what are essentially war crimes! The moment it gets around that you were helping Saul, everyone's going to turn against you AND your trading company!" Lantel stamped his forepaw. "Haven't you thought any of this through at all?!"

Bergan gave a soft sigh. He put down his crystals and made to step over toward Lantel. The golden prince flinched, expecting some violent retaliation… but instead, the purple drake simply sat on his haunches and put on a sigh.

"All of this does seem bad, I'm sure." He nodded his head. "But I'll say something to put things into context; those crystals, that you're carrying, are for the Elders."

Lantel and Cyrus both blinked in confusion.

"Wh-what?" Cyrus asked incredulously.

"Oh, do I have to spell everything out?" Bergan asked. "You two are smart boys, aren't you?" He wracked his talons on the altar. "Back before I even left for Warfang, and Saul left for Aeroshard… I sent along my Vice President and my dear friend Nymph with him…" Bergan pointed a talon in the air. "To sneak along and warn the Elders of Nymph of Saul's oncoming warpath."

Lantel's eyes widened. "You did what?"

"That's not all I did." Bergan grinned, as he turned to look at Cyrus again. "Recall how you and I popped over to the Well of Souls, and we unexpectedly encountered the recently revived Spyro and Cynder."

Lantel nearly fell off his paws. "What?!"

Cyrus bit his lower lip and looked away from Lantel. "It's… a long story."

"But still relevant, lads." Bergan snapped his talons. "I took the opportunity of giving them, as well as Queen Elenar, their warning. I imagine they'll be off to Glenhaven themselves to try and put a stop to Saul's plans."

"So… wait…" Lantel rubbed his head. "You've… you've been setting Saul up to fail?"

"All from the start, my dear boy." Bergan nodded. "And at this moment, Saul's been tricked into bringing along one hundred magical gauntlets… that will fail him after burning through that convexity within minutes of being used."

"But… But why?" Lantel asked as he massaged his temple. "Why go through something so convoluted? Why not just sit back and let Saul flounder around in the dragon realms, making enemies of everyone around him?"

Bergan took a deep breath and rubbed his temple.

"Because there are a lot of things at work, my dear prince." He said calmly. "But to try and keep things simple: it's better to keep a mad dog on a leash than to leave it rampaging around."

Lantel snorted. "You're still not making any sense."

"I suppose not." Bergan shrugged his shoulders. "But no matter; I've got a batch of proper convexity gems here, and they need to be delivered to the Elders to ensure that the real prize is powered up." He looked over at Cyrus. "Now, do you understand why you need to stay here, right Cyrus?"

"I…" Cyrus snorted and shook his head. "I don't. If Saul is being set up to fail… then why can't I go see my brother?" He narrowed his eyes. "Is it too dangerous for me to make sure that Rune is okay?"

Bergan frowned. "I'll let you know when the battle is over and done with. Then, and only then, will I take you to go see him. But I promise you; so long as everyone listens to me, then everything will be fine. Just stay here, and keep an eye on the students; show me what a proud and good future king you can be for your subjects."

Cyrus gnashed his fangs… and then snorted in defeat as he fell back onto his haunches. "Fine. I'll do what you say."

"Excellent…" Bergan smiled, and then looked over at Lantel. "Alright, now help me carry these sacks over to the center of the chapel, please."

"Sure, I guess…" Lantel grunted as he hefted up the bag.

Cyrus watched with a scowl as Bergan and Lantel walked around him to walk down the aisle.

"We'll need to ensure there's plenty of room for when I open up the portal," Bergan said as he held a forepaw out. "We don't want to get stuck in anything."

"But, what about Bulb?" Lantel asked. "Isn't he still lurking around?"

Bergan's eyes narrowed, and he snorted. "I… Didn't see anything surrounding what he has in mind."

Lantel glowered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I…" Bergan clattered his fangs. "I… don't really know myself."

"What?" Cyrus balked. "But didn't you peer into one of those crystal balls of yours?"

"Yes. And I… saw nothing." Bergan looked back at Cyrus. "Nothing at all."

"But that doesn't make sense," Cyrus said. "He followed me and the apprentices out to that weird altar. That CAN'T be a good thing; he could be trying to activate it right now, or something!"

"But he hasn't. He can't." Bergan said, with a slight air of worry. "He doesn't have the means. And I didn't see him do anything. If he had a plan, I'd know it…"

"Plan or no plan, you should go do something about him!" Cyrus exclaimed. "There's something very wrong about that guy, Bergan!"

"Keep your head on straight, lad." Bergan shook his head. "I can assure you, everything is all under-"

There was a flash of blue.

Cyrus groaned as everything around him shifted. He blinked and rubbed his eyes as he looked over at Bergan and Cyrus. The two were frozen in place, mid-conversation, and mid-step. Everything echoed strangely about his ear frills…

Cyrus gasped; time was frozen. But he didn't use any magic, and Bergan clearly hadn't done so, or else he'd be walking around normally. But that could only mean…

"Hi there."

Cyrus snarled as he whirled around. There Bulb was, standing with his nonchalant grin behind the altar.

"You…" Cyrus snarled. He spread out his wings and made ready to charge… but then Bulb held his blow dart to his lips.

"Uh, uh, uh!" Bulb said playfully as he wagged a talon in the air. "I'd cool off and just listen if I were you, Princey-poo."

Cyrus's eye twitched and he forced himself to fall back onto his haunches. He flapped his wings irritably as he snarled lowly at the lanky dragon.

"What do you want NOW?" Cyrus demanded. "Are you mad that I was about to rat you out to Bergan?"

Bulb only laughed as he trotted around the altar and made his way toward Bergan and Lantel.

"He'll figure it out sooner or later." Bulb said as he came to a stop beside Lantel. "Now, as for this guy… my, what a big tough prince he is!" He smirked back at Cyrus. "I can see why you envy him."

"What?" Cyrus snarled.

"Oh, come on…" Bulb put a forepaw on Lantel's muscular foreleg. "This guy is everything you've ever wanted to be. Big, macho, muscular… and he even has a perfectly pretty face!" Bulb pretended to bow to the golden prince, while his armor jingled around. "I could never pull off that look; must be why this armor is so loose on me."

Cyrus's eye twitched again and he held his tongue as Bulb ran a talon across Lantel's muzzle. Cyrus half-expected the lanky dragon to slit the golden prince's throat. But instead, Bulb moved his muzzle down to the sack of convexity gems. Cyrus growled and made to stomp after him, but Bulb didn't react.

"Ah, here's the most envious part of it all…" Bulb snickered again. "Lantel was much quicker to become Bergan's lackey. He's even trusted with carrying around convexity gems; something YOU are denied." Bulb looked back at the black prince. "Oh, what a poor little doggie; you're not the master's favorite anymore."

"Shut up!" Cyrus hissed. "I'm not some dog!"

"Well, that sounds familiar…" Bulb mused. "But let me ask you something; did he tell you to sit and wait for him to come back?"

Cyrus blinked. "I… He…"

"Be HONEST with me, Prince." Bulb narrowed his gaze. "Did Bergan here command you to stay here and wait for all the action to be over before you're allowed out of the realm of convexity?"

"…Yes," Cyrus said as his talons dug into the floor.

Bulb smirked once again. "Sounds just like the master keeping his pet dog locked in a kennel until it's time for walkies."

Cyrus growled, and his eyes darted down at Bulb's forepaw as he rummaged around in the sack of gems. Cyrus took a step closer, and Bulb quickly pulled out one of the gems.

"My, these are beautiful." Bulb said as he looked down at the swirling clouds on the surface of the gem. "I can see why everybody wants one. They must be the most scrumptious little treats in the entire world…" He looked around at the ceiling. "Or rather, the realm between worlds, or whatever."

Cyrus's eye twitched once more. "Of course; you're looking to steal the gems. I should have known."

"Actually, I just wanted one." Bulb smirked. He stuffed the gem away in a pocket, and then wrenched the sack from Lantel's grip. "Here, doggie; have all the treats you want."

Bulb tossed the sack of convexity across the chapel. It landed with a clang at Cyrus's paws, and the clangs echoed loudly all around him. Cyrus looked down at the sack, and then at Bulb. Cyrus's jaw fell open, and his mind raced with anger and confusion.

"What's your game?" Cyrus demanded. "What are you up to?"

"As if you really cared." Bulb declared. "I've got what I want. What happens next is up to you. Will you be a good doggie and wait in your kennel, while the Master goes off to have all the fun?" Bulb gestured toward Bergan. "Or… will you show everyone what you can really do?"

Cyrus growled; he wanted to scream and curse at Bulb. He wanted to say all the nastiest things his mind could come up with; just who was this random punk who thought that he understood what was going on in the mind of the prince? But then… the sack at Cyrus's paws felt very warm. And there was a very familiar and delightful scent rising out of it: The scent of power.

Cyrus opened the sack and peered at the majesty of the many gems inside. His eyes widened as he took in the splendid sights, sounds, and colors. A shiver ran from head to tail as he traced his talons along the surface. There were so many… more than Cyrus could have ever dreamed of.

And they were all HIS.

~~…~~

"-Control." Bergan finished saying.

The purple dragon blinked in surprise; Cyrus wasn't there. In one moment, the prince was standing across the way, and the next, gone. Bergan looked around at the altar in confusion. Where had the prince gone?

"The sack!" Lantel yelled suddenly. "It's gone!"

