Sorry for the long wait, school has been busy. It's done now (I graduated). Plus I have been trying to figure out the specifics of the rest of this story, as well as writing others. That and I have been thinking a lot about what tropes I like and don't like, and what I wish to use (I have a whole rant at the bottom of the chapter again if you want to read it).

Oh yeah and be prepared for perspective flips, because I have just a bit too many in this chapter. I have a lot of things I gave to address and set up in this interlude chapter as we move to arc/act 2.

Replies:

L0rd3n: I yes, who does not like some good violence? I appreciate the compliments and feedback. Glad to hear I mostly pulled off the fight scene. I don't write those much. Hope this chapter further catches your interest in the arc ahead.

Guardian of Fire: Yeah, it's lucky Spyro and Cynder found her. Thanks for the interest in the story.

Dr Kocktor: Glad to see you like it. And I am glad you like Spyro and Cynder's relationship; I try to make it as wholesome as I can. I want to avoid needless drama for them. And yeah we will learn what the villains are up to soon enough.

Gamma:I guess here is the update. Honestly fanfics are often slow and I sadly am not an exception in this case. I am trying to write out several chapters before posting instead of one at a time. Building a buffer pays off I think.

Guest: thanks for interest. I guess here is the next update

Before I begin I recommend reading Shadow Scales, it's a really good fic and I hope to see it get more attention.

Also also if you feel inclined, check out my other stories. Been planning to update them, but Crosswid especially. Really would appreciate feedback on it and others. Including those

Right enough self promotion check to the story

Hours had passed since the fight with Bastian. Spyro and Cynder had been treated for their wounds and were resting while the guardians and dragon temple staff sorted out the situation. The council wouid no doubt be notified. Surely plenty more meetings were to come, but that would be dealt with later. Spyro was currently dealing with meetings, mostly being questioning about the attack from temple security and the guardians.

Currently, Cynder was within the children's wing of the hospital in one of the playrooms, watching her adopted daughter play with the toys in hand. The room was large and painted in bright blue, making it more welcoming to the younger patients.

No other hatchlings were present at the moment. She had taken the liberty of having Meredy examined and inquiring about her health, since she had the time and had meant to do so anyway. Additionally, Cynder had finalized Meredy's adoption and registered her into Spyro and her's custody. These errands had been their intention today before the incident.

Cynder meanwhile, was talking to the temple's head caretaker and doctor, a white furred dragon named Illcia. Illicia's species looked mostly like 'typical' dragons of Warfang in shape, but were covered in hue across their bodies, save for their scaled under belly's, and their wings had feathers on them. She had blue eyes, white fur, and a blue under belly and feathered wings. Currently, she was sharing some info yielded from tests they had conducted

"So, give it too me straight. How is she doing?" Cynder .

The caretaker looked at Cynder. "Well... before I get to that, I think I should tell you something." She said. Cynder looked at her with anxiety.

"Based off what I saw of her physical traits.. she's a hybrid. Of my species and yours." She stated.

The black dragoness looked shocked. "A hybrid? That's… I am confused. She looks like my kind. She doesn't have any fur or feathers." Cynder pointed out.

Icicle nodded. "Well, not many. When examining her I actually found a small patch of fur on her neck and back legs. It only just seems to be growing in, which is odd for a hatchling of her age. Perhaps she shedded before you found her? It's not uncommon for my kind to do so. Anyways, I would gather she takes more after her non-Corvan parent, but that's beside the point." She explained.

"I don't know about her birth parents, but it brings to mind some additional needs of hers I need to inform you of. 'This little one has a, shall I say, different kind of metabolism due to her nature as a hybrid. But by all accounts she is mostly healthy, if a bit small for her age.'"

Cynder raised a brow. Ignita worried she was under fed. Couid that play into it as well?"

The doctor shook her head. "It could play into it, but that's not the root of her problems. She is a bit small, but it seems more like her metabolism just functions differently than most dragons, even for a hatchling of your kind. I won't go into a long science lesson, but the short of it is we Corva Dracona are more akin to mammals than you elemental dragons. Our young require milk to survive and grow. It takes nearly four or five years to fully wean them off. This child needs milk to survive; it's not just a supplement for her. She hasn't finished growing her teeth in yet either, as you know."

Cynder was shocked, the gravity of this revelation hitting her. They had not been meeting her needs as much as they should have! The milk they fed her was more akin to a medicine or diet supplement. But now she learned Meredy need this to live! How could they not figure this out? They went nearly a full day without feeding Meredy milk she needed…

Cynder looked away, forlorn. The Corva dragoness looked at her. "Cynder dear, are you ok?"

Cynder held back tears. "I already failed her again. We haven't been feeding her correctly! I didn't know... She's only had medical milk for the past few days. I thought..."

The caretaker shushed her. "Stop. Beating yourself up is not going to help. You could not have known, Ignita didn't detect it either and nor can we blame her. Hybrids are rare and this hatchling shows few traits of my kind. It took a more specialized exhumation to find out." She stated, reassuring the younger dragoness. "And well … knowledge of my species is a bit limited amongst other doctors. Hybrids like this little one are not common occurrences either." She noted. "Ignita would not have been aware."

