The purple dragon sighed, closing the front doors to the Warfang Temple, the ancient hinges creaking as they moved. Spyro looked around his surroundings at the foyer once again, the architecture amazing him like it did every time. He knew it was predominantly moles that had worked on building this, although the occasional earth dragon had helped, and it impressed him knowing those little creatures could build something such as this.
Large pillars stretched up to the tall roof, made of marble just like the smooth, stainless floor. The walls were carved with meticulous patterns and details that added to the pristine appearance of the Temple's interior. There was a long line of portraits that hung on the walls, all bearing the faces of guardians, present and past. At the end of the line were the portraits of Ignitus, Terrador, Volteer and Cyril, all standing firm and regal. A soft sigh escaped Spyro's lungs as he looked at Ignitus' portrait, before he moved on, turning towards the meeting room and walking in.
"Good afternoon, Spyro," Terrador greeted as the purple dragon walked in, a smile on his face as he lifted his gaze from the book he was writing in. "Glad to see you could make it."
"Good afternoon, Masters Terrador, Volteer and Cyril," Spyro responded, lowering his head in a respectful bow, his smile wide and exposing his teeth.
"You appear to be absolutely ecstatic, Spyro," Volteer said quickly and enthusiastically, noticing the purple dragon's beaming smile and the way he held himself tall.
"Yeah, I just got back from a date."
"Another one, eh? Ancestors, you and Cynder are going out a lot more frequently," Terrador said with a chuckle. "Not that that's a bad thing, however. It's great. I'm happy for you two. I just wonder if you've… you know, ever thought that… maybe it's time to take that step further? You two have been together for quite a while now."
Spyro smiled even wider. "Funny you bring that up, Terrador… I literally just bought the ring this morning," he announced with a slight blush, causing all three guardians' eyes to widen in surprise and excitement.
"I see. When are you going to propose?" Cyril questioned, an eyebrow raised.
"I'm not sure yet. I want to get her something else to make it extra special, but I don't know what it'll be quite yet. I talked to the dragon at the jewelry store and he said to give it some time to let the ideas float around, but if it's taking too long, then I should just ask her. I mean, I have the ring. I'm giving myself two weeks, and then I'll just go and ask her."
"With everything you've done for her, Spyro, I don't think she needs anything more. You were the first one to ever welcome and accept her following her liberation from Malefor's devilish, fiendish, heinous control," Volteer stated. "To her, I think that's more than enough."
"Still, I feel like I need to get something extra special for her. Plus, that was also eight years ago when I freed her; I think it needs to be something new and fresh."
"Well, like you said, give yourself the two weeks. If you can't think of anything, just go to her, show her the ring, and propose," Cyril suggested. "I have a feeling she'd be just as happy with just the ring, Spyro. She loves you. A lot."
"A proposal is a very special, memorable, extraordinary experience, Spyro," Volteer added. "It is a moment, occasion and event that everybody waits their whole life for. Both partners of the relationship anticipate this incredible, exquisite, beautiful moment for an extended time, and when it arrives, they are always absolutely and undoubtedly euphoric. This is especially more so for the dragoness in the relationship, as they grow up wanting to nurture and raise a family.
"I remember vividly, distinctly, strongly, when I proposed to my mate. She couldn't stop crying, but she also couldn't stop smiling. She was ecstatic, euphoric, jubilant… So many emotions were flowing through her, but ancestors, it was a happy marriage. I strongly believe it will be the same for Cynder."
"A mate?" Spyro questioned. "I didn't know you had one, Volteer."
"She passed away a few years ago. Despite it happening in the war, she died of illness. It was a peaceful death, rather than one of violence and bloodshed. Unfortunately we had no offspring, but I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with her," Volteer explained, his eyes distant as he thought back to his deceased mate. "But that's enough about me and my mate, Spyro. This is about you and Cynder. Proposing is an important part of everyone's life. I can't wait to see you take Cynder's paw in marriage. I'm stoked, ecstatic, speechless…"
"You're far from speechless, Volteer," Cyril groaned, rolling his eyes. "No need to bore Spyro of your stupid love stories."
"You're just jealous because you're the only one here that's been single their whole life," Volteer retorted, causing Cyril to go a bright shade of red, and Spyro to smirk at the ice guardian. "Plus, I'm trying to help our purple friend here."