Bergan's eyes widened. He looked down at Lantel, and sure enough, the sack of gems was gone. "Wh-What?"

"I… I think he took them!" Lantel shouted. "Cyrus took the convexity gems!"

Bergan was silent. He tried to remain calm and collected… but there was a storm raging in his mind. How could the prince have taken the gems? They were just talking to each other not a moment ago! It happened so fast…. Was it Time Magic? But that couldn't have been it; Bergan was a master of the element himself! There's no way anyone could make use of such a powerful force of magic without him detecting it! It just wasn't possible!

Bergan fell back onto his haunches and took deep breaths to try and keep himself under control. But it wasn't working; something had slipped through the cracks, and the tapestry he'd woven was being tugged apart.

He'd failed. Once again Bergan had failed to see a future event coming.

"What do we do?!" Lantel yelled. "Where do you think he's gone?!"

"I…" Bergan stammered. "I… I don't know."

The purple drake ran his talons through his mane as he stood up. He panted as he tapped his talons against themselves. But as he tried to keep calm… Bergan felt something tugging at the back of his mind.

"Prince Lantel… Something's wrong." Bergan said as he cleared his throat. "Something's… changed."

"What?" Lantel tilted his head in confusion.

Bergan sucked in a breath and brought a forepaw to his muzzle. The drake parted his jaws and let a mist of brown energy flow between his talons. The energy shifted to become a pile of sand, which Bergan then ignited with fierce flames. The sand became energy, which he rolled around to make into a ball of glass. And then, with another flash of magic, Bergan held a crystal ball in his paws.

"What are you doing?" Lantel asked.

"I have to know…" He said with worried eyes. His talons danced along the surface, as cloudy smoke began to emerge in the center. "I have to see what's coming."

Bergan stared into the center of the crystal ball for a moment, then another… and his face became more and more frantic. In the end, his paws were trembling, and he let the crystal fall from his grasp. Lantel instinctively reached out to catch the crystal, but he couldn't quite see anything in the center. Lantel looked up to see Bergan clutching a forepaw to his chest, as he muttered under his breath with chattering fangs.

Lantel felt shivers creep up his spine. Something had wiped the cocky grin from Bergan's face… and it gave the golden prince the worst sense of foreboding he'd had in his life.

"Prince Lantel…" Bergan said as his face turned pale. "There's been a change of plans. Neither of us will be going to Glenhaven today."

"Wh-What?" Lantel balked.

"There's… something I have to look into." Bergan channeled some shadowy magic beneath his paws. "Something's wrong… in the Well of Souls."

"Wh-What do you…?"

But before Lantel could finish, Bergan vanished in the blink of an eye. Lantel looked all around for some sign of the purple drake… but he had a feeling that he'd slipped away via time magic once more. And now, Lantel was alone.

The golden prince couldn't believe that this had happened; Cyrus had run off with a sack full of purple gems, while Bergan was too preoccupied with… something, to be concerned with stopping the black drake. Lantel felt another shiver; it had to be bad if it gave Bergan a scare…

But now wasn't the time to be afraid. The master of the house and the black prince were both gone. All that was left of Bergan's forces on-site were the Crazy Aces, and they weren't exactly the beefiest of palace guards. There was also Bulb, who had snuck off somewhere.

This was a moment that Lantel couldn't pass up; he sprang to his feet and made to rush downstairs.

I've got to free the other students, he thought with a flourish of his cape. It's time for the future Solar King to SHINE!

~~…~~

The fight between Nellie and Roxanne raged on.

Both dragonesses gave it their all, just as they'd done when the fight started. However, at random, either one of the two dragonesses would suddenly be filled with adrenaline, and they'd attack wildly and without mercy. They'd send their opponent running in fear and worry as their attacks rained down upon the battlefield. But then, just like that, their adrenaline would run out, leaving them exhausted. This gave the opponent a burst of confidence, and the tides would turn once more.

And all the while, Prince Rune watched with a grumble. He nervously tugged at his sleeves as he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing.

Something's not right. He thought. There's more to this than simple foul play.

You've got a point. Runefor replied.

What do you mean?

Look closely… Runefor said as he urged Rune to focus on Roxanne. Notice anything… out of the ordinary?

Rune focused his gaze, although he tried to avoid looking Roxanne in the eyes. There was a certain… GLOW about her body; unlike the normal sparks of lightning. It was more… ethereal. Harder to see… and came in varying shades of purple. Rune quickly looked over at Nellie; he could just barely make out a similar aura. And when one aura faded away on one dragoness, another one appeared on the other…. At the same time as their random bursts of adrenaline.

Rune's eye twitched. Convexity.

Yep. Runefor snorted. But the question is: who's using Convexity on those two? It's certainly not YOU.

Rune growled a bit; he didn't like this at all. He certainly didn't like how nobody else in the crowd could see what he was seeing. Even the Elders, as much as Rune respected them, seemed completely oblivious to the lingering convexity surrounding the girls. The Guardians, meanwhile, had their complaints about foul play, and yet the fight persisted.

This isn't right… Rune snorted. He quietly backed up and looked about the arena. I need to find out who's doing this, and why.

Then let's be off. Runefor said eagerly. Keep your eyes peeled, Runey-boy.

Rune snorted again as he double-checked to make sure his hood was on correctly. He then let his eyes wander, and tried his best to focus his ear frills on something out of place. Rune shut his eyes and listened to the confused howls of the dragons in the crowd. The grumbled mutterings of the Guardians, the bursts of magic from Nellie and Roxanne…

The soft violin playing in the background.

Rune opened his eyes immediately and focused them on a pillar far at the back of the bleachers. It was the one thing out of place. Violin music, playing so quietly that nobody could pick up on it? With the power of Convexity giving dragons short bursts of stamina? This didn't bode well.

Rune took several steps forward to walk around the back of the arena. And along the way, his mind raced to put the pieces together. He hadn't seen Cyrus's fight for himself; all he had was hearsay from his friends and family. But he remembered one distinct detail about a violin involved in convexity… and who played it so well.

He was making his rounds across the perimeter, passing by the doorway to the halls… when they were pushed open suddenly. Rune glanced over out of reflex and looked away… only to have to do a double-take.

Three teenage dragons walked through those doors, guided by Guardian Mimet. It was Chalice, Tina, and Helianne!

Rune's eyes widened as the trio was led inside; they all looked rather ragged, and beheld Rune in mild surprise; perhaps they knew him well enough to see past his disguise. Guardian Mimet, at the very least, stepped forward with an inquisitive glance over his features, all while Rune was struggling to comprehend the teenagers' presence.

"Rune?" Mimet asked quietly, with her head lowered down. The teenagers all perked up, while Rune flinched back a bit.

"Y-Yes," Rune said under his breath.

At once, Tina and Chalice were upon Rune. They were on either side of him, wrapping their wings about him. They laughed, but they also cried, as if it had been ages since they saw him.

"Wh-What's going on?" Rune asked incredulously. "What are you all doing here?"

"Rune…" Tina said as she backed up a bit. "You have no idea what's happened in Warfang."

"What?" Rune asked incredulously.

"Everything's gone to the Underworld in a hand-basket!" Chalice exclaimed. "Younglings have been whisked off to the realm of convexity!"

"What?" Rune asked again with wider eyes.

"There's also…" Tina leaned in to quickly whisper into Rune's ear frill. "A war caravan headed straight for Glenhaven!"

Rune nearly fell off of his haunches. "Wh-WHAT?!"

"We haven't even gotten to one of the worst parts!" Chalice flapped their wings. "It's Cyrus! He's…"

"Hold on a minute!" Yelled Helianne; the flora dragoness stepped forward and stomped her forepaw. "You're going too fast!"

Tina and Chalice looked at Helianne in alarm, while Rune reeled back. Her outburst was almost as aggressive as the time she gave Rune that dressing down. Though once she'd gotten the others' attention, Helianne took the moment to look Rune in the eyes. Rune felt uneasy about looking back. At first, he saw the same anger and disgust that came about after the fight with Lantel. But then… her expression weakened. She scrunched up her face and fidgeted with her talons.

"Rune... When we last talked… I thought I'd be seeing you again six months later." Helianne said miserably. "I was angry at you, and didn't want to give you the time of day."

Rune's heart sank, and he wracked his talons on the floor. "Helianne, I… I can't explain why I flew off the handle in that fight. But…"

"I'm not done." Helianne shook her head. "What I meant to say was… I had no idea things were going to get so bad after you left. And I…" She teared up. "I never thought I'd see you again."

Rune's heart sank even lower; she looked ready to collapse against him at any moment. He was tempted to do everything he could to talk to her, to make things right…

But then the sound of the violin stirred up once more, and he was snapped back to his original task at hand. With a sigh, Rune put on a stern face, and he lifted himself onto all fours.

"Helianne, we'll have to talk later." He said seriously. "There are greater matters at hand."

"Right. Like the oncoming war party." Tina declared.

"That's not what I…" Rune began to say, but he sighed and shook his head while Chalice stood up to address Mimet.

"What are we going to do, Miss?" They asked with bated breath.

"Well, this war party is something I need to discuss with my father, as well as the other Guardians," Mimet said with a stamp of her paw. "You kids should just settle down and enjoy the fight, while the adults handle adult matters."

Immediately Tina and Chalice were put off.

"Hey, we're not naïve," Tina said indignantly. "I've seen my share of dangerous scrapes."

