Tyrrany's pupils contracted as she stared down at her mother, and the blade sticking from her chest. Tyrrany's head felt heavy as the reality of the situation sank in.

"No…" The dragoness stammered. "No. No no no…" She stumbled back a few paces. "It can't be… NO!"

Albanion, Wraith, Cynder, and Spyro all screamed in horror. "ELENAR!"

Lantel held his tongue, but he felt his blood run cold. He could hardly move from his spot… but Rune, however, couldn't keep still.

The prince's limbs shook violently as he gazed at Elenar, and then over at Tyrrany. His vision turned blurry behind the goggles of his helmet. Rune's talons dug into the ground, and his tail twitched violently. He clattered his fangs as he hyperventilated.

"Rune!" Cynder called from across the way. She flew through the air and came to a landing beside him. She quickly draped a wing over his face to try and shield his gaze, but the prince pushed her away. He just kept staring right at his fallen mother… and the dragoness who killed her.

"Rune, don't look!" Cynder pleaded as she tried to turn him away. But Rune didn't react; he just cried as he gnashed his fangs and stomped forward.

"You…" Rune locked eyes with Tyrrany, who gasped and stumbled back. "You… You…"

"R-Rune…" Tyrrany stammered as she stumbled back a bit. "W-Wait, I…"

"You…" Rune said again. His limbs shook violently as he stomped forward. Lightning danced across his scales as he moved faster to approach Tyrrany. "She trusted you… She LOVED YOU!"

"Rune, stop!" Cynder yelled at him. "You're not thinking clearly!" She dove into her shadow and reappeared between the two of them. "She was driven mad by the Convexity!"

Rune didn't listen; he just took deep breaths of the purple-tinted smoke around him. He continued to cry as a purple aura appeared around his body. He made to step around Cynder, but the dragoness continued to block his path.

"Rune, this isn't you!" Cynder extended her wings out to block his vision. "Just stop! You mustn't give in to the pain!"

While Cynder was trying to talk sense into Rune, Tyrrany was struggling to keep her composure. But she couldn't stop glancing between the sword, her mother… and the pool of blood. She began to hyperventilate as well, while her limbs twitched. She instinctively reached out for the cloak that wasn't there as she desperately tried to cover herself.

This wasn't right. This wasn't supposed to happen. She didn't want this! Not anymore! This was wrong… so very very wrong! Tyrrany's eyes teared up as she crumbled down onto the platform. Everything was in ruin. Everything was in shambles…

A scream broke through the air, loud enough to silence everyone once again. Purple paws slammed into the stone as Bergan forced himself to stand up. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked across the way at Elenar's body. Even in his bloodied state, he had the energy to look about the platform and scream.

"You fools! Look what you've done!" Bergan bellowed as he frantically shook in place. "You great… stupid… FOOOOOOOOOLS!"

On that final roar from the purple drake, an explosion erupted behind him. Down in the crater, a great geyser of purple light erupted for all to see. The stone platform shook violently, knocking everyone off of their paws. The stone began to grow warmer to the touch, and the crepsculi began to sink into the ground. Everyone struggled to stay standing in place despite the heat as they looked around... and heard a distinct laughter cutting through the air.

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" A voice cackled.

Everyone tensed up as they turned toward the distant voice… of Bulb.

"Master Bergan's plan is COMPLETE!" The lanky drake declared. "FINALLY, Queen Elenar is SLAIN, just as was plotted all along with King Saul!"

The gathered dragons' eyes lit up, and most of them turned to glare at Bergan. The bearded drake stood stunned as he struggled to scrape himself off the ground.

"N-No…" Bergan's eyes contracted. "Don't be tricked AGAIN!"

"But that's what Saul was plotting from the beginning!" Albanion scowled. "You helped the tyrant in his machinations to capture the princes, and kill the High Queen!"

"It was a RUSE!" Bergan slammed his forepaw down, sending out a small shockwave. Albanion simply leaped over it, while Wraith appeared in a cloud of smoke to Bergan's side.

"Shut it!" Wraith struck Bergan in the back of the head, knocking him down. "Ruse or not, you still aided and abetted everything Saul did! And you're going to PAY FOR IT!"

"I didn't want this!" Bergan tried to stand back up, but he was struck down again. "I can save her! WE can save her!" He turned his bloodied gaze over in Tyrrany's direction. His daughter stood stunned with twitching paws as he held one of his own out to her.

