The battlefield was still in total chaos between exhalations of elements, explosions and falls. Although the dragons had quite a few individual victories, the number of enemies was enormous. On the other hand, the weather continued to be cloudy with dark clouds. Spyro and Jhonny flew through the enemies clearing the way to the large dark crystal to stop it before Malefor resurrected.
"Blazing Dragon!" Jhonny yelled against at least twenty enemies.
"Ether Fury!" I also attack Spyro at a higher amount.
The attacks not only hit the mark, but also swept away all the enemies that were near them. They started to push their way, but then another hundred dark soldiers stopped them.
"It seems they don't learn their lesson..." Spyro commented.
"Well, we defeat them to continue..." Jhonny suggested.
(Meanwhile, later…)
Nina, Drago, Aurora and Sam were face to face with the Dark One called Dahaak.
"We are not afraid of you" Nina told him.
"Ha, kids... you're not even adults to face me" she told them, "As I said before, I just hope you'll be of use to me"
"Don't treat us like children, we're pretty strong" Aurora asked, puzzled, "And don't think you'll be able to use us"
"That's right, we don't give up" Drago answered.
"We will defeat every last minion of Malefor," Nina said.
"And we will bring peace to the world" Sam supported them.
"Yes, they are as persistent as cockroaches, anyway, if they want to…" he said while his body was charged with dark energy, "Apocalyptic ghost!
The shadow that covered his body separated from him and took the form of a monstrous dragon that swooped down on them. Sam didn't have much time to react and, getting in front, generated a shield of light, but... the attack surpassed his thoughts: upon impact with the young dragons, it caused a huge explosion that left a hole in the ground. In the center, the four wounded dragons were left, but miraculously alive.
"That... hurt..." Sam said, trying to get up.
"Now do you understand?" The black dragon told them, "You can't beat me..."
Dahaak exhaled a dark ball from his mouth towards the fallen, but just at the moment another energy ball, one made of fire, came to meet him, exploding both in the air.
The enemy searched for the author of the interruption until they found him: the guardian of the fire descended towards where the wounded group of young dragons was.
"Dad!" Aurora yelled.
There was a small tremor in the dark dragon, but it seems that Jhonny didn't notice it, as he had turned to hand a small bag of red crystals to Aurora.
"Drago, Aurora, take these crystals and recover" he told them, "Then, get away and go with your other friends, I'll take care of this battle"
"But, we can help you..." Drago tried to say.
"Drago, from what you can see, this guy is not easy at all. So leave it to me, your responsibility is to keep your friends safe in this battle. Trust me…"
"Drago" Nina told him, putting a paw on her friend's shoulder, "He's right. We're no match for that guy. We better regroup."
A little reluctantly, Drago had to admit it. So, once they had recovered, they got up and moved a little away from that place. For his part, the dark dragon made no move as his first targets eluded him, just staring at the guardian.
"Now we can start" Jhonny threatened his opponent.
"I never thought I would see you in that form or your children…" Dahaak replied, "It's quite a coincidence how these things happen…"
"I know you?" Jhonny asked him, puzzled but careful that he was being deceived.
The dark dragon made a slight laugh and then mentioned:
"There, my boy… Your mother always believed that you are special…"
"What do you know about my mother?"
"Many things. After all, she took you to see me one last time before we parted…"
Jhonny's heart stopped hearing that and his mind began to remember as he saw the dragon's eyes.
"You… are…" he said.
(Flashback)
A five-year-old sad boy was leaning against the wall in a passageway outside a room. While he waited, he was tapping his foot on the ground fearing that everything would be okay. From inside the room, some very loud voices could be heard:
"I need that money to educate him" said a woman's voice, "He is also your son. And you haven't been with him that long either."
"I don't have time for it, I work very hard and it's still not enough for you?" said another voice, a man's.
"You wouldn't have to split it if you didn't have so many women!"
"Don't judge me of my way of living! I go out with whoever I want!"
That made the boy almost crying, because he was understanding that none of this would turn out well. There was a minute of silence, until finally the woman spoke:
"I leave"
"Okay, see you never. If that is what you want…"
"It's the best for him. Well, even if you have one or more children with other women, I assure you that Jonathan is special…"
The door opened and the woman found the child with a few tears in her eyes. His father, sitting arranging something at the table, gave him only one last glance as his mother took him away.