"Look, don't blame yourself. I'll arrange the proper formula to be supplied for you, but you the previous formula at least gave her what she needs." She insists. "However there's more." She stated. "I needed to follow up with you about her growth and developing magic." Iccila stated, pulling out a written scroll from her side.

Cynder looked at her questioningly.

"This child is, well, a unique case. Hybrids are rarely documented, but her magic and metabolism are rather odd, in spite of that. I know you spoke to others about this, but I don't think her aura is like that of my kin. So I don't think her lineage is the cause of her aura. Perhaps being a dark dragon has to do with it, but that's a question for the researchers." She noted. She looked to Cynder. "As you know, we dragons are vastly different from most other species. Our children grow slower and require more care than that of most other species, Cynder. But Meredy's energy levels are, well, all over the map. Our kind's inherent magic requires much more care and time to develop. We don't just grow mentally and physically like, say, a cheetah would. Our magic grows with us. So, in other words, our metabolism adapts and works very differently, along with our magic. Meredy's, however, still feels unique to me. A hatchling's magic can determine their needs, but her aura feels unlike anything I have really seen before. Nevertheless, I think we can meet her needs."

She finished. She then reached into her satchel on her side, and handed Cynder some papers. "These notes should explain a bit more about her diet. Aside from fur, Corva hatchlings are not much too different than other dragon hatchlings, so Meredy's needs should not be too far off from what other dragon hatchlings may need, milk aside." She noted.

Cynder nodded and took them. She looked at her sweaty hands. "Will she be able to grow up healthy?" she asked. "There is so much about her I don't understand."

The furred dragon looked at her. "Not to worry, Cynder,you'll do fine I know. We just need to adjust her milk formula a bit. The supplement should aid in her growth. From there, we will monitor her health and growth as normal. Bare in mind, she is still very young and this can change through her life. She may have been under fed but I feel that her growth can be rectified." She stated, to Cynder's relief.

The dark dragoness nodded. Yet more needs Meredy had, but she would do whatever her took to care for her. Cynder nodded and thanked the doctor, but was still lost in thought. She was worried of course for Meredy's health but she could only do as the professionals guided her.

Suddenly the hatchling came over and pawed Cynder's leg, getting her attention. Cynder looked down at her daughter. "Yes, sweetie?"

Meredy looked up. "Cynder, I'm hungry." She whined.

Cynder paled. She did not have any food on her, nor she did not have any milk ingredients. Luckily, the furred dragon stepped in.

"I'll feed her, Cynder." Icila stated as she got up.

The black dragoness nodded. "Oh, thank you." She said, looking to Meredy. "Sweetie, go with Iccila for a bit, she will feed you." Cynder told her. Meredy did not seem to mind as Iccila picked her up by the scruff, and walked to a more private part of the room, leaving Cynder alone.

Meredy was deposited onto a large mat in another room of the doctor's office. The room was more secluded than the others, likely for privacy reasons. Meredy looked up at the doctor. The fuzzy dragon had been kind to her, and her fur reminded her of her stuffed animals back home, so she felt comfortable around her. It also helped that she looked less intimidating than most adult dragons.

The adult smiked at her and sat down. "Ok sweetie, I believe it's important you have milk."

Meredy raised a brow. "Ok. But I don't see any with you?" She said, tilting her head.

The dragoness laughed. "Sweetie, I have my own you know." The dragoness insisted, as she laid herself on her side. Meredy blushed in embarrassment, knowing what that meant, as well as being reminded of her younger childhood.

"N-no it's ok, i am not that hungry ." She said sheepishly. Being fed from the bottle was one thing but this felt even more awkward to her. She did not even really know this drsgoness.

However, the caretaker sighed. "But you just said you were hungry." She said, raising a brow.

Meredy was about to counter but the grumbling of her stomach silenced any further attempt.

"Sweetie, this is vital to you. Hatchlings need to eat." She insisted, before picking up the hatchling by her scruff and depositing her at her side.

The hatchling looked up at her wearily. "But-"

"No buts, little one. It's important you hatchlings eat." She said sternly but gently , nudging Meredy lightly with her muzzle. Meredy sighed and gave in, her hunger getting the better of her. She let the dragoness nudge her towards her belly area. Although reluctant at first, a sweet scent hit the child's muzzle. As if on instinct, she abandoned any hesitation to the wind and starting nursing.

The furred dragon flinched slightly but shook it off. The caretaker smiled down at her as she did,looking over the shadow hatchling. "Hungry aren't ya?" She inquired playfully.

Merrdy gave it no heed, and simply kept drinking to her heart's content. However, she heard footsteps approaching from nearby. She briefly stop nursing to turn her head. She saw through the door way Cyril had entered the hospital wing from one of the other entrances in the room, although he seemed a bit perplexed.

"I am trying to nurse a child here. Please give me a moment." The white drsgoness stated.

Cyril paled a bit, embarrassed about intruding on such a private event. Nonetheless, Cyril spoke. "Apologies." He said, stepping away into another corner of the room.

Icicle lightly nudged Meredy's head back towards her belly area with her muzzle, causing her to continue nursing. While this went on, the hatchling heard Cyril and Cynder's voices in the other room, but was too preoccupied to pick up on what they were saying to each other. To her confusion, the furred dragon seemed to cover Meredy's body with her wing, making it harder to hear as well. Meredy paid it little heed though.