"Fair enough…" Cyril murmured with a roll of his eyes. "You didn't have to mention I was the only single one…"
Spyro chuckled at Cyril's embarrassment, before smiling thankfully at them, gratitude gleaming in his violet eyes. "Thank you for the words and advice guys," he said. "It means a lot."
"It's our pleasure to help, Spyro. Anytime," Terrador replied. "Now, onto the task at hand involving your apprenticeship as the elements teacher with Volteer. He had a suggestion and he wanted all of us here so we could talk about it and organise it properly; after all, us guardians work pretty closely even outside of our general areas. I think you know that by now."
Spyro nodded, remembering one time where Terrador had needed to help Cyril out with one of his history classes. "So Master Volteer, what's this suggestion of yours?" he asked.
"Well Spyro, I've given this matter a long, excruciating amount of time to formulate inside my brain, but I suppose that you are prepared, equipped and qualified enough to… 'fly solo', in a sense. Over the past few weeks since your graduation, I think you are ready to tackle your very first elements class on your own," Volteer explained.
Spyro blinked, stepping back and stammering wordlessly as this surprise task was sprung on him. He was ready to actually teach on his own? Sure he'd be supervised by Volteer to make sure he's doing everything right, but on his own? He didn't seem to think he was ready, but apparently Volteer did for some reason. That didn't make a lot of sense to him at all. "But… I don't think I'm ready, Master," Spyro replied, voicing his thoughts nervously. "I've only been in this apprenticeship for four weeks."
"I honestly agree with Volteer, Spyro," Terrador responded, giving the purple dragon a reassuring smile. "Cyril and I may help you and Volteer out with preparation from time to time but we haven't actually seen you in the classroom, but Volteer tells us that he thinks you're pretty competent, know what you're doing, and would be able to start teaching. You know how to handle the students, are mature and responsible, and you've watched Volteer teaching for a decent amount now, outside of your own schooling of course. And knowing you, I'd gather that you're ready even without seeing you in the classroom."
"Anothing thing I also presume is that the students will appreciate the assistance and teachings you would provide to them, especially since you possess all four of the natural elements," Volteer added. "I may contain a multitudinous abundance of information and extensive knowledge on fire, earth and ice, but I can only understand so much. You, on the other paw, can command, manipulate and operate those three elements as well as my own birth element, lightning. Such knowledge originating from someone who wields all four elements would be an absolute, outright, unadulterated blessing and inspiration to the children."
Spyro just nodded in response. Volteer was right. The electric guardian knew a lot about all of the other elements, especially as he was a scientist and did lots of elemental study before he became a guardian, and even now he still did many studies on the different elements. However, since he could not put the other elements into practice, there was still a limit to how much Volteer could truly know.
The guardians could sense Spyro's nerves as the purple dragon took a deep breath, staring at his paws. "Don't worry about it, Spyro," Cyril said calmly, stepping forward and putting a paw on the purple dragon's shoulder. "We were all nervous when it was our first time teaching as well. But Volteer will be there to help you, and Terrador and I are giving up our time to help you and Volteer plan, as well as giving you tips for when you actually get into the class."
Spyro smiled. "Thanks guys. I really hope I do well," he muttered.
"You'll do absolutely fine," Terrador said. "We're also letting you do classes with the younger hatchlings because while the teenagers would also appreciate your advice and knowledge, they can be a bit more prone to screw about, being the rebellious, inattentive creatures they are. Plus, they're further through their elemental journey so there may be more difficult things to work with. We'll pit you with the teenagers later, when you're more experienced."
"Hmm…" Cyril muttered thoughtfully, before bringing up something Terrador had said with a light-hearted, banterous chuckle. "Rebellious, inattentive, and prone to screw around… I remember you were like that in my classes, Spyro."
"Yeah, well no one likes history and mathematics, Cyril," Spyro scoffed in reply.
"It wasn't just Cyril you were like that with, Spyro," Terrador retorted jokingly. "I believe you were like that for all of us: you were fairly free-minded and boisterous in physical education and combat with me, and I remember Volteer telling us that you would get bored as hell in elements class at some points."
"Well, my behaviour got better, didn't it? I was sixteen when you guys got me started in the Academy, and after fighting in the war, physical education didn't give me anywhere near as much adrenaline, and the elements and combat classes were really simple and easy."