"Plus, we're both apprentices to the Deep Shadows." Chalice added. "We're qualified to help out."

"I'm not doubting your training." Mimet sighed. "It's a matter of logistics; you're all still quite drained from your desert trek. You're in no position to join the Guardians in dealing with a looming war."

"That's… a fair point." Chalice said as they tried not to yawn. Mimet lightly pushed past the teenagers to continue down the ring of bleachers.

"Just enjoy the match. I'm sure you'll be called on in a little while." The Guardian looked back at Rune. "You don't mind looking after them for a bit, do you?"

"Of course not; they're my friends. But…"

As Mimet walked away, Rune glanced around at the trio. Tina and Chalice seemed frustrated, while Helianne just collapsed onto her haunches and wiped her eyes.

"I can't believe this…" Tina grumbled. "We come all this way, only to end up put on the sidelines."

"Well…" Chalice snorted. "I guess we've done all we can do, for now."

"Right…" Helianne said as she tried to compose herself. She picked herself up and looked in Rune's direction. "I guess… we should head somewhere private to discuss where we are right now."

Rune almost said yes; he didn't want to lose another chance. However, that ominous violin music picked up yet again.

We're wasting time, Runey-boy… Runefor chided in his head. This match won't last forever!

Rune put on a serious face, and he stood up on all fours.

"It'll have to wait, Helianne." Rune declared. "There's something I need to deal with first."

"Wh-What?" Helianne asked in surprise. Tina and Chalice were alarmed as well, as Rune spun on his heels and began to walk on his original path.

"This won't take long… presumably." Rune huffed. "For now, just… I don't know, watch the match. But don't try and stop me; I need to do this myself."

"Do what yourself?" Tina asked.

"Stop you from what?" Chalice demanded.

"Rune, wait a minute!" Helianne pleaded.

But Rune didn't stop; he couldn't delay any longer. He made his way silently through the crowd. Tine, Chalice, and Helianne watched him go, with all sorts of questions forming in his mind.

"If he thinks I'm just going to fall back on my rear and wait…" Chalice grumbled as they took a step forward. "He's got another thing coming."

"Right…" Tina made to follow behind. "I want to see where he's going with all this."

Helianne almost fell back on her haunches to sit and relax. But she couldn't take her eyes off of Tina or Chalice. With her wings shaking beneath her borrowed cloak, the flora dragoness stood up tall and made to follow behind them.

~~…~~

"I'm telling you; something is very wrong," Hontus said irritably.

The Fire Guardian had risen to his paws and grumbled as he watched the two dragonesses clash again and again. He was joined by Voden and Jules, who had stepped closer to inspect the arena. Blankridge, meanwhile, sat up to look around to try and spot something himself.

"I don't see anything…" Blankridge frowned as he stood beside Seraph. "Do you, Mom?"

"Well, no…" Seraph grimaced. "But it definitely feels off."

Voden, meanwhile, grasped Dona's forepaw as he whispered to her. "What do you think, love?"

"Hmm…" Dona pursed her lips as she held Riven in place. "Their energy seems to fail and renew at seeming random. If I were a betting dragoness…"

"Fellow Guardians!" Called the voice of Mimet from behind. "A moment of your time, please!"

Immediately Voden, Jules, and Hontus turned to see the Earth Guardian maker her way up to them, and she held a very serious expression. Mimet briefly looked in surprise at Hontus and Voden, but then snorted and shook her head.

"I'd welcome the two of you back home, but now's not the time," Mimet said seriously. "I need all of you to come with me into the counseling chamber. There's trouble afoot."

"There most certainly is." Hontus snapped, as he pointed a wing down toward the arena floor. "Something about this battle doesn't sit right."

Mimet gazed down at the match and then sighed. She shook her head, and then looked Hontus in the eyes.

"Whatever's wrong with this match, it'll have to wait." Mimet insisted. "We need to discuss matters of WAR. Immediately!"

"War?" Jules repeated with widened eyes. Mimet leaned in to whisper into her husband's ear frill, and the lightning drake immediately lost his composure. At once Jules shifted to move from his position to head up to the bleachers.

"Hontus, Voden, we're off to the council chamber!" Jules ordered to the fire guardians. "And we need to summon in any other available Guardians!"

Hontus and Voden exchanged frustrated glances. Hontus in particular was looking quite defiant as he puffed out his chest.

"Captain, my daughter could be in the middle of something dangerous." He stated. "I can't simply walk away at a time like this."

Jules was cross; He leaned into glare at Hontus, before whispering into his ear frill.

"Well, from what my wife's just told me, a PURPLE DRAGON is coming to make things even MORE dangerous." Hontus's jaw fell open, while Jules pulled his head back and flapped his wings. "Now, get moving, Guardian!"

The red dragon clamped his jaws shut, and then sighed in defeat. He glanced at Seraph, who held a reassuring face.

"Go on." Seraph insisted. "I can watch after Nellie's fight in your stead. A Guardian needs to serve the people, after all."

"Right…" Hontus said sadly.

"You take care, Dad," Blankridge said as he patted his father on the back. "You'll figure things out, I'm sure!"

Across the way, Voden planted a nuzzle on Dona's forehead. The shadowy dragoness held her daughter tenderly in her forepaws as the orange Guardian excused himself.

"Hopefully I won't be away for long," Voden said as he ruffled Riven's mane. "Daddy will be back soon, okay?"

"Okay." The little dragoness said happily. Done smiled at the exchange and leaned in to plant a kiss on Voden's cheek.

"Be back soon, my Shadow King." She said proudly. "I'll keep an eye on the match as well; I might even be able to spot what's amiss."

With the brief goodbyes exchanged, the four Guardians made their way down the rows to head for the council chamber. Seraph and Dona scooted just a bit closer, to exchange thoughts as they came up. And Blankridge scratched his head as he tried to figure out what was amiss.

But nothing too serious could have been wrong during the match… could it?

~~…~~

Down in the arena, Nellie and Roxanne stood on opposite ends of the floor. They glared at each other furiously as they breathed heavily. Most of the younger dragons in the crowd had grown used to their odd bursts in power and continued to cheer on their respective dragoness.

Nellie wasn't sure what was going on: why she was going back and forth between boundless energy and near-exhaustion. But it didn't matter; she just did what she could to keep the fight going. She needed to win… she wanted it so badly. She wanted to put Roxanne in her place once and for all, no matter the cost.

"Feel like giving up yet, Rox?" Nellie asked as she put on the meanest grin she could despite her panting.

"You must be joking!" Roxanne scoffed. "I'm going to make you pay for turning Rune against me!"

Nellie and Roxanne charged at each other. They slashed and clawed against each other's armor. And all the while, they continued to scream furiously at one another.

"I had a crush on Rune for nearly three years!" Roxanne yelled as she rammed against Nellie's chest. She then struggled to force Nellie back as tears welled in her eyes. "We spent so much time together! I thought he was going to admit that he loved me back someday! And then…" She growled as she tried to slash at Nellie once more. "And then YOU turned him against me!"

"I never did ANYTHING!" Nellie snapped as she rammed back against Roxanne. "You were too assuming! And it's not like he didn't want you as his friend anymore! You pushed him away on your own!"

"Shut up!" Roxanne screamed. The two of them clashed, again and again, pushing each other back and forth in the center of the arena.

"Everything fell apart after we came back from that adventure!" Roxanne continued her yelling. "Everyone was always talking about how YOU and BLANK and EMERALD were big heroes who went to help bring a prince back to power! But nobody cared to include ME!" She swiped at Nellie and missed, but kept trying anyway. "All the teachers hated me after they thought I intentionally gave Emerald that scar!"

"Well, you still hurt her nonetheless!" Nellie dodged another blow. "You fired a blast in her direction!"

"That was because she antagonized me into losing concentration!" Roxanne growled. "I was just trying to help the group!"

"A fat lot of good that did!" Nellie hissed.

As the two dragonesses screamed at each other, they felt their adrenaline picking up once more. Those slight, purple auras surrounded their scales again… and the violin's song continued to play.

Tyrrany held a satisfied smirk as she watched the two dragonesses clash it out. This was only the beginning of her plan for the battle, of course. She needed to get the two of them at their greatest state of anger; something that would spill over into danger. It might even put Nellie's life at risk… not that she'd allow this dragoness to get hurt THAT badly. It was all part of the show… to make it seem like Nellie was in danger. And once she was in danger… Tyrrany would step in to help. This had to work; this had to show Tyrrany's brother that she could be trusted. Everything was a misunderstanding. It would work. It HAD to work. All she had to do next was-

Tyrrany felt a forepaw on her shoulder.

"Stop it." A voice said.

Tyrrany's bow came to an abrupt halt, filling the air with a painful screech. The auras around the two girls in the arena immediately disappeared, and Nellie and Roxanne both groaned at once.

"What… in the…?" Roxanne fell over onto her side. "What did you do?"

"I… didn't do…" Nellie collapsed onto her belly. "Anything."

A murmur of confusion rang up in the air as everyone exchanged glances and muttered in disappointment. And all the while, Tyrrany had frozen in place.

No… She thought as she slowly turned her head to the side. No, it can't be…

But it was. They hadn't met before, but Tyrrany knew that face. It was their brother's face; the drakes were twins, after all. Thus, Tyrrany's heart plummeted into her stomach as she beheld the face of Prince Rune.