After several more minutes, the hatchling had finally finished nursing. Feeling full, Meredy turned to see Cynder, Sellen and Cyril walking over at her. Meredy licked leftover milk off of her muzzle, as she looked up at the adult dragons groggily.

"Ah, it's good to see you are ok, little one." Sellen greeted in a friendly ton.

Meredy smiked. "Ms Sellen!" She said, attempting to get up to nuzzle her but finding herself too tired to. The elder dragoness chuckled and nuzzled Meredy back into her spot.

"Not to worry dear… I am fine. Good to see you are too, and had a good meal it seems." She jested, noting the milk stains the hatchling's muzzle. Meredy blushed, as did the furred dragoness.

.Cynder gave a slight laugh at that gesture, before she spoke next.

"Sweetie, I need to go and… do adult things, ok? I I will be back soon. I…" Cynder glanced at Cyril.

"Be good, ok?" Cynder said, offering a nuzzle. Meredy nuzzled back and smiled. "Okay." She said simply, too groggy to think into it much.

Cynder nuzzled Meredy a final time and looked to her care takers. "Take care of her please. Spyro and I wil retrieve her shortly."

Tge firred dragoness nodded as Cynder bid her goodbye for the moment. Meredy snuggled up next to the fuzzy dragon to her side. Iccila wrapped her wing around the child. The three adults turned to leave soon after, as Meredy's eyes began to droop.

Before passing out, Meredy could not help but feel conferred and protected. She had never known this much support from others before, save her aunt and some of her mothers friends. She hoped it lasted this time…

Slowly but surely, she went to sleep.

"I hope this is important. I don't wish to be apart from her after the incident." Cynder noted to the two older drsgons.

Cyril himmed. "We do not wish to keep you and your mate, but we need to know what you saw. Spyro is done with his testimony and will be with you when we get to the chambers." Cyril noted. Cynder sighed in response and then looked to Sellen.

"What of your injuries, head Mistress Sellen? Should you not be resting?"

Sellen shrugged. "Perhaps," she said, nonchalantly. "But there's business to attend to first."

Cynder raised a brow. "What of your injuries?" She said, noting various cuts and wrapping on her body. The old dragoness schoffed.

"Oh please, I'm much too stubborn to die that easily. Besides, my healing magic handles most of the more severe wounds that dragon left. It was a close call, sure, but the healers were on scene rather fast with healing gems and the like." She noted.

Cynder still looked unsure. "But you got hit pretty hard I heard…"

Sellen sighed. "Physical exhaustion mostly. It hurt but what really got me was expending so much mana. But when you have developed your magic for as long as I have, you pick up a few tricks. Healing magic is quite potent, but casting so many spells was draining on me. To say nothing of maintaining the barrier around the child; but I digress." She stated. Cynder, however, had another question for her and Cyril.

"What of the traitor though? I am curious what happened after that dark dragon fled," Cynder stated. Spyro had been the one dealing with all the aftermath, she had been too busy dealing with Meredy and resting to find out.

Sellen frowned. "He will be tried and sentenced. The council will likely debate it but seeing as he reported to me, I shall be the one to decide on punishment." She stated. She looked aside and noted the curious looks from both fellow dragons.

Cynder shot the old drsgoness a questioning look. She understood the need to punish him of course but found it slightly excessive. "A bit harsh, don't you think?"

Cyril and Sellen looked at her. Sellen nearly schoffed.

"Hardly. This sentence is being generous. Normally this would have been at least a hundred years with of prison after what happened. We will only offer a lesser punishment because he alerted the guards in time and none were killed." She added, before turning to Cynder

" But, Cynder dear, you are too forgiving. Yes, I know Frost owned up to what he did and turned himself in, and by extension alerted the guards, but I cannot just ignore what he did. He violated his oath to serve the temple and upheld his position. Maintaining and having access to the archives and the like is considered a high honor; one that he threw away for personal profit in the first place. Worst yet, his actions had dire consequences." She said with scorn in her voice. "By letting in Bastian, valuable knowledge was stolen, a hatchling was nearly kidnapped, you, Spyro, I and several guards were injured." She reminded Cynder, with a hint of frustration in her voice.

Cynder nodded. "I… I guess you are right. I suooose I wouid be more pissed at Frost if I knew him better." She noted.

Sellen frowned. "I do know him; and I am beyond livid. He was to be my successor but he threw it all away… ti say nothing of how much worse it couid have been. Many were placed in harms way because of him, including children. Many couid have died. As such, will see to it I tear him a new one." She said, in a hint of anger. Sellen breathed and tried to calm herself down.

Neither Cynder nor Cyril could disagree with her reasoning and points. Both spent it nodded in agreement. Cynder seemed to decide to change the subject.

"Any idea how he could have gotten into the temple?" Cynder inquired.

"We do know of how Bastian got past the guards at the gate. According to the report we got, Frost admitted he snuck Bastian some armor from the barracks and disguised him as a guard. He claims to know nothing more of what Bastian wanted beyond access to the archives. He was paid handsomely for this. Supposedly , this was planned in advance by the two. Both met under cover of night weeks prior. Bastian made use of cloaks. " Cyril noted dryly.

Cynder looked at him. "And I take it Bastian got away from any pursuers after he fled the temple?"