"I… I'll forgive you, if you just… come here," Bergan said desperately. "I have the elements, and you have your mother's blood… she can be revived again…" A few tears fell from his eyes. "Please, Tyrrany…"

Tyrrany shuddered in place; all eyes were upon her once again. Her heart beat rapidly as she tried to think. She looked down at her forepaws; she had a few scratches.

"I…" Tyrrany cried as she took a single step closer. "I-"

Purple lightning flashed over everyone's heads, and lightning rained down upon Bergan's back. He howled in pain as he collapsed to the floor, with everyone around him jumping back in alarm.

"Why…" Bergan turned to scowl up at Spyro. "Why do you spite me, even when I want the same thing YOU want?!"

"Bergan, I didn't do that." Spyro snapped as he stepped closer.

"Then who DID?!" Bergan screamed. "Who else commands power over Convexity?!"

As the dragons continued to argue, Rune looked all around. More cracks and tears were forming along the platforms; he could swear that the whispers were becoming more pronounced. There were tears over on the eastern platform, and the same could be said for the western one. And off to the north… flashes of colors spun about in the air. Piles upon piles of purple gems were gathered up into neat piles as far as the eye could see. And in the middle of it all, at the very edge of the platform… were two dragons.

Bulb and Helianne.

Rune gasped. The flora princess had the same blank expression that she'd had in the library, and she didn't move a muscle as the splashes of elemental color spun past overhead. And just at her side, the gold-scaled thug was waving his right forepaw around in the air, snickering quietly all the while.

If Rune wasn't struggling to keep his composure before, he certainly couldn't now. Without even thinking, He spread his wings wide and burst off the platform. He roared with rage all the while, stunning everyone else nearby.

"Rune?!" They all cried out.

Rune didn't think; he couldn't think. His head felt so heavy; his helmet seemed to get heavier by the moment. The prince couldn't stop himself… all he could do was feel…

And he felt so much ANGER boiling in his blood.

Magic danced across his scales and armor, before flowing into his maw and solidifying into the hilt of the Sol Blade. He zoomed through the air, flying around the geyser of energy to swoop down toward the northern platform. Bulb was plotting something, and he'd been using the chaos as a distraction. But Rune wouldn't let him get away with it!

Rune was just a short flight away from the northern platform when Bulb glanced up in his direction. The prince called upon his Time element to bring everything to a standstill as he swerved around the energy in the air to strike at the thug. But just before Rune could attack Bulb, the gold-scaled drake blinked. Bulb had called upon his own Time magic once again and just barely avoided taking a blow to his foreleg.

"Nice try!" Bulb yelled; he lifted his other foreleg; it was bandaged around where his paw used to be. "But you won't take the other one so easily!"

Rune only growled around his sword as he charged at Bulb. He took several swings through the air, but Bulb managed to dodge around them the entire time. Rune kept swinging, but Bulb simply dodged and sidestepped around every attack.

"You can't keep doing that forever!" Bulb called out wickedly. "You'll tire yourself out soon enough, Princy!"

Bulb dashed around and came to a stop on the platform across from Helianne. He glanced over at her and then gave the prince a cheeky grin. Rune snarled and dashed forward, but then Bulb backed up and pointed his bloody forepaw at Helianne's neck. Rune slowed his assault and shook violently as he glared at the thug.

"Don't make any wrong moves." Bulb mocked as he kept his sharp talon at the ready. "One long slip, and I'll-"

SLAM!

Both Rune and Bulb were sent stumbling as someone slammed down behind them. Another growl pierced the air as someone struck Bulb from behind. The thug was knocked off his feet and sent toppling over into a pile of gems, while Rune looked to see what had happened.

Spyro had stomped down on the platform, and he now stood where Bulb was a moment ago. The purple hero surrounded his body with an aura of convexity as he made to push Helianne lightly out of harm's way.

"You're not the only one with Time magic," Spyro said furiously as he pointed his talon at Bulb's snout. "Hold still, or I'll REALLY hit you."

"Gee, how nice…" Bulb put on a mocking smirk. "I should have figured you'd want a chance to-"

SCHLING!

Rune thrust his sword down into Bulb's tail, impaling it on the spot. Spyro gasped in surprise while Bulb howled in pain. Rune let go of his sword and charged headfirst into Bulb's snout. Rune smashed into Bulb's face so hard that he shattered a few bones. Bulb continued to snarl while Rune followed up his attack with a series of slashes to the gold-scale's face. Rune continued to roar as he slashed at every part of Bulb that he could reach. The thug snarled and coughed up blood as he tried to block Rune with his forelegs, but the prince continued with a ferocious assault.