There was no seething anger or disgust in the prince's eyes. But he certainly seemed disappointed as he looked Tyrrany up and down. Tyrrany was dumbfounded; every nerve in her body screamed at her to make a run for it or to spring into a fighting stance. The prince was bound to attack at any moment.

"Why are you doing this?" Rune asked in a calm if demanding, voice.

It was about this time when Flame and Arthur realized that Tyrrany had stopped playing her music. Immediately they whirled around the pillar; Flame stood to Tyrrany's left with a growl, and the dragonfly floated above them.

"D-Don't try anything funny." Flame said in a harsh whisper.

"Uh… Yeah!" Arthur put up his little fists and shook them around.

Rune briefly looked at the two of them in annoyance. He was about to focus on Tyrrany once more, when-

"Rune!" Called a dragoness from behind the prince. All of the teenagers, including Rune, had shocked faces as three other teenage dragons ran up to stand around the prince. Chalice and Tina panted as they emerged on either side of Rune, while Helianne lagged just behind.

"What are you all doing?" Rune demanded. "I said I'd handle this myself!"

"No way." Chalice shook their head. "We're not leaving you to get overpowered."

"Especially not by HER!" Tina shouted angrily.

Tyrrany gasped, as did Flame and Arthur. All three of them recognized the voice of the dark-yellow dragoness. And when Tina stretched into a fighting stance and growled, Tyrrany could feel a particular nerve get pinched on her back.

"She's the one who jumped Cyrus way back when!" Tina continued "Along with these other two, as well as with Johnny and his goons!"

"What?!" Helianne asked in surprise. "She's the one?!"

Tina let dark-tinted lightning dance across her scales, while Chalice got into a fighting stance of their own. Flame gnashed his fangs, while Tyrrany's talons twitched as she prepared for a fight…

But before one could break out, Rune spread his wings to block Tina's and Chalice's views. They were stunned… but not quite as stunned as Tyrrany.

"ENOUGH." Rune snapped angrily. "Just let me handle this myself already!"

Tina looked at him incredulously. "But Rune…"

"Save it." Rune stamped his forepaw. "I'll confront her on my terms."

"Are you really sure about that?" Chalice frowned.

"POSITIVE." Rune gave a glare. "Have some faith in me, here."

Tyrrany was confused; she glanced at Flame and Arthur, who just shrugged and backed up a bit. Once Chalice and Tina had relaxed their stances, Rune closed his wings and stepped forward to glare right into Tyrrany's eyes. Just what was he planning on doing?

"Why are you interfering in the arena match?" Rune demanded. "Answer me, Hope!"

That name… left Tyrrany floored. Almost like the time when Cyrus called her that weeks ago. Her mind raced to come up with a reason they'd call her that. She glanced at Flame and Arthur, who seemed just as confused as she was.

"Well?" Rune tapped his talons and blew smoke from his nostrils. "Are you going to say something? Or should I just go ahead and alert the Elders and the Guardians about your tampering?"

"D-Don't threaten Annie like that!" Flame demanded. Rune simply scowled at the red dragon to silence him.

"She's put my friends in danger." Rune snapped. "Convexity isn't something to be toyed with. Now whoever you are, SHUT IT." He extended his wings again. "This is between me and my sister!"

Sister…? Tyrrany repeated in her thoughts. He openly acknowledged her as his sister? But wasn't Rune the least bit angry that she'd attempted to capture Cyrus weeks prior? Why was this prince so… strange?

"Well, Hope?" Rune wracked his talons on the floor as he glared at her again. "I'm waiting."

Tyrrany wracked her brain, trying to come up with a snappy response, or a threat, or some other thing to say to show that she was equal to this prince. But nothing came; all she could do was shut her eyes to try and concentrate…

And that's when the shouts of alarm rang out around the arena.

At first, Tyrrany's old instincts made her fear that her white scales had been discovered. But as she looked around the pillar, she could see that the dragons' attention was on the arena.

"What's going on?" Tyrrany asked.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Rune snapped; he was trying to ignore the gasping.

"Uh, Rune…?" Helianne asked from behind. "Don't you hear any of that?"

All seven of the teenagers looked about themselves at the crowd; the noise was growing. Arthur flew around the pillar to take a look… and then quickly flew back around with a frightened expression.

"There's trouble down in the ring!" The dragonfly exclaimed.

"What?!" Rune shouted in horror. He immediately pushed past Tyrrany and Flame to get a look down the arena. And boy was he in for a nasty shock.

As Nellie and Roxanne struggled to push each other back, they paid no attention to the arena around them… or the pools of darkness forming all around. And out of those pools crawled the familiar forms of vicious, black-hided beasts.

"C-Crepsculi!" Rune exclaimed in horror. He then immediately snarled and turned around to glare back at Tyrrany. "What have you done?!"

Tyrrany stammered and choked on her words; she just couldn't fathom what she was seeing.

"Hey, Annie hasn't done anything!" Flame snapped as he stood before her to glare at Rune.

"Anything, huh?" Tina scowled as she motioned toward Tyrrany's violin bow. "Because it looks like she's done a lot of what she's GOOD AT, just like before."

Tyrrany growled at Tina, and she and Chalice growled back. Flame joined in, and once more it looked like a fight was brewing. But Rune wasn't in the mood for that again; he tossed his cloak away, extended his wings to their full span, and sprang forward to leap into the air.

"I'll deal with you two later!" He hissed. "I have to save the girls!"

And just like that, Rune made to glide down to the arena. And as the prince made his descent… Tyrrany spotted something at the far end of the arena floor. A pillar of black smoke and fire burst forth and flowed in both directions to engulf the arena. Everyone else in the arena was horrified. Many of the dragons in the arena were shocked, including Tina, Chalice, and Helianne.

"Rune!" The trio cried. They sprang up to follow after the prince to join in the aid. But alas, the flames moved too fast for any normal dragon to get by…

But Tyrrany was no normal dragon. She'd sucked in a breath the moment she saw it coming… And all around her, the world turned an inverted shade. Tyrrany held her breath as she stood tall; time magic was at her beck and call, just like any other unnatural element.

She wasted no time passing her bow and violin into Flame's grasp before springing onto all fours. She struggled to keep the time magic going as she pushed past the other dragons in the crowd. She rushed after Rune and leaped over the side to land in the arena. She just barely lost control of her magic before sliding between the black flames before they erupted past to seal the arena away…

Flame was dumbstruck as he felt the violin instantly appear in his forepaws. He gasped in horror and watched as the dragons around him shouted in horror at the black flames.

Helianne had to stop herself from colliding with the dark fire, while Chalice and Tina nearly tripped over themselves. Helianne's eyes constricted as she backed up to stand behind the pair to shield herself from the flames.

"Rune!" They cried, desperate to find a way through. Flame, meanwhile, screamed in horror from way behind them. He almost ran down toward the barrier, only for Arthur to tug on his horn.

"Come on!" The dragonfly shouted into his ear frill. "Now's the perfect time to slip away before anyone else spots us!"

"But what about Annie?!" Flame protested.

"She's a big girl! She can take care of herself!" Arthur insisted. "Now come on! We've got to get out of here!"

Flame sighed; perhaps the dragonfly was right. So, it was with a heavy heart that he packed up the violin into its case and hefted it up to haul it away… but he stopped just long enough to feel a forepaw on his cheek… which felt oddly warm.

~~…~~

Nellie and Roxanne were still trying to catch their breath. They were just a bit too late to realize something was amiss out of the corners of their eyes. They looked all around and were soon overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of several pools of darkness forming all across the arena.

"No way…" Roxanne stammered with wide eyes. "It can't be."

"It's…" Nellie shivered as she turned around to face the beasts. "It's THEM!"

It was the same black-hided beasts that they'd fought against several times, during that harrowing trip four years ago: The Crepsculi. Immediately Nellie and Roxanne sprang into fighting stances in a desperate bid to scare the beasts off. Naturally, they looked up at the arena bleachers to call for help, or to fly away. But those plans were quickly destroyed when a burst of black flames blindsided them and engulfed the arena walls.

"By the Ancestors!" Roxanne screamed as she stumbled backward… right into the dangerous reach of one of the monsters. The beast nearly took a bite out of Roxanne's flank… only for it to be slashed across the face by a black-and-purple blur.

Nellie and Roxanne whirled around in shock… and soon spotted a familiar dragoness standing on the arena floor, with a dying crepsculi at her fore-talons.

"It's you!" Roxanne hissed. "That weird dragoness from before!"

Tyrrany just sighed as she pushed the dissolving crepsculi away and stepped back from the wall of flames. She opened her jaws to say something… only for an angry growl to come from overhead. All three dragonesses looked up in time to see Prince Rune flapping his wings to come to an abrupt landing on the floor between them.

"Rune!" Nellie exclaimed in delight.

She almost trotted up to him, only for aches and pains to flare up all over her body. She collapsed onto the floor and panted heavily as she struggled to lift herself. And Nellie wasn't the only one: Roxanne struggled to stay standing as she looked awkwardly in Rune's direction. The both of them had fought sucked right out of them.

Naturally, Rune shot a glare in Tyrrany's direction. Tyrrany gulped and backed up as Rune shot her an accusing talon.

"You were tampering with their energy during the fight!" Rune snapped. Nellie and Roxanne looked at Tyrrany in confusion, which made the cloaked dragoness shiver.