(end of flashback)
"So it's you..." Johnny mused, "I can't believe how low you've sunk this time."
"That's not the way to talk to your father like that, Jonathan," the Dark One stressed.
"Stop saying that to me!" the furious guardian claimed, "You didn't care about me, I didn't see you again in years! And now… you become a Dark One, attacking innocents and helping in a war that destroyed the peace of this world?! I will never call someone like that father."
Dahaak only limited himself to looking in the direction where the young dragons had gone.
"Four," he said, "It seems we have something in common with women…"
"First of all, only two of them are my children" Jhonny replied knowing what he meant, "Secondly, I really value and love only one: her mother. And thirdly, I will never be like you."
"Being your father, there is something I must teach you: you must understand that this was the day to day of people, isn't that why you are here now? did you not renounce your own world to come to one where all things were better? Here you don't have to worry about money or survival: a paradise for a child"
Jhonny felt that on that point he was right: there was no way to deny that he felt some sorrow and pain for his previous life. However, those thoughts weakened his attention:
"Spectral Serpents!"
A series of columns of smoke billowed over him. These, in turn, divided into thinner ones and finally took the form of snakes that bit the neck, wings, chest and one leg of the dragon. Jhonny roared in pain and, a few seconds after being bitten, he fell semi-paralyzed.
"Calm down" Dahaak told him, "The poison is not deadly, but it produces pain that is unbearable"
"You tricked me..." Jhonny muttered, "You wanted to distract me..."
"You are the one who came to have doubts due to his decisions. In life you have to be firm to take them, even if it means leaving someone behind…"
Jhonny stood up with a great effort and blazed at her with anger. For a minute Dahaak swayed and seemed to give way. The guardian took advantage and put its claws on his neck.
"Don't talk to me about how you allowed my mother to leave and you allowed it…" he said furiously.
"I'm not just talking about that… don't you think it's ironic that you tell me? After all, you did it too…" his father told him.
Jhonny was even more paralyzed: it wasn't the poison, but…
"You decided to abandon her to have your own life…" his father said again, "After so much she did for you, is this how you thank her? Lose yourself and go to a world where you wouldn't succumb to all the defeats and failures a human could have?"
Saying so, he hit him with his tail. When he fell, the circulation caused the painful poison to course through his veins.
"However, that makes us the same," he continued, "We are cowards: we decided to run away from problems instead of facing them. And what if this world wasn't real? If it's just a long dream that you'll wake up at any moment?"
"No... I'm sure this is real..." Jhonny muttered trying to get up.
"Come on, wake up already..." he replied, hitting his face with his tail, "Stop living a fantasy and be a man..."
The poison was making Jhonny dizzy and he couldn't hear much of anything else. Suddenly, a wave of heat came from somewhere and he headed for Dahaak.
"Blazing Dragon!"
A large dragon of fire and lava approached at high speed. Dahaak, seeing him approaching also counterattacked.
"Apocalyptic Ghost!"
The dark attack blocked the fire attack and both neutralized each other. The next second, Drago landed next to Jhonny carrying a pair of red gems.
"Dad!" he said trying to heal him, "are you okay?"
"Drago..." Jhonny replied trying to get up, "You shouldn't be here, it's too dangerous..."
"I know but…"
"That was a good attack, Drago" Dahaak interrupted them, "I see it all runs in the family"
"Don't make fun of my father" Drago demanded.
"Oh, I'm not making fun of him at all. After all, we are all family…"
Drago also seemed to doubt those words, but he quickly recovered.
"Don't think I didn't hear what you said," he replied, "But I'm not going to consider you my grandfather. And I'll tell you why: Compared to my father, he never abandoned us and always showed affection to me, my sister and my mother. You may tell him that what he lives is an illusion, but our hearts are united by that family bond and that is not an illusion "
Jhonny, still hurt by the poison, heard those words while he looked at his son with pride. However, his moment was cut short when Dahaak suddenly attacked Drago with his snakes. The young dragon, when bitten, also screamed in pain and felt faint, but he tried to keep on all fours to continue fighting.