"Nothing gives you more adrenaline than fighting in war, and of course it was simple stuff in elements and combat classes: you had more knowledge than all the other kids because you had to fight in the war, and we had to teach you complex abilities at such a young age," Cyril scoffed. "You were twelve when we taught you all that stuff, remember?"
"I know, but I was better behaved by the time I was eighteen!"
"Still fell asleep in history quite a bit…" Cyril mumbled under his breath, but no one heard him as Terrador spoke over the top of him.
"Whatever," the earth guardian chuckled. "Our point is, the little ones should be a bit less rebellious. They will still be a pawful as they can be very easily distracted, but younglings are eager to learn and will do what they're told. They will usually listen a lot more than an older group would."
Spyro just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, let's get onto planning, shall we? How old are the younglings I'll be teaching?" he asked.
"About three or four, so they'll be starting to understand the absolute basics of elemental practices and procedures, if they haven't already figured it out themselves, or if they've been taught, tutored or coached early by their parents, because it does occur occasionally," Volteer clarified.
"Basics? I'm not sure if I can teach that… I barely remember how I learned each element myself. They kinda just… happened."
"To be fair Spyro, you were also twelve when you learned how to use your elements for the very first time. You were long overdue for unlocking them."
"Agreed. Now let's go through what we're going to be doing for this class," Terrador said.
"So, for this assembly of younglings, it is their first time using their elements, so they don't even really understand how to unlock them properly yet, so you'll have to assist in teaching, coaching and training them how to do that," Volteer explained. "Now, do you remember and recall how beginners and younglings would access their element for the very first time?"
"Kind of…" Spyro said slowly. "My childhood is a bit of a blur and I guess it all kinda just… happened? Maybe because I was so old when I first used my elements that they just came out?"
"Well, can you describe what you do retain knowledge and understanding of?"
"Okay, um… I remember fire kinda comes from our raw emotion and inner rage; whether we are actually angry or not there is always some form of anger lying dormant within us, waiting to be fed, like fire. It could be a small, peaceful flame but could suddenly go out of control into a raging inferno," Spyro recalled. "Uh… electricity. That one comes from a place of control, as electricity cannot be controlled properly without proper focus. Inside us there's a spark, and we have to control it to be able to bring forth the electricity. Earth comes from a place of strength and firmness as we must strengthen ourselves like the earthen structures and formations we create. Ice is an element of calmness, allowing us to be cool and cold like the ice we bring forth within us, unlike the wild heat that fire wields."
"Impressive, extraordinary, remarkable job. Remember that for your class. Inside every dragon there is that piece of them that dwells within, waiting to come out. You've gotta encourage and push them to unlock it and bring forth that power into a physical form," Volteer instructed. "Once they have unlocked their elemental powers, then you can begin to aid them in improving their skillset and expanding their mastery in their element."
Spyro nodded in response. "You know, that reminds me… I never actually properly learned the elements the same way these kids are. They kinda just… burst out of my mouth and I had no idea why. I still don't."
"Well, you recall how I mentioned that their elemental power dwells within us, lying dormant and inoperative, waiting to come out? As we grow, so does our power, even one that hasn't been released yet. My hypothesis is that after lying dormant for twelve years, your elements had developed to become powerful enough that they forced themselves out. Also, you're a purple dragon and wield four elements, so your combined power was already overflowing."
The purple dragon blinked. He hadn't thought about his elements forcing themselves out like that. He was long overdue for using them, as dragons normally first use their elements at the age of three or four. Just like the kids he would be teaching. Alone.
Spyro shivered as the pressure washed over him again. He was going to be teaching a bunch of hatchlings about their elements, without constant aid from Volteer. The guardian was giving Spyro free reign over the class, not interfering unless he had to. And that was nerve-wracking, putting Spyro on edge.
"You'll be fine Spyro," Terrador said, sensing the purple dragon's nervousness. "We were all nervous for our first time teaching, as Cyril said a while ago, so don't worry about it."
"You may have been, but I wasn't," Cyril scoffed proudly, puffing out his chest.
"You stammered so much I thought you were going to throw up, Cyril," Terrador deadpanned. "I'd never seen you so nervous before, and I still haven't."
Cyril just blushed, before growling angrily at Terrador and turning his face away. Spyro couldn't help but laugh in response. "Ancestors, how I wish I could've seen that," he chuckled.
Terrador and Volteer also began to laugh as Cyril sat with an exasperated expression, huffing furiously, cold mist billowing from his nostrils. "Alright, alright, can we get back to the task at hand now? I believe Spyro needs to know what he's doing for his lesson, am I right?" Cyril groaned.