Cyril nodded. "Vanished after fleeing into the wilds. No trace of him yet." He said. "Not sure how he did it."

Cynder then decided to ask something she had been wandering about. "So who is he anyways? I vaguely recall hearing his name years ago but don't recall much." She noted.

Sellen sighed. "It's been awhile since he was last seen. He was a hero and a general during the war with Malefor, and was one our strongest warriors. But a few years after the war, he vanished abruptly. Was never sure why. Funny thing, he was an earth dragon last time it was reported seen. I guess he converted to a dark dragon but I don't know how or why…"

Cynder was intrigued. "Why do you think he left? And why leave such a respected position? And to corrupt himself too... it makes no sense." The black dragoness noted.

Cyril hummed as they walked further down the hall. "Quite curious, yes. We were never sure why... there were rumors he grew frustrated with his position in sone capacity but none were certain of the exact cause. Maybe he just lost it? We know he lost much of his family to Malefor's forces during the war, and suffered greatly. He sought help but I am not sure how much it did for him. I recall he seemed to go rather quite around everyone before he disappeared." He noted.

Cynder shook her head in worry. So this powerful dragon just shows up after years of being missing, went mad and nearly kidnapped her baby… it was alarming. Why did he corrupt his element and seemingly turn on Warfang? It made no sense. And what did he want with Meredy? Such questions burned in her mind yet the lack of answers worried and frustrated her.

Sellen sighing broke her from her thoughts. "We don't know what he wanted with the archives or your hatching, nor his motives for doing all this. But rest assured, we will be stepping up security in the temple and city. Bastian will have a bounty placed on his head for this. He will be bright to justice, somehow or another." Sellen affirmed.

Cynder, not having any answers to cling to, decided to take comfort in Sellen's affirmation. "…alright. I will just have to stay vigilant, I suppose." She responded.

Eager to change subjects, are noted they are getting closer to the guardian's chamber doors, based off the signs in the hallway.

"Well, we best shelve this gif now until we know more. Now come, we have much to discuss." He said, taking the lead as they rounded the corner to the guardian's chambers. Cynder sighed and started preparing herself to recount the events of the fight.

(Talon's Nook)

Lilith was wasting away more hours in the library again. The Talon's Nook gramd library as she found it to be called. Turns out this town was called Talon's Nook. As she flipped through the pages of a book, she felt her frustration grow.

"Another day, another… oh what the hell am I even doing anymore?" Lilth thought to herself as she flipped aimlessly through the pages of yet another book about things from the dragon realms.

As of the past few days since arriving in town, she just spent her day reading, learning about this weird new world she was in. It was all she had to do really; might as well fill the time and try to adapt. Today, she hand been reading about the dragon species themselves. Her own kind now, she supposed. Just basic stuff about their biology , king life spans, and inherent elements they each were born with. Most note worthy facts she found was their long life spans and slow aging. As she read, dragons did not really age like humans at all. Anything under fifty was considered young to them. She could not compare their mental growth to that of a human but their 'phases' of life lasted longer, and varied in length. Meredy wouid be considered barely out of infancy, and in her early toddler years as far as dragons thought it. Drsgons were done grow at and considered full adults by society at 28, but that was mostly a formality she read. Drsgons mentally aged and matured for most of their lives, much slower than other species. Middle age for them would be well beyond 70, by her guess.

Another weird fact found was the presence of a species Corva Dracona, or feathered dragons as some called them. Also called furred dragons, she had seen a few around thr town. The idea of dragons having fur or feathered wings was strange to Lilth, to say the least. From what she read, they were actually offshoots of ice and wind dragons, which composed the only kinds of ekenrngs their pure bloods had, though other elements were possible too. The other key things she noted about them were that they were somewhat rare since the war with Malefor.

They usually lived in high up places mountains and were all about community. Their parents are protective of hatchlings under their care, and a key part culture is the aiding in the raising and training of young dragons, which was why they were commonly hired as doctors and caretakers. Strangely enough they even lactated and nursed their young. To her knowledge, dragons typically did not do that but it seemed to be an adaptation of theirs. They might be more akin to mammals but she was not very sure how that worked.

Of particular note to her, a Lilith had been noticing black fur and feathers growing on her wings and around her body. Why she did not know but it reminded her of those Corva dragons she read about. Not that age cared much; she was too desensitized from all the other weird ass crap she had witnessed the past week. So she had feathers now? Whatever.

Lilth sighed and put down the book for now, tired of reading endlessly. She was unable to keep her intrusive thoughts at bay any longer…

"What am I even doing now? Stalling for time!?" She thought. Who was she kidding? She had nothing now; she had no job, no way home, no where to go or anything really to do. She had no idea what she wanted to do either; she didn't know where her daughter was, or if she was here at all and had no one to turn to. The reality of being a friendless, homeless vagrant who slept in the woods and barely knew how to use her own magic sunk in again. She was truly at a rut right now; these library visits and pointless readings sbout this wotkd were just to fill time and keep her from her own thoughts.

Sighing greatly she rest her head on the table in defeat. Learning about this world was certainly interesting at least and helped her blend in a bit better, but she needed something more to do. Anything! She hasn't the faintest clue or lead on Meredy's location. What was she supposed to do now?

Suddenly she felt a slight poking at her bsck leg. She raised a brow and lifted her head from the table to see what it was. Looking down she was greeted by the earth dragon child from the other day.