"STOP!" Spyro exclaimed as he charged forward. He slammed into Rune in such a way as to knock the prince off of the thug. When Rune tried to rise to attack Bulb again, Spyro pinned him down with his forelegs. Rune tried to sink into his shadows to get away, but Spyro held onto him fiercely and forcibly pulled him back onto the stone.

"LET ME GO!" Rune screamed. "HE DESERVES IT!"

"STOP!" Spyro bellowed as he forced Rune to stay in place. "Don't sink to his level! It's what he wants!"

Rune fought helplessly against Spyro's grip as the aura of time faded away, returning everything to normal. Bulb coughed and wheezed on blood as he struggled to tend to his wounds. Bulb's body glowed with an aura of purple as he made his gashes seal up, and his bones popped back into place.

"Damnit…" Bulb forced himself back up onto his paws, but he swayed weakly in place. He grabbed the sword hilt and gnashed his fangs as he slowly pulled it free in his jaws. Bulb tossed the sword down onto the ground beside Helianne. He took slow, deliberate steps back from Spyro and Rune. But the purple hero didn't let Bulb get out of his peripheral vision.

"Don't think you're getting away so easily this time, boy." Spyro scowled down at Bulb. "You'd better stay right where you-"

The area suddenly got much brighter. Bulb stayed in place, and Spyro squinted his eyes just enough to avoid being affected. Rune, however, cried out in pain as he shut his eyes and wriggled pathetically under the hero's hold. And as the area got brighter, Rune could feel the stone beneath him getting even hotter than before. Then the vibrations grew more pronounced, as the distant whispers increased in number.

Bulb's eyes gleamed as he stood in place. "It's time."

The whispers grew louder than they ever had before, and a multitude of crepsculi and other spirits emerged from the stone. Spyro looked around in shock as scores of spirits spiraled around and around. One spirit, in particular, broke away from the rest; it was rather humble in size but traveled with a curiously violet aura.

"She's almost here…" Bulb cackled.

"What?" Spyro looked back at the thug… and noticed that the gem piles around him were now shining with an eye-piercingly bright purple. The violet spirit swerved through the air and flew right into the gems, as the elemental colors finally closed in to surround them. The colors merged, flew into the spirit… and…

Everything turned white. A painful ringing filled Rune's ear frills, while Spyro cried out in surprise. And then, just as soon as the light came, it faded away.

Spyro finally let go of Rune, who was struggling to get his vision back; he had to wipe steam off of his goggles. The prince stood up wearily and looked around, while Spyro stood as still as a statue. Once Rune could see again, he looked up to see Spyro's expression of bewilderment.

Rune lifted his helmet to rub his eyes before following Spyro's gaze; and followed Spyro's gaze; he was looking at a group of three dragons. First was Bulb, and then there was Helianne off to the side. Lastly was the newcomer; a purple dragoness.

The dragoness looked to be only a few years older than Rune. She had a mane of black hair that fell over her eyes. Her head was crowned with six silver horns; two atop, two behind her eyes, and two behind her cheekbones. She had magenta wing membranes and a matching underbelly. Her tail ended with a silver tail blade, which was shaped exactly like Spyro's.

"By… By the Ancestors…" Spyro stood in shock as he beheld her. Rune could only look on in complete confusion at the new arrival.

The dragoness stood on all fours and panted heavily as she tried to make sense of her new surroundings. As she rose, Bulb scraped his way up beside the dragoness and he looked at her with complete satisfaction.

"The murder has finally been undone." Bulb declared. He turned to grin sinisterly up at Spyro.

"It… It wasn't…" Spyro stammered as he trembled in place. "I… I didn't…"

Rune, meanwhile, snarled as his anger returned. Whoever this was, and whatever she was brought here for, Rune didn't care. He just stomped forward and filled his body with energy as he prepared to attack again. But that was when the dragoness finally shook the black mane from her face, and he could look at her eyes…

Those demonic, piercing, yellow eyes.

Rune gasped and froze in place, while Bulb grinned once again.

"I'd like to introduce you to someone," Bulb said as he turned to gesture to the dragoness with a wing. "Say hello to my great, great grandmother… also known as the daughter of Spyro and Cynder: Chrisala."

At once, the purple dragoness locked eyes with Spyro. The hero took a step back as his limbs shook. Rune just stood puzzled; he'd never seen Spyro behave like this.