"Yes," Volteer said. "First things first, you will properly and formally introduce, announce and familiarise yourself to the class of younglings, as you will be their instructor for the duration of the lesson. Then you will explain and demonstrate to the students how they can easily access and unlock the elements they wield and possess, instructing, teaching, informing everyone on what to look for, being specific for each of the elements. If they require your assistance, be present to help aid them."
"Understood, Volteer," Spyro said, despite trying to keep up with the excessive amount of synonyms that the motormouth was dropping.
"Are you sure you got all that, Spyro?" Cyril joked. "Do you need me to restate it to you in plain common tongue so that everyone can understand?"
"Cyril. Enough," Terrador boomed. That was all that was needed to make Cyril shut up.
"Anyway, I believe that should be all you require to be able to teach your class in a few days' time, Spyro," Volteer said, straining hard to try and use less adjectives, feeling the pressure from Cyril get to him. "I'll provide you with some quality time to contemplate, ponder and reflect about it so you can prepare and equip yourself for the lesson. If you have any questions, inquiries, problems, be sure to consult me or the other guardians, and remember that I'll also be present while you're instructing the younglings."
Spyro nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Thanks, Volteer," he replied.
"You're welcome. How does… two days sound?"
"Yeah, that'll be good; I should be able to get myself mentally ready over tonight and tomorrow for it."
"We're all rooting for you, Spyro. You got this," Cyril said.
Terrador just gave Spyro a calm authentic smile. The smile was enough from the hardened dragon for Spyro. It meant a lot.
"Thank you guys," Spyro said gratefully. "I'm flattered that you all think I can do this."
"Coming from someone who knows what it's like to be nervous on their first time teaching, you'll be absolutely fine, Spyro," Cyril said firmly, before grumbling under his breath as he cursed Terrador for speaking about that aloud.
The other dragons just chuckled. Cyril huffed in response, averting his gaze from the three of them. "Anyway, meeting dismissed," Terrador boomed. "You are free to go, Spyro."
"I'll see you later guys. Thanks for the opportunity too," Spyro said, before turning with a wave of his wing and walking out the door.
"Wishing you all the best for your proposal as well, Spyro!" Volteer called. "I'm thrilled, excited, delighted…"
"That's enough, Volteer," Cyril groaned.
"You're just jealous, envious and resentful because you don't have a significant other to propose to and call your own," Volteer snapped back with a smirk.
Spyro snickered and shook his head, overhearing the new argument pick up behind him as he left. He walked back into the open streets of Warfang with a large exhale, partly filled with nervousness for the lesson in two days' time, partly with excitement for getting closer to his dream job of teaching young dragons how to harness their elements, and partly with relief that he was out of the meeting.
The advice the guardians gave him on the issue of his proposal was somewhat helpful too. He smiled, thinking about the guardians advice. And not just from today, but all the way back to when he started fighting in the war. The guardians were wise and had great advice. Spyro was thankful for that.
But, there were a few things about the guardians that he wished were different. The first was their authoritative side. Being so used to being in power, they sometimes let that authority control them, and it especially seemed to happen to Spyro during the war, making a young child fight a war they as skilled adult dragons could not fight. Spyro had been willing to fight, but they'd kind of made him do all the work. The only time the guardians ever got involved was when Cynder attacked him after he'd saved Terrador at Munitions Forge, and when the golem ravaged Warfang, all throughout the end of the war.
They'd all gotten involved in those moments when the time called for it, but Ignitus was always the first one to go in. He was the one that intercepted Cynder at Munitions Forge, and he had even gone so far as to sacrifice himself. It was a noble sacrifice, but it hurt Spyro a lot, especially as he had been very much a father figure to the purple dragon. He'd believed in him, more than anyone ever had.
Another thing he wished could be improved in the guardians was the fact that they sometimes thought down on themselves. He supposed it was a reason why the guardians suddenly stopped getting involved in the war, believing Spyro, a mere child, could do more good than they, a group of highly skilled adult dragons, could.
They even had their own individual doubts quite often too. The purple dragon remembered Terrador believing he was a failure after Ignitus' passing. Volteer was often very self-conscious and nervous, especially due to constantly getting picked on by his own fellow guardian to shut up and use simple, understandable language. Cyril was just lonely, having no one to love quite yet.