"Listen, I can explain everything…" She said awkwardly. Her eyes darted around… and quickly spotted the growling beasts still emerging from the pools. She snorted and then locked eyes with Rune. "But not right now!"

Rune looked all around at the crepsculi. He exhaled in frustration and then whirled around while extending his wings.

"Nellie, Roxanne, take shelter behind me!" The prince called out. "Save your arguments for later! I'll handle the beasts myself."

"But…" Nellie started to say.

"No buts!" Rune insisted. He sucked in a breath and blew tiny bursts of flames from his nostrils. "Just get some rest, so you don't get hurt!"

Immediately Nellie and Roxanne moved to get behind Rune, but not without shooting each other nasty glares. Across the way, Tyrrany felt a choking sensation in her throat as she looked around at the monsters. What were they doing here? Who summoned them? How could her plans have fallen apart so badly and so fast? She needed to rethink! She needed to…

She looked at her brother once more; he was standing at the ready to protect Nellie and Roxanne. There were monsters all around… the two tired dragonesses were in danger.

Of course… Tyrrany stood tall and marched forward whilst calling upon more of her magic. This is my moment.

Tyrrany came to a stop beside Rune and did her best to get into a fighting stance. Rune looked in her direction and looked her up and down in frustration. She gave a confident smiled and opened her muzzle to speak… only for Rune to stomp his forepaw.

"Just SHUT UP and HELP, if you're going to help." Rune snapped, before growling around at the monsters once more. "Save your self-aggrandizing for later."

Tyrrany looked at him incredulously, but just rolled her eyes and focused on the beasts. Well, he was right; these monstrosities needed to be disposed of before she could try some diplomacy on her brother.

All at once, the crepsculi rushed forward with furious growls. Rune stood his ground and unleashed a burst of fire from his maw to incinerate the nearest ones. Tyrrany, meanwhile, attacked with lightning breath to knock the nearest crepsculi out of the ground. Beasts collapsed onto the ground, and burned or writhed violently in an arc about the pair. But that wasn't enough to dissuade more of the monsters from attacking.

Rune growled and spread out his wings to give a ferocious stance, all to scare off the monsters. But Tyrrany just held a stoic face; she'd faced worse threats than these creatures before and wasn't going to let it get in the way of her focus on her mission. Still, she fought with the same ferocity she'd use against anyone who'd stand against her.

As Rune and Tyrrany fought on, Nellie and Roxanne panted heavily. Not just from being tired after the battle, but from how horrid their situation had turned. They backed up to get away from the crepsculi but had to keep from burning themselves against the heat of the black wall of flames. They almost huddled together for support… until they remembered their hatred for one another, and growled at each other.

"Now's not the time for your petty fighting, girls!" Rune snapped back at them as he head-butted a crepsculi backward across the arena. "Just stay quiet until you've regained energy!"

Nellie and Roxanne flinched at Rune's shouting, and then simply sighed and looked down in shame. Rune returned to focusing on the monster… when a thought occurred to him.

"Wait a minute…" Rune scowled at Tyrrany. "You did quite a good job tampering with their energy during the fight, so why not give them a boost NOW?"

Tyrrany flinched, while Nellie and Roxanne gasped in unison.

"She did what?!" Roxanne exclaimed. "You bitch!"

Tyrrany instinctively growled back at Roxanne. This only served to anger Rune, who stepped over to block Roxanne with a wing.

"Give them some energy." Rune snapped. "Now."

"It doesn't work like that," Tyrrany said. "I don't have my violin."

"And why would that be important?" Nellie demanded

"I don't have time to get into it!" Tyrrany turned and blasted one of the monsters with a beam of ice. "We're still in the middle of a battle here!"

"Fine…" Rune growled. He returned to his fighting stance as he blasted another crepsculi with flames. "But don't think you're getting off any hooks today, Hope!"

Tyrrany's eye twitched; if she had the time, she'd snap that that wasn't her name. But no time for that; these monsters needed dealing with…

~~…~~

Telus couldn't believe his eyes; chaos was erupting faster than he could comprehend. He stood up from his seat as panic began to spread throughout the bleachers. What had happened? Where had these creatures come from? There was no time to think; Telus needed to get the children to safety. He turned to call upon the Guardians… only to see that they weren't in their seats! Before he could process where they'd gone, he heard a door opening off to the side.

"Father!" Called Mimet. She stepped up and started saying something… only to stop and gaze in horror at the chaos unfolding around her.

"What are you doing up here?!" Telus demanded. "Where are the Guardians?!"

"We were just about to start a meeting to discuss…" Mimet began, only to shake her head and gaze around once more. "Gah, it looks like trouble came faster than we were prepared for!"

"Mobilize the Guardians had had them escort the children out of here!" Telus shouted. "Go, Go!"

Mimet nodded, and immediately rushed out to set to work, while Telus spread his wings to try and aid the students…

The floor wasn't the only place where pools of darkness began to emerge. All along the walls and ceiling, more pools and puddles of darkness began to emerge. And out of them came the hisses and shrieks of dozens more of the beasts. They spread their leathery wings and began to fly all around the arena.

Meanwhile, down in the seats, Seraph and Blankridge had jumped to their feet.

"By the Ancestors!" Seraph shouted as she backed away from the wall of dark flames.

"Sis!" Blankridge yelled. He tried to use some of his fire magic to create a hole in the darker flames, but it was of little use. "Sis is still down there!"

A short distance away, Dona sat quietly with Riven clutched in her grasp. The little dragonling whimpered in fear as her mother shielded her with her body. The chaos was spreading fast… too fast for her liking.

"Everything will be okay, Riven," Dona said soothingly as she held her daughter close.

"Miss Dona, can you do something?!" Seraph shouted from across the way. A sneer spread across the shadowy dragoness's muzzle, and she shielded her daughter with her wings.

"My primary concern is getting my little one to safety." Dona declared. "I wish you the best of luck though."

Seraph flinched in surprise and watched as Dona surrounded herself in shadows and vanished from view. The blue dragoness wanted to scowl, but she supposed she couldn't fault a mother for wanting to protect her daughter.

"Blankridge, go get your friends," Seraph ordered as she turned around. "I need the lot of you to-"

Blankridge was already halfway through dashing down the row of seats, intent on joining up with his gang of friends across the way. Seraph growled in frustration but reluctantly applauded her son for being so proactive. So, she sucked in a breath and moved to follow after Blankridge to help the other students.

Seraph didn't like this at all; perhaps her sister was right about the danger heading for Glenhaven. But wait… if there was trouble to come from WITHIN the palace, why didn't Nymph mention any of it? Something was very wrong.

I just hope Nymph is safe, she thought with a sigh.

~~…~~

There was chaos everywhere. The younger students yelped and ran away, while the older students stood their ground. Crepsculi swarmed all about the air and dived down to attack. Many bursts of magic blasted through the air; fireballs, lightning bolts, bursts of water, and earth bombs all blasted their way through the onslaught of beasts.

And in the middle of it all, Flame held the violin in its case as he tried to make his way through the room toward a hallway. Arthur flew right over his head and acted as a guide through the storm of multi-colored scales. He needed to get away as fast as he could; he had to find a way to get down to Tyrrany. He couldn't just abandon her.

But as Flame and Arthur fled through the area, they didn't pay attention to who was following behind. Tina, Chalice, and Helianne were hot on Flame's heels, albeit from a considerable distance.

"After him!" Tina shouted. "He'll lead us straight to the tramp that caused all of this!"

"We don't know that for sure." Chalice said to Tina's right. "This seems like quite a lot of power for one dragoness."

"Wh-Who cares how they were summoned?" Helianne exclaimed as she tried to avoid looking at the smoke. "That doesn't help us if we can't get to Rune!"

The teenagers continued to dash after Flame and Arthur…

~~…~~

Rune panted heavily as he struggled to stay standing. He'd unleashed just about the entire bulk of his elemental repertoire upon the crepsculi. Clusters of ice dotted the arena floor. Ashes from the remains of other crepsculi formed little piles, while chunks of earthy spires left a few others impaled. But through it all, the monsters just kept coming.

I'm not sure how long I can keep this up, Rune thought as he charged up more magic.

You could always let ME deal with them. Runefor said.

Rune scowled at that. NO.

Oh, come on, this isn't like the fight with Lantel. Runefor scoffed. I want to protect the girls just as much as you do.

Eventually, Rune and Tyrrany found themselves forced into the center of the arena. Nellie and Roxanne stepped forward to join them, thanks to the emergence of more of the crepsculi. It seemed like for every crepsculi that had been killed, two more had taken its place.

"This is bad…" Roxanne bit her lower lip. "This is really bad."

"No, really?" Nellie sneered. "I didn't realize."

"Enough!" Rune snapped at the two of them. Nellie and Roxanne quickly hushed up, while Rune cast a glare at Tyrrany. The dragoness flinched away from his anger; it wasn't every day when a dragon had the guts to glare back at her. Not even Cyrus could muster it up for long. Tyrrany put on a brave face and spread out into her strongest stance; she'd face as many crepsculi as it took to convince Rune that she was on her side.

And then, just as they looked ready to swarm the young dragons… the crepsculi came to a stop. The teenagers watched in amazement as the crepsculi began to form a perfect ring around them. The monsters shrieked and hissed lowly, but made no move to attack again.

"What are they doing?" Nellie asked.

"I… don't know," Rune replied.

"They're up to something…" Tyrrany said with a slightly-nervous glance. "Keep your guard up."