"You seem to still have energy…" Dahaak said, "Okay, maybe another dose…"
He attacked again, but before the snakes could reach him, a blazing fire incinerated them to ashes. Jhonny had gotten up and was defending Drago.
"Drago" he told him, "Thank you very much. If you are similar to Edel in something, it is that he always fills me with hope"
Then he turned to Dahaak.
"Maybe you were my father before," he told him, "and it could be that everything you say is true. But my heart is where I belong and my mother supported me in that when I made the decision. It hurt to have separated from her, but she also wanted me to find happiness… one that I won't lose, not even because of you or my past!"
Mana from him began to emanate from his body, forming into a layer of fire that could burn the ground around him.
"Yes you are stubborn..." Dahaak told him, "Humans like us never have a happy ending"
Johnny's fire burned even hotter.
"There are things you should know" the guardian told him, "First, family does not come from blood, but from the feelings you share with them. Second, what is real is not always what you can see or touch, but what you really believe to be true. And third…"
The fiery mana grew into huge embers that covered his scaly body.
"…I'm no longer the five-year-old boy you abandoned…I, am the guardian of the fire! And I won't let you take the peace of this world! Humans may not be calm, but it is not to bring darkness to worlds that are!
The fire was growing so rapidly that Dahaak emanated a great darkness that caused a great blizzard that moved several pieces of the earth, to prepare for the technique that he had already seen. But Johnny had another plan...
"I don't know if this will work" thought Jhonny, "I've seen this attack once, but I never dared to use it because it belongs to a water user: very opposite to fire. Also, it has to be executed perfectly or I'll be the one destroyed. However, what choice am I left with?"
"Always doubting yourself..." Ignitus's voice came into his head.
"Ignitus…"
"That's how it is. You have always doubted your abilities as a guardian, but you have played your role as your heart commanded. Do not be afraid and you will be able to make something impossible your own weapon…"
"My own weapon..."
"Fight for your family and you will not be afraid..."
"Thank you Ignitus, I'll do my best"
Dahaak proceeded to attack.
"Apocalyptic Ghost!"
The wraith rose once more, but bigger and stronger than ever. Johnny had no choice.
"Warrior spirit burns…" he muttered, "Give strength to my mana and allow me to do that technique…"
The fire manna spread out like a large incendiary tornado in a moment.
"Ten Fire Dragons!"
From the flames of the tornado, ten heads of flaming dragons arose and they collided with the specter of the enemy and destroyed it and then impacted on Dahaak who could not believe what was happening. When all finished, Jhonny fell exhausted to the ground.
"As I expected… that attack is quite powerful and costs quite a bit…" he muttered.
He was tremendously exhausted and dug his claw into the ground. Then, from between the rocks, below, he saw a kind of light. Digging a bit, he miraculously found a pair of green gems and a red one, with which he replenished his energy. Then, he approached Drago.
"Drago, are you alright?" asked Johnny.
"Yes, dad... I'm fine... a little..." he told him.
"I warned you that participating in the war was extremely painful…"
"But I always want to help…"
Jhonny laughed and said: "Well, we're alike in that too..."
Then, letting Drago rest for a moment, he headed towards Dahaak, who was dissolving into the shadows.
"Your mother was right… yes, you are special…" the Dark One told him, "Now I see the incredible power… that when you believe in the impossible… it becomes possible…"
"Despite the hatred that I bore you for a long time, I have to thank you" answered the dragon, "If I have something human, it is knowing how to forgive others. Without you, I would never have existed and I owe you for that."
"Ha… at least… that makes me feel a bit like the father I never was…"
He was beginning to fade.
"Jonathan, you have to know something important: Malefor doesn't just use the dark ones to provoke war and lead his army. He uses them as receptacles"
"Receptacles?"
"The more they fight, the more darkness looms within them and when they are eliminated… all that negativity goes straight to him to form his body… you must stop him before he gathers enough…"
"And you knew that all along and still accepted it?"
"I planned to win, but I never thought I would meet you and lose... although it was good to see how much you've grown... that son of yours... and your daughter you have... don't do the same stupid things I did..."
He only had a little more of his neck left. Johnny calmed down and said:
"We won't do it…"
And with that, the dragon disappeared into the shadows.