Despite all this however, Spyro still loved the guardians. They were the first dragons he met, and his friends. It was weird calling such highly-ranked dragons 'friends', but then again he was also ranked high on the social chain, being the 'purple dragon of legend', as well as having spent most of his late childhood with them. They worked closely together and looked after each other. Spyro was pretty close with the guardians, and he hoped nothing would take that friendship away from them.
Finally, after a long walk lost in his thoughts, he returned home, walking inside with a yawn. Just even thinking about the lesson had taken a lot out of him, and on top of that, his incessant stressing over his proposal plans with Cynder this morning had also worn him out. He just wanted to rest.
He made himself a simple dinner, before walking into his bedroom after he ate. He sighed as he stared at it, feeling as if he needed something else in there. Someone else in there. The more he thought of Cynder and the life he wanted to spend with her, the more he thought of sharing the same room with her, being able to snuggle up beside her, share their warmth, and love each other with everything they had.
He walked over to his bedroom cupboard, opening it and pulling out the ring he'd bought earlier this morning. He brought the ring forward and kissed it, before resting it against his snout.
"I love you, Cynder," Spyro murmured. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I will propose, whether it be in a few days or when these two weeks are over, and whether I have that extra something or not. I promise you. You are the best thing to ever happen to me, and should anything try and take you from me, ancestors know I will fight it with everything I have. I will never let you go."
The purple dragon kissed the ring again, before placing it back in his cupboard, keeping it well-concealed. He lay down on his bed with a sigh, closing his eyes and slowly managing to fall asleep. His dreams were calm and peaceful, filled with only two things: his dream of teaching, followed by Cynder.
"You doing alright, Spyro?" Volteer asked as he and Spyro walked towards the classroom where the purple dragon would be teaching for the very first time.
Spyro knew his nerves were showing, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and his breath heavy. His heart hammered against his chest, feeling as if it was trying to break out of his scales. The purple dragon swallowed, before letting out a nervous exhale. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, his voice wavering as he tried to hold his nervousness in.
"You don't appear to be fine, Spyro. Are you positively and completely certain that you will be alright for the lesson?"
"Yeah, I'll be good," Spyro said sharply, clearing his throat. "Just a bit nervous, that's all."
"All of us guardians were apprehensive, uneasy and concerned too, but believe in yourself and I surmise you'll perform amazingly, extraordinarily, spectacularly. You'll be okay, Spyro. There is nothing to fret over. I'll be present for the class anyway."
"You really think I'll do well?"
"Yes, strongly."
The purple dragon couldn't help but smile at this, feeling his nerves die down. He wiped his forehead, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, before they arrived at the arena-shaped classroom which was also used for combat and advanced elemental classes, walking in. A group of about thirty younglings were situated inside the room, all wrestling and playing with each other. A fire dragoness stood in the middle of the room supervising them, being their daycare supervisor, and upon seeing Spyro and Volteer enter the room, she called out to them. "Okay, young ones! Masters Spyro and Volteer are here! Come and sit down!"
"Yes, Mrs Abella!" the younglings exclaimed, before running towards the middle of the wide-open room and sitting down in front of them.
Spyro's heart caught in his chest upon seeing the kids sitting in front of him. Being called 'Master' also added to the nerves. He wasn't used to being called 'Master', especially since he'd just come out of the Academy, but since he was becoming a teacher he figured he'd have to get used to it because the title would be getting used a lot more frequently down the track.
"Good morning, younglings," Volteer started, as Abella stepped back to allow him and Spyro to have the spotlight, sitting up in the seating piers at the back of the arena. "Today, Spyro here will be teaching and coaching you on how to unlock and utilise your elemental powers. It is his first time teaching so please be patient and kind to him, and I hope you learn a lot from him."
The electric guardian smiled to the kids, before turning and making his way to sit next to Abella, turning his smile to Spyro and giving him a nod and a quiet whisper, "Good luck, Spyro. You got this."
Spyro smiled nervously, before taking a deep breath and swallowing his nerves. "Good morning everybody. I'm Spyro, and uh… I'm here to help you all unlock your elements. Um… so, let's get started I guess. Now, can everybody stand up and spread out please? Find your own space so you can release your elemental energy when the time comes to it, at least one wingspan away from someone else," Spyro instructed.