The two stared at each other, awkwardly.

"Ummm… hi?" Terra said awkwardly, seemingly unsure how to greet the dark dragoness.

"Uh, hey." Lilth said akwardly, unsure why this child was bothering her. "I didn't I see you the other day?" She noted. "Need something?" She asked.

The dragonling hummed. "Well, my mommy-"

"Terra, there you are." A voice called. Both dragons turned their heads to see the dark dragon from before, Mistral, waking over to them. She looked down at her child.

"Sweetie, please don't run off like that." She said to Terra, as yet another dark dragon seemed to be approaching from just to the side of her. This one was bulkier than before, he had a sturdy build, black scales and grey underbelly, as well as thick grey horns that curved upward. He had piercing blue eyes and grey wing membranes. He honestly looked like he may have been an earth dragon before. Being approached like this put LIltiht at unease; she did not usually speak to those she did not know.

Mistral turned to Liltih and sat down, along with her fellow dragon. "Greetings, ma'am. Its Lilith, right?"

Lilith nodded. "Yes. I reconiaze you from a few days ago. Your son ran into me. Mistral and Terra was it?" She inquired. Mistral nodded at her, and gestured for her family to sit down nearby.

"Wonder where this is gong." Lilith thought to herself. She eyed the couple in curiosity.

"It's good to see you again. You met my son and I earlier, but you I take it you have not met my mate. This is Alarick." She said, gesturing to her mate

Lilith find his name slightly funny, as dragons usually held it tradition to name themselves after their elements, as she had read. But it seemed that was not universal.

"Pleasure to meet you Alarick. I am sure your family too you but my I'm Lilith Glydewell." Lilith said.

Mistral was the one to speak up first. "A bit of a book worm I see." She said, gesturing to the pile of books to the former human's side. Lilth nodded slightly. She has always been big about reading and learning things. She will admit she missed the convenience of modern technology though. Her reading had mostly bren done on her own phone, it's what she did while idle most of the time. On that note, she was not sure what had become of her phone when she was teleported, or as others may put it, Isakei-ed into this world…

"My son Terra is shaping up to be one too." She said, slightly awkwardly. Lilth sighed a bit but gave them an akward smile. This was just getting awkward. Might as well be forward.

"Forgive me for being blunt, but I imagine you have a reason for talking to be like this? Most around here just ignore me." The former human noted.

The dark dragon couple sighed and Mistral decided to answer. "…yes, we do. I had hoped to ease into with small talk but I guess my skills in that are lacking." She said, gesturing to her mate to join the conversation.

Alarick finally spoke, his voice rather deep and gruff, yet not unkind. "My mate has scene you throughout the week. We… understand you are going through alot. Its… rather evident, if you have been through what we have." He stated. Lilith looked on neutrally, though with an inquisitive look. She let his words sink in…

"We have a spare room you could stay in connected to the shop, and I am willing to discuss a starting salary to. I think it could be a good start to getting you back on your feet." He added.

So that's what it was. Pity. It made sense, she guessed. She was wandering in and out of town living on the streets after all. It was tempting to want to take this offer, but her own pride and stubbornness got the better of her. She was silent for a few moments before she spoke up.

"… thank you, but I have to decline. I don't want to be a burden." Lilth responded.

The other dark dragon pressed on. "Ma'am, it's really no problem." She began, before Lilith spoke up once more.

"Look, it is very kind of you to offer me this but I don't want to be a burden. Of course the offer is tempting, I can't even pretend to say it is not. It's very kind of you to offer this but… I don't want to intrude on your household or lives. " Lilth insisted. "Besides, why offer something like that to a random stranger who lives in the woods?" Lilth inquired , a bit suspiciously. She would not risk being taken advantage of. This offer was sounding too good to be true. And she had been taken advstsge of before, by something like this…

Mistral looked to her mate and then sighed. "Look, we understand this seems out of the blue. I won't lie, we have not seen another dark dragon in this town in awhile; we were hoping we could talk to you more. There's… well there's not a whole lot of us, and I want to help. And I saw how you leave and come back here each day. We…" Mistral sighed.

At this her mate spoke. "To be blunt: we've been through what you have. I know what its like to, well, be in your position right now. We want to help and well, I've been looking to get some help aroudn the shop. Half the town is weary of us and most of our friends already have work and…" he tried.

"You have no idea what this is like. Loosing my daughter, being turned into a monster, being a brought in sone weird as fantasy world…" Lilth thought venonsky. She would not snap out at this couple though, she knew they meant well and could not have known the depth of her situation

Lilith then thought about what they said for a moment. Yes, of course she was a beggar by this point. She had no better options. This offered shelter, food, pay, and the chance to learn valuable skills. She would be a fool to turn it down. She was overyl wary of strangers but these dragons seemed nice enough. Not like she had any options left anyways, lest she just go back to squatting in the woods. She sighed.

"... fair enough. Not like I have better plans anyways." Lillth said, getting up. Both adults seemed to nod at her. "When do we start? I wasn't really in the middle of anything important." She stated.

"If you are done then, I'll show you around the shop." Alarick offered.

"Sounds good. And thank you… for this" Replied Lilth.setting her books aside for the library attendants. As she walked away, the dragonling seemed to be getting excited and started bouncing with energy around her.