As the crepsculi stood at the ready, something began to emerge in the air. Rune and the others looked up in time to see a deep, black shadow appear directly above the crepsculi. The crepsculi began to move out of the way, as the shadow spread out to become some sort of deep, dark hole.

Rune shivered. "What in the world…?"

And then… something emerged from the whole. It flew down through the air and crashed with a powerful thud, sending a shockwave through the teenagers' paws. The figure was cloaked in shadow, save for its piercing purple eyes. It spread out large limbs, extended its fat wings, and rose to its full height slowly…

It was a dragon. A great, black dragon. A dark-grey mane fell wildly down its neck and the sides of its face. And as it marched forward toward the younger dragons, Rune spotted something that gave him cause for alarm. This dragon had four glowing, red sigils upon its body; the royal birthmarks of…

Rune gasped. "Cyrus?"

~~…~~

Jonathan was crouched in his cage, just as he'd been for what felt like ages. The air was stale, and the place was barely lit up by the surrounding torches. He squinted his eyes as he gazed down at the empty plate. The prince had barely had enough room to move his jaws to eat the plain bread the guards had brought him… all thanks to the cold iron muzzle. It was flavorless… but it was the only thing they'd let him eat.

When he was finally done eating, two of the guards stepped up and held out their talons; the usual threat to attack if the prince made any sudden moves. Jonathan simply froze and looked down at his paws, while the third guard reached inside to retrieve the empty plate. And soon, Jonathan was left with nothing in his cage, but the sounds of his rumbling belly that begged for better food.

Jonathan shut his eyes, and thought back to the last time he'd had a meal worth remembering; the grand fete his parents threw to celebrate his eighteenth hatchday.

Jonathan swelled with pride as he thought back to that grand day; the fortress in Aeroshard was filled with laughter and excitement. Saul and Olivia organized a long table lined with the best foods they could get access to; beef, pork, chicken, and over a dozen varieties of fruits. And all of it was prepared by the finest chefs that his parents' money could buy. They'd even allowed all of Jonathan's friends to come into the fortress to be there to help celebrate Jonathan officially becoming an adult.

Jonathan remembered looking at himself in the mirror before the fete; he'd been dressed up in his best cloak, had his mane properly brushed, and even had fresh makeup applied to cover his facial scars.

"You look so handsome, Johnny!" His mother Olivia beamed when she saw him descending the stairs. "So prim and proper!"

But she wasn't nearly as proud as Saul was.

Jonathan could still hardly believe it when his father smiled and pulled him in for a hug. After all the time Saul had spent snarling and sneering after being deposed from his throne, he was HAPPY for once! And he spent the entire day with the family, singing and laughing and celebrating.

"You're finally a grown drake now, my boy." Saul declared as he hugged his son again. "I just know you'll make me proud. And one day soon, we'll all finally return home!"

"…Home…" Jonathan repeated quietly. The prince opened his eyes, and looked around, again, at the miserable interior of the dungeon.

Here he was… at home. He hadn't seen either of his parents or even his friends, in weeks. He didn't even know where any of them were. And that fiancée of his? She may as well have vanished into the aether. Jonathan was torn away from everyone, all because he failed to capture that bastard black prince.

And now, here Jonathan was, locked away for the crime of TREASON. Wrapped in chains, with aching limbs… forced to sustain himself on plain bread and lukewarm water.

How had everything gone so wrong? Why was he stuck in the dark? Would Tyrrany and the others ever come to help him? What… What would his father think, to see his son imprisoned like this? He was supposed to make Saul proud by capturing the sons of the enemy… but now, Jonathan was little more than a captive. They could even use him as a bargaining chip to force Saul to surrender… Jonathan had screwed everything up!

And all the while, that other BASTARD prince was enjoying the life of luxury far up above; receiving love and adoration from everyone who should have been showering it on Jonathan.

Jonathan could just picture them all now: Elder Telus, Elder Attonita, Captain Jules, Mimet, Emerald… all of them were crowded around Prince Rune. The black prince was seated on his haunches and smirking as all of them talked endlessly about how great and awesome he was.

"Oh, how amazing it is that Rune could survive such terrible hardships!"

"And he's covered in so many scars! Reminders of the great battles he's overcome!"

"We couldn't expect anything less from a descendant of the great Spyro and Cynder!"

Rune beamed with pride, with his wings extended and his muzzle pointed. He nonchalantly waved off the praise; oh, he was just so HUMBLE, wasn't he? Jonathan dug his talons into the floor and snarled; he rattled his chains as he charged forward, ready to make Rune swallow every last one of his smug little teeth…

"SHUT IT!" One of the guards shouted; he smacked the cage for good measure.

Jonathan was stunned into opening his eyes again, and he froze in place and shivered as the other guards threatened to assault him with magic again.

"Pain in the arse little shit…" The first guard said as he backed up. "How did we get stuck babysitting a rag-stain like YOU?"

Jonathan flinched, and then bent his head low again. His limbs shook in anger; he would have given anything to scream at them or try to escape… but what was the point? They'd just lash out with everything they had; it's what they wanted. Everyone: the Guardians, the soldiers… even the elders… were just waiting for Jonathan to try something to give them the excuse to… to…

Jonathan couldn't put it into words, even in his mind. He shut his eyes shut and shook in place… while his sobs filled the air.

"Ugh, what a hatchling…" A guard said in derision, before kicking the side of the cage. "You shouldn't have committed treason if you were too much of a coward to face life in prison!"

That only made Jonathan cry more, to the utter disgust of the guards. They just continued mocking and insulting the prince, as he covered his eyes and tried to keep his tears to himself…

But as Jonathan tried to pass the time, he eventually heard someone running down the hallway from the left side. He tilted his head up to see another guard frantically running up toward the other three.

"What's with you?" One of them asked.

"You have to…" The new guard panted. "Hurry upstairs! Every… guard is needed!"

"What about the prisoner?" Another guard asked as he gestured toward Jonathan.

"Forget him for a… moment!" The newcomer continued to pant. "It's an… emergency!"

The trio exchanged uneasy glances, before turning to double and triple-check the locks on Jonathan's cage. After making sure it was fully secure, they turned to follow the new guard out of the dungeon. Jonathan lifted his head and watched them vanish around a corner and make for the stairs.

Johnny couldn't believe what he was seeing. The guards just… ditched him? What was that about an emergency? Did something happen upstairs?

But if the prince was left all alone… then perhaps that was finally his chance to spring free! There was no telling how much time he had before those goons came back; if he was going to bust himself out, it had to be now. But how?

That was when something spoke to Jonathan from within his mind. Something he'd almost forgotten about after all this time: the convexity.

It was a strange day when that Dona dragoness showed up with the crystal; supposedly it was sent to him from Bergan. And ever since he ate that crystal, Jonathan felt strands of its power gnawing away at his mind. In the beginning, it was very quiet; hardly even a whisper. For a while, Jonathan even felt like it was all some sort of joke, and that the crystal did nothing. And yet…

Use me, it seemed to whisper. Let me fill you with power. Set yourself free, and take to the skies!

Jonathan wasn't sure if this was the best idea… but he definitely didn't want to just sit around and wait for those guards to start abusing him again. So, Jonathan growled as he reached deep inside himself to call upon the power. His blood began to heat up, and his limbs twitched. The magic-suppressing muzzle and the chains on his neck were fighting to keep his earth magic in check for weeks… but the convexity could slip through their cracks.

"Come on…" Jonathan whispered with a growl. "Work… Work…"

Snap.

The metal on the back of the collar broke, and the chains on Jonathan's ankles were splintering! He pulled on his legs, fighting with all of his might to push it all the way, until…

CRACK!

The chains broke in half, and soon Jonathan's forelegs were spread out on either side of himself! His heart beat rapidly, as convexity flowed from limb to limb! And he wasted no time grasping the muzzle on his head to unlock it. And when he didn't get anywhere fast enough doing that, he simply amplified his earth magic to bolster his strength.

Within seconds, he'd done it! Chunks of metal fell off his body on all sides as his talons got to work. Before long, Jonathan's body was finally unbound once more!

"Yes!" Jonathan declared happily.

The prince wasted no time smashing his way through the bars around the lock on the cage. Once it was knocked to the floor, Jonathan kicked the door open and rushed out to freedom. He happily spun about on the floor as his wings spread wide. Oh, finally, he was able to stand fully upright again! He spread his talons out on the cold floor and flapped his wings with gusto. Ohh, yes! It felt so good!

…At least until the aches and pains in his limbs made themselves known. Jonathan winced as he took a standing position and panted; he'd need to do a lot of exercises to get himself back into top form. Still, at least he wasn't stuck in a cage anymore.

But as Jonathan congratulated himself for his escape, there came a rattling noise from up above. He came to a stop and held a forepaw to an ear frill to get a listen…

There were signs of a struggle. Many muffled shouts sprang out all over the place. A chill ran up Jonathan's spine; something was very, very wrong. But whatever it was, he'd never get to the bottom of things if he just hung around in the cellblock. He certainly didn't want to get tossed into an even WORSE prison.

I need to get out of here… Jonathan thought as he took steps down the opposite corridor. Better escape out into the city… I can figure shit out from there.

With that, the prince made his daring escape from the dungeons. He took several breaths and did his best to steel himself.

I can't let myself screw up again… I have to make Dad proud!