The younglings eagerly obeyed, doing exactly what Spyro asked as they stood and spread out their wings, making sure they were one wingspan away from each other. Some got into their position before others did, so they started to bounce up and down with excitement and chatting to each other while they waited for Spyro to start the lesson, who in turn was waiting for everyone to be ready.
Once the kids were spread out, Spyro got their attention. "Alright everyone, let's get started now," he announced. "So the first thing you all need to do is to isolate your mind. Forget about the other younglings around you. Close your eyes and focus."
Spyro watched as the younglings gave brief looks at each other, before closing their eyes, lowering their heads. Some of the younglings moved around a bit, already getting a bit energetic, but Spyro could tell they were still trying to tap into the meditative state he was trying to get them into.
"Now, inside every dragon lies a small spark of magic. It is the very centre of you and where your magic originates from. Depending on the type of dragon you are, it will feel very different. Fire dragons' magic is angry and hungry, whereas ice dragons' magic is cool and calm, even soft. Electric dragons' magic is wild and quick, while earth dragons' magic is firm and strong. Reach out and feel that magic rising up inside you. Call on it."
The younglings all stood in place, some of them squinting hard, others staying still in a calm, peaceful meditation. The purple dragon waited for a bit, giving the younglings ample time to try and find their inner magic.
After he decided it had been enough time, he spoke once more. "Once you feel your magic, focus hard on it, and guide it through to your mouth. When it rises up your throat, open your mouth and release it. Do not try and swallow the magic, and don't keep your mouth closed," Spyro instructed.
A couple more seconds went by, before the sound of a loud spark shot through the room, followed by a bright yellow light. A little yellow dragoness jolted back, her eyes snapping open, breathing heavily. Her shocked expression suddenly became one of happiness and pride. She had done it. She had breathed electricity.
Two more flashes lit the room, one green and one orange. The earth and fire dragons both had the same reaction, shock and surprise, before turning into one of pride. The fire dragon's happy look was delayed however as he had to recover from the puff of smoke that had blown into his face, causing small coughs to wrack his body. His smile returned after he'd recovered from the smoke, which still bellowed from his nostrils.
All around the room, most of the younglings seemed to be successful with unlocking their elements as brightly coloured flashes went around the room. There were three however that were really starting to struggle, and as they continued trying their hardest to unlock their element, some of the kids started staring at them, waiting for their element to burst from their maws. It seemed the pressure was getting too much for them as two of them started to give up, sitting down and opening their eyes, staring sadly at Spyro. The other, a fire dragoness, was starting to get angry, screwing her eyes up and clenching her jaws tightly.
"Hey everyone, why don't you all try again, just to practice and get used to your element?" Spyro suggested. "You three kids struggling, can you come to the side with me?"
Spyro began to move into the corner of the arena, but none of the three younglings followed him. He turned back, smiling kindly. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I just want to help you use your element for the first time," he assured them, lowering his head slightly as to not look too intimidating to them.
Reluctantly, the fire dragoness was the first to move, before the other two dragons, an ice dragon and an earth dragoness, followed, making their way towards Spyro. As they got together, the other kids got back to work on trying to get better at harnessing their elements.
"So, may I please ask what your names are?" Spyro questioned.
"Well, I… I'm Ervarel," the earth dragoness replied.
"I'm Cyrgus," the ice dragon added.
The fire dragoness just stayed silent, still slightly frustrated that she couldn't use her element. She pawed at the ground, not looking at him. "And you?" Spyro asked, but she still didn't answer. "Hey, I'm just here to help, alright? That's what I'm here for."
"Faadra," she mumbled.
"Okay, thank you. Now, what's going on? Anything you need help with?" the purple dragon questioned.
"I just can't feel the magic inside me," Cyrgus muttered. "I was thinking about so much other stuff and could just feel everyone watching me and I got scared."
"Alright, Cyrgus, what you need to do is try not to force it. Fear is natural, but you need to find the bravery to overcome it. Leave that fear behind you and just take deep, calm breaths, and stay cool and collected, like your element. Try and focus on your magic and only your magic. When you feel it, let it out."
Cyrgus nodded, before getting back into his meditative state. "How about you two?" Spyro questioned.
"I just can't stay still," Ervarel said.
"Well, one recommendation I have is to just stand still and focus on the ground underneath your paws. Your element is earth, so your very core is rooted to the ground underneath you. Feel that element, feel the ground," Spyro explained to the earth dragoness, before he turned to Faardra. "How about you, Faardra?"