"This is great! I can show you the forge, and armor, and weapons, and the-" Terra kept rambling on at a fast pace

Lilth shot him a short smile, endured by his cuteness.

"This ought to be interesting…"

Ignitus turned another page on the book I he was reading. It had a black and blue seal to it. It had mysteriously manifested recently, to his confusion. What was written in it seemed… bizarre . Even for a dragon. While pondering the information within it, he sensed a presence entering his domain.

"I hope I am not intruding, chroniclor. " a feminine, divine sounding voice said as if walked into the room.

The old dragon noticed a shining, golden dragoness approaching his desk. "Ah, Lady Destiny. A pleasure to see you."

Destiny bowed gracefully. She had assumed the form of a drsgoness, as she usually prefered to take. She bowed as a courtesy to Ignitus.

"I wished to speak to you." She stated simply, gesturing to the book in front of him on the desk.

The chroniclor looked down at the book. "I suppose you are here about this?" He inquired.

The celestial nodded. "Indeed. If you are aware, thrn I need not waste much time. I am sure you have figured out by now this hatchling is special." " she said, again gazing at the book.

Ignitus nodded. "Yes." He said, turning her over to her. "Meredy's book manifested not too long ago. It's contents are… a bit too take in." He admitted. "No hatchling has thus far been born with this element in recorded history. The dark elements were never natural for dragons of the dragon realms. And yet this child is born as such. Her book contains very little on her life though. Only what has tensoired since the purple dragon took her in." He noted.

Destiny nodded. "Indeed. I have comvienced with the others ancestors. We see fit to divoulgd more info about her to you, seeing as what is to come could be… well who is yo say of what might transpire." She noted.

"The hatchling was indeed brought here to the dragon realms by another. I believe you hand been watching this individual responsible " She noted.

The Chroniclor hummed nervsouky. "So that's what this so called " dark mistress" was doing. I admit, the magic she used was quite potent, but now I see why I was blinded to the full effect of that ritual she conducted." He noted.

Destiny adverted her gaze a bit. "I can only divulge very little. But yes, the child and her mother are from another dimension beyond our governance. We… intercepted the spell but could not fully block it; it had already to far into its casting to be broken. We had to redirect the spell, but our interference went… haywire. It reached into another dimension that I and the other celestials could not interact with , as we are bound here to this plane of exhistence. Sadly, the child and her mother were pulled, at random. " she finished.

The Chroncilor was only barely fazed. Knowledge of arcane rituals, magic, and even other worlds beyond his own one were not news to a being of his position.. However, seeing as the two outworlders were not recorded in his library beyond a few pages of a single book, he needed to ask more.

"But why was she alone then? And what of the mother? " he inquired.

"I cannot say much on the mother. Her story will reveal itself when it's ready, once she accepts her new found body, just as her child did. Telling you more would require less to a more… direct intervention that anticipated. " she sighed

You know our ways; I cannot intervene in mortal affairs; excerpt under very rare conditions." She responded. "I tell you all this now so that you may guide the purple dragon and give him the answers he desires, should you deem it necessary. This info alone cannot change the destiny those around the child face." She noted. "That's tge only reason I am allowed to be here now."

Ignitus was sighed. He recalled their ways. People's destinies were not pre ordained, and couid change as people changed their actions. Through his power as Chronicler, he could simply see potential outcomes and help guide specific individuals as he saw fit. Spyro was one such special individual, being the purple dragon of legend. However, all he could do was offer Spyro information and console. If the ancestors were giving him this info now, it was only because something major was at play.

"But to answer your question: the spell was fickle. Both mother and child were sent to speperate locations. The mother was able to look after herself but the child was too young. I was permitted to guide her to safety, as this was partially our faults. I sent her mental messages to guide her to Cynder, who by a stroke of luck was nearby at the time. As such, I felt it best to bring the child to her." She explained. "Finally, as I am sure you mean to ask about why they are dragons if they are from another world. Their previous bodies would not have adopted to this new world they found themselves in.The germs alone would eradicate their immune systems, not could they handle the magic my intervention and the ritual's... side effects would have left with them. The dark powers used in the ritual left them as dark dragons but my intervention had unintended side effects on their magic souls, as no dragon has been created this way before. Additionally, the... input of the original caster of the special left it's mark as well..." she said. The golden dragoness stopped and thought for a moment.

"Who is to say what they may do with this magic when it is discovered? But I digress. Because the child was transformed from a preexisting body, much of her prior physical conditions transferred as well. I could not create her a new body without erasing who she was." She explained. "Her soul is not something I can simply recreate."

Ignitus sighed and nodded. "Very well. I understand." He said simply. His mind was 'evolved' beyond the need to process thoughts too long. With the vast amounts of knowledge seared into his brain, something as outlandish as this could not faze him.

Destiny nodded, and started to disappear into a puff of gold light. "Remember, you may do with this info as you see fit. However, I cannot help her any more, I have deceivers her to safety as best as I can but I cannot fix her situation. Her home dimension is out of my domain to effect, even if I wishes it." She added.

"Whatever happens next is not for us too dictate. But please, guide the child and her family as you believe his right." She said, before she finally vanished back to wherever the Ancestors inhibit.