~~…~~

Rune couldn't believe his eyes, even as the hulking beast of a dragon loomed before him. Cyrus? He'd been mutated into an overly muscular… THING? How had this happened?! Was this what Tina and the others were trying to warn him about? What…?

Focus, you moron!

Rune was snapped out of his thoughts as the ground shook beneath his feet. The large black drake… his brother… was stomping around and putting on a terrifying show.

"Wh-What's going on?!" Roxanne shouted.

"It's… Cyrus!" Rune yelled.

"That's right! It's ME!" Cyrus bellowed. He stomped around once more, sending tremors of earth magic pulsing through the floor. A satchel dangled around his neck, out of which Rune could faintly see a purple shimmer. Cyrus's eyes glowed with a haunting aura, and he flashed a toothy grin. "I'm NEW and IMPROVED!"

"Cyrus…" Rune stammered as he tried to stand up straight. "Wh-What happened to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Cyrus chided. "I've finally achieved my full potential! I'm finally the great, powerful DRAKE I've always known I am!"

He reared up and beat his chest with a forepaw, whilst beating his fat wings and swinging his tail wildly. Cyrus then howled in delight, before slamming his paws down and shaking the floor. The dragonesses behind Rune struggled to stay standing, while Rune winced. He still couldn't fully process what he was seeing; it was like something out of a nightmare.

"Cyrus…" Rune's eyes twitched as he looked his brother up and down.

"What's wrong? Did someone snatch your tongue away?" Cyrus snorted. "Seems like you're having trouble processing that I'M the big brother now!"

"You…" Rune looked behind Cyrus at the crowd of crepsculi that still loomed on the other side of the arena. He locked eyes with the larger drake and gnashed his fangs. "You brought Crepsculi to Glenhaven?!"

"Hmm, did I?" Cyrus asked mockingly. "I suppose they've caused some real trouble, hmm? Don't worry; I'll clean up…"

The great black dragon immediately twirled about, rocking the floor once more. He stamped his paws down and growled as he called upon his magic. Purple sparks of lightning rippled across Cyrus's scales, filling the air with the scent of brimstone. Rune winced and covered his muzzle as Cyrus gave another powerful roar. The arena was engulfed in purple light as a great, hot beam of convexity erupted from Cyrus's maw. The energy burned through the air in the blink of an eye and tore its way right through the row of crepsculi. The air was filled with shrieks and hisses as the beasts dissolved into nothingness. When Cyrus was done, the purple light vanished, and there was nothing left of the monsters but black dust that quickly faded away.

"There…" Cyrus said with a confident chuckle. He stomped his way back around and grinned toothily down at Rune. "I'll bet you've never managed to do THAT in your combat training!"

Rune's jaw was held agape; how could he find the words to react to such a frightening show of force? He fidgeted in place and struggled to find his voice.

Say something, stupid! Runefor hissed. Rune couldn't even snap back at his other self; there simply weren't words.

"Though I must say, I didn't realize I was crashing a party…" Cyrus snorted as he looked around at the arena. "Seems like everyone was watching some sort of show…" His eyes drifted toward the dragonesses behind Rune. "Oh, look, it's your Glenhaven buddies: Nellie, Roxanne, and…"

Tyrrany winced as Cyrus locked eyes with her. Rune looked back to see the disguised dragoness creeping back a bit, much to the confusion of Nellie and Roxanne. A growl filled the air, and Rune looked back to see his brother's gaze narrowing into seething anger, while purple smoke rose from his nostrils.

"YOU."

Tyrrany tensed up, and she took a step back from the hulking drake. "I…"

"You two know each other?" Nellie asked Tyrrany.

"K-Kind of…" She stammered.

"What do you mean kind of?" Roxanne demanded.

Rune felt his stomach churn. The look that Cyrus gave… brought to light the sparse memories of what Rune was told about the confrontation that Cyrus had with their sister weeks prior. And Cyrus seemed to remember it all too well.

"You and I have a SCORE to settle." Cyrus hissed as he stomped forward.

Tyrrany's eyes immediately glanced around for some means of escape through the torrent of dark flames. Rune took this moment to hurriedly step between her and Cyrus.

"Cyrus now's not the time to start anything," Rune said cautiously. "Whatever happened between you and Hope, you need to think things through before-"

"SHUT UP!" Cyrus swiped a forepaw at Rune, talons extended. Rune yelped and struggled to dodge out of the way; the very tip of his mane was sliced, but otherwise, he was fine. Rune's heart beat like a drum as he watched the purple lightning dancing across Cyrus's scales again.

Meanwhile, Tyrrany took harsh breaths as she struggled to think of what to do. She glanced at Nellie and Roxanne, who continued to try, and fail, to regain enough stamina to pick themselves up. Cyrus made to charge after her, but Rune quickly ran to block his path.

"Get out of the way, Rune!" Cyrus hissed.

"You can't fight her!" Rune yelled. "I won't let you!"

"What?!" Cyrus's glare worsened. "Did you just completely forget how this BITCH and her cronies put me in the medical wing?! Why would you side with HER?!"

"Because Mom doesn't want us to fight Hope!" Rune yelled.

"Hope?" Nellie and Roxanne asked in unison.

Tyrrany didn't even want to waste time saying it wasn't her name; she was almost too distracted by the fact that Rune was standing his ground to defend her. There were too many puzzling things going on, and she needed to find some means of salvaging her attempt to win Rune over. If only she could-

"Annie!"

Tyrrany's ear frills were perked; the voice came from the north side of the arena. And she wasn't the only one; the others in the arena heard it plain as day.

"Oh, GREAT…" Cyrus growled. "It's one of her cronies NOW!"

He swung a foreleg to try and swat Rune out of the way, only to be met with resistance. Rune growled back and charged his body with a burst of earth magic to heighten his endurance. Rune then fought to push Cyrus's foreleg back, which made the larger black dragon quite furious.

Tyrrany took this as an opportunity to sprint over to the side of the arena to reach the northernmost part of the wall of flames. Along the way, she spotted a curious little hole being made in the wall of fire. The hole was spread out more and more until she could just barely manage to see Flame's face beyond. Tyrrany gasped in surprise, but not nearly as much as well Arthur suddenly flew through the hole.

"Hot-hot-hot!" The dragonfly cried as a trail of smoke was left by his wings. He panted as he hefted Tyrrany's bow in his little arms.

At first, Tyrrany wanted to ask how Flame and Arthur got to the gate, why they brought along her instrument, or even why they didn't flee to safety. But the looming presence of Cyrus behind her snatched those thoughts away. She needed to get Nellie and Roxanne back into top form quickly. Arthur swiftly flew up to Tyrrany and tossed her the bow, which she quickly caught in her forepaws. As that happened, Flame made the hole in the flames even bigger. Arthur flew back through the hole as fast as he could and came back through with the neck of Tyrrany's violin. Flame used a forepaw to carefully push the other end of the instrument through his hole before he concentrated on spreading the fiery wall apart. The dragoness cursed herself for parting with it; if only she'd known about the abrupt intrusion of a mutated black dragon.

If only Dad could have warned me, she sneered.

But as Tyrrany turned around to prepare to play, the face of Cyrus came charging toward her. She yipped and ducked as the great black dragon snapped at the air where her head was, and she sprinted to flee from him. Cyrus raised his head to try again, only to feel icy water splash against his face.

"GRAAH!" Cyrus growled in frustration. He looked over to see Rune standing his ground again, creating watery orbs about his head and infusing them with ice magic.

"I told you to STOP, Cyrus!" Rune yelled.

"Oh, and are you going to make me via a snowball fight?!" Cyrus snapped. He spread out his limbs and surrounded himself with more purple lightning. "You'll need to try a lot harder than THAT!"

~~…~~

Blankridge sliced his talons through the throat of one of the crepsculi. Emerald was a short distance away, using several earth blasts to knock a few more into the roaring embrace of the flaming wall. She happened to miss one of the crepsculi, which tried to flank her and strike at her wings. However, an earth bomb smashed into it from out of view; Marble had come running to her defense.

"Thanks…" Emerald smiled at her.

"Any time." Marble nodded.

Across the way, Keith and Mary were doing their best to hold their own against the crepsculi. Keith sent arcs of lightning dashing through the air, while Mary used her bursts of flame to try and scare them off. And between them, Ember was struggling to maintain her composure. She sent out a few fireballs here and there, but it wasn't doing much to keep the monsters at bay.

And across from Blankridge's gang, Seraph was standing tall before another little horde of the beasts. They clicked their tongues and gnashed their fangs, but the watery dragoness just gave her own deathly snarl. She opened her jaws and unleashed a powerful torrent, striking the monsters and sending them splashing against the wall of flames. As the monsters were burned away, clouds of steam rose toward the roof, briefly obscuring the dragoness's vision as she fought her way toward her son and his friends.

"They just keep coming!" Emerald shouted. "We should just run while we're still able!"

"Right…" Seraph grimaced. "Everyone, I need you all to stand together, so we can make our way out of here in an orderly fashion."

"And take the coward's approach?" Blankridge balked. He dodged under the attack of the tail of a scorpion-like crepsculi. He set it ablaze, knocked it back, and then whirled around to face his mother once more. "We can't just let these creeps take the arena!"

"It's not cowardice!" Seraph snapped. "And this isn't the time for worrying about bravado! What's important is getting the lot of you to safety!"

"But what about Nellie and Roxanne?!" Blankridge shouted. "We can't just forget about them!"