"It just… won't come out!" she huffed, stamping her paw on the ground. "All my friends did it and my family all can use their element, so why can't I?"
"By the sounds of it, everyone else in your family is older than you, so they've already learned how to harness their element and practiced it. Now like I said, fire uses rage as a form of getting out there, whether it be an elemental rage of the fire burning within you, or an actual physical or emotional rage, which is why fire dragons have smoke bellowing out of their nostrils when they're angry, just like what's happening with you right now."
At that, Faardra seemed to get really surprised, before suddenly noticing the two trails of smoke rising from her nostrils. She blinked, excitement swelling up in her chest at the fact that she was nearly there.
Spyro chuckled at Faardra's surprise. "Now, use your rage to let out your fire, but don't let it control you. Fire can be a dangerous element, so you need to be careful with it," he clarified.
"Yes, Master Spyro," Faardra said.
Just Spyro is enough, Spyro thought, but he knew it was a good sign of respect for students to call their teachers by their title, so decided not to bother with correcting her.
They sat for a little while, before all at once, the three younglings let loose their element together, earth bursting out of Ervarel's maw with a bright green flash, a decent ice missile propelling itself out of Cyrgus' mouth, and a small jet of fire from Faardra's. All three elements collided with a bright white flash, before nothing was left but smoke. The three kids sat there super happy with themselves, before Spyro instructed they head back with the rest of the students to continue practicing.
Practice went on for about ten more minutes, before Abella and Volteer stood up in their seats, making their way to the main arena ground. Spyro supposed that was his cue to finish up, so got everyone's attention.
"Alright everyone, that'll be it for today," the purple dragon announced, causing all the hatchlings to open their eyes and look up at Spyro. "Thanks for your cooperation, and good luck with learning more of your elements. Now it will be slow progress at first, but just remember to focus on the magic within you. The more practice you get, the quicker you will get at building up your elemental energy, and the easier it will be to summon your magic while thinking on other things. As you may notice, dragons like me, your teacher and the guardians can all use our elements on the spot."
"Show us, Master Spyro!" an electric dragon called out from the crowd of hatchlings. "Do something so we can see!"
"Oh, alright," Spyro said, before he took on a bit of a fighting stance. A growl built up in his throat as a snarl replaced his more friendly expression, a stream of fire following almost immediately afterwards, aimed upwards so it soared over the heads of the kids. Up next he released two ice missiles, before breathing an arc of electricity through the both of them, causing them to light up with sparks. A green flash burst from his maw as an earth missile was released from it. Afterwards he relaxed, his expression becoming more friendly again.
The hatchlings all stared at him in wonder, and Spyro especially noticed Faardra standing with awe on her face at the display of his fire element. They all started cheering and clapping, causing Spyro to blush at the applause.
"Anyway, that's all the time we have here with Master Spyro today," Abella said, walking up in front of the class of hatchlings. Spyro stepped back to give her the spotlight, as she was the one in charge of looking after them. "We'll be heading back to the daycare now, so we won't be seeing him for a little bit. Everybody say thank you to Master Spyro."
"Thank you, Master Spyro!" the kids all exclaimed, causing Spyro to smile widely. Ancestors, they were cute.
"Alright, let's go everyone," Abella said, and within a few minutes, the fire dragoness and the school of kids had all left the arena, leaving Spyro and Volteer there alone.
"Did I do good Volteer?" Spyro asked him.
"Good? You performed astoundingly well for your very first time teaching and coaching a group of hatchlings," Volteer replied.
"You really think so? Thanks, Volteer," Spyro said with a slight blush.
"You performed better than you believe you did, Spyro. You taught the kids well, especially the ones that appeared to be struggling. I believe the younglings liked you a lot. Anyway, you're free to go now Spyro. Go have a break; you deserve it."
"Thank you Volteer. I'll see you later."
With that, Spyro turned and made his way out of the academy, walking home. On the way there, he bumped into Cynder, neither of them looking where they were going. Spyro was quick to apologise, but Cynder seemed to be a lot more… on edge. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" she growled over Spyro's soft apology, baring her teeth.
She froze as she realised she was talking to Spyro, and her snarl faded to an embarrassed frown. The black dragoness hid her face, blushing. "I-I-I'm sorry, Spyro. I didn't mean to get angry," she whispered. "I… I just…"
"What's wrong Cynder?" Spyro questioned calmly. "It's not like you to snap at people like that, especially me."