Ignitus was left with much to contemplate. The words and involvement of an ancestor of course held much magnitude. Already, he could see more info forming in Meredy's book. He could not say what might transpire from here or how he should act. He knew he would be obligated to divulge this info with Spyro and Cynder but only when he he felt the time was right.

"Well little one, it seems you are quite special indeed…" he mused, as he went back to his reading.

"This ought to be intersting"

(Elsewhere)

Within throne room of a sinister fortress, a meeting was being held. Dark stone walls and floors, lit by purple crystal fixtures along the walls composed the room. It was rather wide, meant to accommodate dragons, and had what one might describe as a typical castles throne room shape; very spacious and well maintained. Bastian was standing center of it, bowing to the dark colored dragoness who sat on the throne.

"My lady, I bring news of my excursion to Warfang." He stated, having just arrived a bit ago.

The dark dragoness sighed.

"I have gotten reports... well quite the mess you left." She stated.

Bastian hummed. "Guilty as charged. Still, my mission was a success. I retrieved the knowledge. But I have more to tell you regarding… well it's best I tell you alone." He suggested.

The dark dragoness sat up and spoke. "All you leave us." She stated.

With that order, every other guard left the room, leaving the two dragons alone. After they cleared out, Bastian spoke. "Mistress Corvia , I bring you news."

"You may drop the formalities. We are in private." The dark drsgoness said, amused.

"Whatever you say my beloved." The poison dragon said, shifting to the a more informal tone around his lover. "And you can drop the illusion, we are alone." He said.

The dragoness did so. In an instant, her appearance was shrouded in a momentary 'puff' of magic energy , before her true form rang through: A completely black Corva Dragona, with pitch black features across her body, feathers, and horns, save for her lavender eyes.

"So then tell me, my love, you found one of the dragobe we seek?" She inquired.

Bastian nodded. "Indeed. Although she is much younger than we thought. She is barely in her toddler years." He noted.

The dragoness looked on with interest. "Oh? Well that changes our plans a bit. Might set us back a tad. She is not nearly old enough for-wait, no…" Corvia seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.

"This may yet be an even greater opportunity. We would have to raise her but…" she trailed off.

"All in due time. Well done tracking her down. At least we know where one of the out of world visitors are. But…" her gaze narrowed. "Why did you have to be so damn loud about all this? You were too slip on and out undetected. Not bring the entire temple down on yourself! We knew they would figure out the knowledge was missing but… why draw this kind of attention to yourself. " she groaned.

Bastian shrugged. "I thought I would kill two birds with one stone as they say. When I got word of her presence, I knew it had to be the dragon were searching for. If I had succeeded, we would be one a few steps further by now."

Corvia hummed a bit in thought, as she looked at her mate, shooting him a questioning gaze.

"You were not actually going to hurt her right?" The dark mistress inquired, sternly. Bastian shook his head.

"Of course not. I know what kind of dragon I am but intentionally harming a hatchling that young is beyond me. "

Corvia sighed. "You know how much that would have upset me. I don't want the blood of children on our paws." She noted.

The make dark drsgon shook his head. "Of course not. But we both know what is to come will not be free of blood, will it?" He pointed out.

Corvia sighed, regretfully. "No, it won't. It's likely how things have to be. But the guards and head mistress… you attacked them. Was this necessary?" She pressed.

Bastian shrugged as best he could. "In the moment, yes. I wounded as I saw fit to escape. I didn't kill anyone though. No reason to, nor did I have reason to harm the gym class I mentioned." He explained, a bit dismissively.

"And then what of the 'acid rain' attack of yours? The hatchling was in the area was she not?" Corvia growled. "The guards could perhaps survive it but the hatchling!?"

Bastian shrugged. "I knew her guardians would shield her. That's why I waited until she was under cover."

Corvia sighed in frustration. "Well? be more careful next time. And subtle. You caused quite the firestorm in Warfang. The council is going to be going rabid trying to strengthen security through the city now." Corvia pointed out.

Bastian draped his wing over her back and smiled. "That's exactly what we wanted right? Keep the city paranoid, let them know we are out there. Send a message and all that, yeah?" He said.

Corvia huffed. "But not yet. You got the knowledge were seeking but I had not yet planned to cause such reveal on the city. They know now how vulnerable they are." She said.

"But they don't know where we are. Nor do they know who you are. It's as you wanted, right? They assume I am behind it all and we execute the rest of our plan from there." He reasoned.

Corvia sighed. "Alright, yes. It's going as we intended but you were still impulsive. Why attempt to extract the child then? Her guardians are aware of the threat to her, they will be much more protective of her." She stated.

Bastian sighed. "Ok I admit I got a bit impulsive. Thought I could just grab her while she was near but that old hag gave me a run for my money." He stated. "The headmistress is every bit as powerful as I recall her being, back in my soldier days." He stated bitterly.

The dark mistress growled. "As I said, should have waited. We need the child, she will be important in our plans ahead. " Corvia stated, sternly.

Bastian nodded. "Of course. Rest assured, everything will contribute to go as planned. I will make sure of that." Her mate responded.

The dark dragoness nodded but kept a stern tone. "For now, we need to focus on our resources. We'll have to attempt to retrieve the child later, once things in Warfang cool down a bit." She added. "They will be expecting us otherwise."