Seraph flinched; in all the excitement, she'd temporarily forgotten about the two teenagers trapped down in the arena. Her mind raced with panic; she had to save her daughter… but did she have the means?

Seraph turned to face the raging flames and sucked in the deepest breath she could. Spreading out her limbs, Seraph focused her glare and called within herself for her magic.

"Mom…?" Blankridge asked cautiously.

Seraph's jaws spilled open, and a great geyser burst forth. It struck the flaming wall, filling the air with even more steam than there was before. She pushed against it as hard as she could… only to run out of steam and collapse.

"Mom!" Blankridge shouted as he ran toward her. The orange drake helped his mother onto her feet, where she panted and winced.

"I'm alright…" She muttered as she stood up tall. "But… I don't think I have the power to tear through these flames by myself."

"We need help, then!" Blankridge insisted. "We need to get the Guardians!"

"They… They should be gathered in the council chamber…" Seraph said with a flap of her wings. "Come on… let's-"

"Guys, look!" Ember cried. Everyone stopped to see where she was pointing.

Across the way were Vaun and Aaron, surrounded by more of the monsters. They fought frantically to force the beasts back with their magic, but it was quite the struggle. A few of the bests managed to knock Aaron to the floor, as one of them sank their fangs into his foreleg.

"YOWCH!" Aaron cried. "Get them off me!"

"I'm trying!" Vaun yelled as he rammed into the creature with his horns.

"Oh, jeez…" Blankridge grimaced. Without another word, he charged forward to lend some help. Keith and Mary merely exchanged curious glances, before rushing forward to lend their assistance. Meanwhile, Ember, Emerald, and Marble stood at the back to make sure Seraph was doing alright.

"Shouldn't we help?" Ember asked.

"We can't just leave Miss Seraph behind." Marble frowned.

"Right…" Emerald sighed as she watched the battle up ahead. "Besides… the three of them are plenty capable."

Blankridge, Keith, and Mary unleashed bursts of fire and lightning upon the monsters, tearing apart the ones that were upon Aaron's back. The earth dragon winced as he picked himself up onto all fours, only to flinch as he stood on his injured leg.

"I'll help you out, buddy!" Vaun said worriedly as he rushed to Aaron's side. He set to work using water magic to tend the wound as best as he could. "We'll get this leg patched up soon!"

"Sooner rather than later, I hope…" Aaron said through gritted fangs. He glanced around at Blankridge and his friends, and quite begrudgingly lowered his head submissively. "Th-Thanks for helping me."

"Cancel the bet, and we're even." Blankridge declared.

Vaun simply rolled his eyes at that. "Fine…"

"Where's Roxanne?" Aaron suddenly asked.

"Last anyone's seen her, she was still in the lower arena."

"What?!" Vaun and Aaron shouted and stood up tall. Aaron immediately yelped in pain, and Vaun rushed to tend to his foreleg again.

"The flames are too strong!" Aaron said as he rubbed his tail. "And VERY hot."

"We've got to get down there!" Vaun shouted. "We can't leave her behind!"

"Now's not the time for bravado," Emerald said from across the way. She and Marble were escorting Seraph forward, with Ember following close behind. The earth dragoness stepped up and flapped her wings. "It's dangerous, yes, but we can't do anything for her by trying to throw ourselves against an inferno. The best we can do is form a group and make our way out of the palace until the swarm of crepsculi can be contained."

"Right…" Seraph said reluctantly. She glanced at the flames one last time, before flapping her wings and taking off in the opposite direction. "Let's go!"

The assembled teenagers followed after the dragoness as they made to escape the chaos. And all the while, Seraph quietly prayed to the ancestors for the safety of the teenagers… ALL of them.

Be safe… please.

~~…~~

While the two black dragons clashed, Tyrrany sprinted over to the still-exhausted Nellie and Roxanne. They spotted the violin in her paws and looked at her incredulously.

"What's that supposed to do to help?!" Roxanne demanded.

Tyrrany quickly got into her stance and brought the bow to her strings. "You'll see…"

The dragoness wasted no time playing the same melody she created to channel forth her latent magic. In moments, her body was surrounded by a purple aura, which spread to her bow with gusto. She pointed her bow at Nellie, and then at Roxanne. The next thing either of them knew, their bodies were being supercharged with incredible amounts of energy. Both girls were soon on their feet, hopping back and forth as they tried to acclimate to their new stamina.

"Wh-Wh-What did you d-d-do?!" Nellie asked incredulously.

"Answers come later!" Tyrrany snapped. She played more of her music as she tried to awkwardly hobble her way over toward the northern gate. "Use your magic to try and douse those flames!"

"Wh-What?!" Nellie yelled.

"We need to make a big enough hole to get through!" Tyrrany continued. She pointed with a talon over at the gate, where Arthur was awkwardly floating around by the hole as Flame worked to tear open the wall of fire. Nellie nodded in slight understanding, but her body jittered as she stood up on all fours. She trotted forward to try and help, while Roxanne was rather awkwardly standing up to rush over as well. Tyrrany winced at this, and she worked hard on playing her music to power the two girls up enough.

Nellie and Roxanne felt their bodies jittering as they parted their jaws to unleash their magic. Mighty bursts of water and lightning flew through the air and struck against the flames. Steam quickly rose, obscuring part of their view, but they kept on pushing. Tyrrany held her breath to keep from choking on the fumes, while the two continued fighting with all their might to break free…

But then, something clashed against the opposite side of the fiery wall. More smoke filled the air, and the sound of crackling lightning, distinct from Roxanne's, could be heard.

Tyrrany's eyes widened in surprise as the fiery walls dissipated faster and faster until a bit hole was completely torn through. It was then that she could see several other dragons standing around Flame, all working together to help Nellie and Roxanne tear it open…

Tina was blasting the inferno with her dark-tinged lightning, while Flame made a bigger hole in the wall of fire. And when the hole was big enough, the face of Chalice stepped into view.

"Come on, jump on through!" They motioned with a forepaw toward Nellie and Roxanne. Nellie kept her watery blasts going, but Roxanne shivered as she stepped up close and ended her own magic.

"I… I don't think I can…" She said with a shaking body; she clattered her fangs and hopped in place. She then glanced behind herself at the distant Cyrus, who roared and smashed the ground trying to get at Rune. Roxanne shivered even more as she turned to look at Chalice. "I… I'm stuck between an inferno and a hard place! I'm too scared to move!"

Chalice balked and then glowered. "Oh no, you're not!"

The grey dragon parted their jaws and unleashed a dark-red burst of magic toward Roxanne. She yelped in surprise as it struck her head… and then she beat her wings and shook her head, before looking at the flames with a confident grin.

"On second thought, I've got this!" She declared proudly. Chalice then stepped out of the way as Roxanne ran forward and leaped right on through the flames. Nellie and Tyrrany watched in confusion as they stepped closer.

"Fear magic can be pretty handy sometimes." Chalice said with a grin. "Like putting a stop to other's fears, for instance."

"Yes, yes, very nice…" Tina said as she moved up to motion with a forepaw toward Nellie. "You next! Hurry!"

Nellie wasted no time; she didn't even look back as she rushed forward, ended her watery beam, and leaped right through the hole. Once on the other side, Nellie turned to glare back through at Tyrrany, who shivered as she put an end to her music. Roxanne and Tina were quick to join in the glare, though Chalice held a dubious expression.

"Should we… help her?" Roxanne asked bitterly.

"We can't just leave her behind." Chalice said matter-of-factly.

"Definitely NOT!" Flame stamped his paws. "Come on, Annie! Jump through!"

Tyrrany took a single step forward… and then stopped herself. She cautiously turned back around and watched as Rune dodged out of the way of one of Cyrus's paws.

Tyrrany didn't know how Cyrus had gotten this way, and Rune was definitely not going to forgive her for anything she'd done up to this point… but she just couldn't turn back. She couldn't leave her brothers behind. Whatever happened next, Tyrrany had to see this through.

"I'm staying behind." She said through the hole.

"What?!" Flame and Arthur screamed in unison.

"I have to help my brothers," Tyrrany said confidently. "Now go… get out of here, before the crepsculi come back!"

Nellie and Roxanne didn't need to be told twice; they were already making a run for it. Tina was next to go after them, while Helianne gave everyone dubious glances as she rushed to keep up. Flame and Arthur, however, just stood in place, watching the cloaked dragoness with dumbfounded eyes. Chalice simply groaned and grabbed both of them with their forepaws.

"Standing around gawking isn't going to fix things…" They snapped. "Now come on; we're all still in danger."

"B-But…" Flame stammered. His eyes teared up, and he sucked in a harsh breath. "F-Fine… Just… Just be safe, Annie. Please…"

Tyrrany watched with sad eyes as Flame and Arthur followed the other teenagers down the hallway… and the wall of flames engulfed the hole, leaving her trapped. She took a careful breath (without taking in any smoke), and she clutched her violin to her chest as she turned around, and walked toward the two black dragons…

~~…~~

Greetings, friends and loved ones.

I don' really have a lot to say. I included some new scenes here and there, had Cyrus get manipulated into going rogue, and just generally tried my best to organize all the different Points of view. I suppose I wound up involving a LOT of characters, so I apologize if I wound up making things a tad complicated. But still, I've got the excitement I need to work on these edits, and I've almost caught up with where I left off. See you next time!

Tenebra ecce Veritas.