"U-u-uhh… no. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine," Cynder stammered.
"Are you sure? You don't seem fine to me."
"I just… haven't been feeling well this morning. I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me," Cynder said quickly. "Anyway I'm off to the shops, I'll see you later."
"Okay… bye, Cynder."
Cynder quickly walked off in the direction she was heading, and Spyro just watched as she left, a look of confusion on his face. That was… weird, Spyro thought. I'll have to check up on her later. Somehow I don't get the feeling she wants to be near anyone right now.
The purple dragon turned and continued to make his way back home, his confrontation with Cynder still on his mind. It was odd to see her so startled like that. It was almost as if it wasn't her. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going wrong, but he couldn't figure out what. Spyro decided he'd give her the day to be by herself, because he knew she needed it, before he went and approached her about it tomorrow. Knowing Cynder, when she was like this she needed her own personal space. Trying to butt in would do no good for her. Or for him.
Spyro wondered what had caused this sudden shift in mood. Two days ago when they had their date she had been fine. Had someone said something to her? Was she having nightmares? There were a decent amount of things that could've gotten to Cynder to get her like this.
If it was anyone in particular that had upset her, Spyro would give them a stern talking when he found out who. He hated seeing Cynder like this.
The purple dragon arrived home, flopping on his bed upon entering his room. He was exhausted. Just teaching one class was tiring; he didn't know how the guardians and other teachers did it all day for most of the week, and on top of that for teenagers too. He had a larger appreciation for the teachers at the Warfang Academy after that one lesson, and all he did was teach three- and four-year-olds how to use their elements.
He supposed it was something he would get used to over time, but at the moment, he was so tired. He fell asleep pretty quickly, succumbing to his exhaustion.
Chapter 3 is finally finished, and I hope everyone enjoyed it! This was a bit of a tricky one to do, but I still managed to get it done in a decent amount of time, and I did enjoy writing it.
Also it's my 18th birthday in three days so yeah; might have to spend it at home which is gonna be a bit of a bummer coz I like going out on my birthday for a good lunch, but hopefully it still ends up going really well. I also wanna say I hope everyone is faring well during this difficult time. Uni's now completely online for me, which I'm a little annoyed about because I prefer on-campus so much better, plus I've only been doing uni for five weeks and we're already online and mostly shut, so it's a little frustrating. But I hope everyone's staying safe, and hope you all find something fun to do during this time, especially with a decent amount of the world being in lockdown or isolation at this point in time.
...
TARDIS1039: Glad you loved the Spynder content! Was a bit different to write but it was kinda fun. Hope you liked this chapter, man, and thanks for reviewing!
Az0tAc: Thanks for the review! Looking forward to seeing more of your thoughts on the story in later chapters!
DiabloPProcento: Also thanks for leaving a review! Glad you're enjoying it so far! And haha, that's not a comment I usually see on my stories given their usual dark/violent nature, but yes, Spyro be coming for that booty (when he actually gets around to proposing of course hehe).
Derick Lindsey: Haha, glad you enjoy the teasing on Spyro lol. Glad you enjoyed it, and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Also thanks for the words, I've been stressing out a bit with this whole story in general and making it right, but I'm happy you've thought everything's been good so far.
Dragon of Mystery: Humanising lol; when I first read that I kinda had the image of dragon-turned-human appear in my head for some reason, and it was kinda funny to me just coz it's the reverse of the usual human-turned-dragon that's done (which I've also done in Broken Perceptions lol). Also, happy you liked the banter in the chapter.
Dyverr: So we talked in PMs, but thanks for the review, and hopefully this chapter was good enough for your liking.
lord typhlosion: Yeah, a very different change of pace when compared to Demonised lol. I've said before that GEM will have some darker themes too, as well as some action sequences, although nowhere near as intense as something like Demonised, as this story is meant for me to experiment with romance, adventure, and a few other different scenarios that I otherwise wouldn't explore in a story like Demonised. Thanks for the review, and hope you like this chapter.
...
Well, six reviews on one chapter; I'm really happy with that, so thanks everyone for reviewing! Leave your thoughts for this chapter and I'll see you all next time, hopefully with Demonised if you're reading that (and if my beta gets back to me lol), otherwise I'll see you all back here for Chapter 4! See you all later, and stay safe!