Bastian sighed and the two broke off. Corvia turned toward the back of the room and made to leave. "Yiu know what to do next, my beloved. I trust you will get it done?" She stared.

Bastian nodded. "If courses. Just got to put some good in the right hands and well…" he chuckled. Corvia nodded, and laughed a bit. "So then, let the games begin…"

(Back in Warfang, later that night)

By now it was late. Spyro and Cynder had been dismissed from the temple a little while ago and the purple dragon wanted nothing more then to sleep. It was nightfall by now, and Spyro and Cynder were now asleep in their room, on their large 'bed', or rather a large mat.

The day had been exhausting in every imaginable. Council meetings, Meredy going kissing and then nearly getting kidnapped... saying the purple dragon had felt a lot of panic, stress, and exhaustion was an understatement. However, it was sone now and everyone was safe and accounted for. The city would investigate Bastian and impose stricter security measures in the temple. Such an infiltration of an important building and attack on a dragon as high ranking as Sellen was a shock to the whole system. Who was to say the full extent of measures that would be taken to ensure this never happened again. Spyro was focused more on his mate and adopted daughter.

Daughter. The words were still sinking in ti Spyro. He and Cynder had decided to formally adopt her that day after all the meetings. Before hand, he had filed the paper work to be a temporary caretaker, the day after they found her. But he and Cynder had quickly become attached to the little one. As such, they decided to officaly adopt her. No word of her parents had reacted the curt and they were honestly not certain what kind of people her birth parents were, or if they were still around. Whatever the case was, this seemed The best course of action.

Though the process of adopting of becoming a gloarebtal guardian in Warfang would normally take weeks to even months, Spyro and Cynder's influence and reputations cleared them to adopt Meredy faster. That and the council had expedited the process, wanting to keep Meredy under a watchful eye and with dragons they trust, given their interest in her powers. Additionally, Spyro had agreed to have the child brought to the temple for observations as she grew, both related to her magic abilities and medicinal reasons. In exchange, the council promised to waive any and all medical fees for Meredy, and provide her with elemental tutoring and any kind of supplies Spyro needed.

Given the potential costs of Meredy's mounting health problems and her care, Spyro and Cynder had of course agreed.

With that in mind, everything was set. She was officially their daughter and they felt they had what they needed to take care of her now. Especially since they understood her nature as a hybrid. Cynder had told Spyro this a bit after they got home. Spyro was not bothered by this, he was just concerned that they were taking care of Meredy properly.

Looking over his sleeping mate and child one final time, thought back to the incident earlier today. In doing so, the purple dragon affirmed something to himself.

"Whatever that dragon was after, he won't cross my family again. There'll be hell to pay next time."

I hope I did not reveal this too soon( that Corvia was at least partially responsible for bring Meredy and lilith to the dragon realms) but I felt you all should get answers sooner rather than later. The reveal itself is just one small step in the greater muster though. I did not want to drag it out too long. There is still so much more to it though…

( gee, I wonder if all this Corva stuff will be important later...)

Sorry about slow updates but you know, fanfiction time and all that. It's slow to edit a story.

Blow is a another stupid rant/ venting of thoughts of mine. Feel free to skip it.

I swear have been spreading my self a bit too thin when it comes to my writing and reading. I have been trying to read too many fanfics (both webcomics and stories on here) at once and become overwhelmed. Same with trying to write so many things

at once. I think it's better to just pick a one story to focus on at a time, which goes for writing as well. That and to only just focus on what really interests me. I am trying to exercise more self control when it comes to letting my curiosity get the better of me.

One important thing for me while writing is to figure out how to avoid certain tropes I dislike and otherwise prevent this from falling into the usual cliches of this fandom.

To give you an example, I noted earlier I dislike how the adult versions of Spyro and Cynder often get sidelined in stories that take place in their adult hood. Here, I am trying to figure out how to avoid that. I have seen a lot of stories ( not throwing anyone under the bus by making them) where some new threat shows up and instead of sending Spyro and Cynder to face of ( dispute both being even more powerful than in the games in those stories) it's always left to a random, often overpowered, 12-16 year to deal with it.

Another common trope is dislike is how often teens and kids are send off to battle or let on a dangerous adventure but no one seems to find that questionable or worrying in universe and the child soldier problem just gets glossed.) yess I am aware that kind of his things work in fictional franchises aimed at younger audiences ( target audience and all that) but I really enjoy more 'realistic' stories with a more defined sense of power levels. That's just my opinion though.

Yeah, I really want to avoid that kind of plot by having Spyro and Cynder be important in this story. They are part of the reason you all read this story right? ( same with most Spyro fanfics, at least for me) Right, so figuring out all the pet peeve tropes of mine I aim to avoid took a while. And so did planning the rest. Hopefully, I pull this off.

I will note I've thing: I know I am using similar tropes too ( mysterious villain, Important, potentially powerful protagonist, etc) but I am trying to do something different. The thing I realize is, did a story to work, sometimes you have to fall into certain tropes or framework( like say heroes journey, main villain, etc) Using certain tropes does make a inherently bad, it's just depends how you feel about it. Fir me, seeing the same tropes done in the same way over and over turns me off.

Right, see you next chapter, after I sort out my other stories. Not to worry, I have most of the next few chapters already written, same for my other stories. Just got to finish them and edit them.