"Chrisala…" Spyro stammered. "Please, I… I…"

Chrisala brought a forepaw to her throat. She felt around for a moment and then snorted when she found nothing there. The dragoness put her forepaw down and hissed at Spyro. She took one step forward, and Spyro took a step back. She would have moved forward again, but then Bulb held something up to her snout.

"I believe THIS belongs to YOU." Bulb declared.

It was an old tome covered in purple scales. Rune recognized it immediately: the Lilac Grimoire.

"Where did you get that?!" Rune roared. He popped his helmet back into place before charging forward to attack… only to be struck down by a blast of convexity. Chrisala had parted her jaws and blasted Rune out of the air. The prince crashed to the ground and winced in pain, while Bulb laughed at the sight.

"Chrisala, no!" Spyro shouted pleadingly. "Don't hurt him! Please, let's just talk, and-!"

An ear-piercing scream erupted from the maw of the purple dragoness. Waves of purple sonic erupted forth and blasted Spyro off his paws. The hero cried out and he collapsed as he struggled to shield his ear frills. As Spyro struggled to get back up, Chrisala quickly took the grimoire from Bulb and held it aloft with a single forepaw. The tome was surrounded in violet light before it lifted before her and rapidly opened up. The pages turned themselves until they came to a stop near the middle. At once, the purple dragoness began speaking in ancient draconian.

"Septem… Peccata…"

The geyser in the center of the Pit began to grow brighter. More spirits broke free from the abyss and spiraled around in the air.

"Daemones… Surge…"

Amongst the scores of spirits… there emerged a select few that were far bigger than any others. And as they emerged from the Well of Souls, the geyser of energy began to grow. It spun faster and faster, becoming a terrifying cyclone.

Chrisala waved her forepaws around in the air, while her body levitated into the air with the grimoire. She chanted the draconian over and over, as a sphere of convexity surrounded her. The many piles of gems began to lift into the air all at once; they quickly flowed through the air to spin wildly about by the cyclone. All the while, Bulb stood tall on the platform, watching in awe at the spectacle happening before his eyes.

Across the way, Spyro and Rune fought against the force of the winds around them to stay standing. The both of them stepped forward toward Bulb, who turned around to smirk wickedly at the both of them.

"You know…" Bulb locked eyes with Spyro. "My daddy dreamed of this; of the day that someone in our family line would finally gain the means to undo Chrisala's murder."

"You…" Spyro snarled furiously at the gold-scale drake. "You wicked little demon! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"Oh, I have an idea or two…" Bulb reached out into the air with his jaws and bit down hard on a few purple gems. He mashed them up into crumbs and gulped them down, all as he held his leg-stump out before Rune and Spyro.

"I brought her back." Bulb declared. "And she's finally free to finish what she started long ago."

A purple aura surrounded Bulb's body, and it condensed around his stump. The energy flowed out from the stump and swelled and grew into a large ball. Bulb winced and growled for a moment until the energy hardened into crystal. The crystal shifted around and formed a new, fully functional paw. He extended his crystal talons and wriggled his digits around to test them out.

"That's going to take some getting used to…" Bulb scowled at Rune. "Thanks to YOU."

"You… deserved it…" Rune snarled.

"All I wanted was your sword." Bulb spat on the floor. "But you wouldn't let me have it. So… maybe I should cut away something of HERS."

At once, Rune was hit with a feeling of dread. He glanced over at Helianne, who was picking the sword up from the ground. She spun the blade around in her jaws and held a forepaw out before the blade, all with that same silent stare…

But in that same moment, a blast of lightning shot through the air. Spyro had seen this coming and shot out a bolt from his jaws to send it straight for Helianne… specifically, the necklace. The Serenity Gem was severed from the necklace and sent crashing onto the floor. Immediately Helianne blinked and muttered as her mind returned to her.

"Wh-What…?" She looked around and was quickly overwhelmed by everything going on. "What's-?"

"Helianne!" Rune cried out.

The flora dragoness gasped and spun about to see Rune. But before she could say another word, Bulb snarled.

What happened next was all on instinct. Rune called upon his Time magic, and Spyro did the same. The both of them charged forward to get between Helianne and Bulb. The gold-face drake was a bit slower to activate his time magic, but he had a sinister advantage. As he dashed forward, he grabbed multiple purple gems from the air and shattered them in his jaws. He quickly filled up on the convexity energy as he took off into a running sprint toward Helianne.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Spyro roared; he leaped overhead and bore down on Bulb.

Bulb very nearly grabbed the flora princess before Spyro slammed into him. Bulb was knocked several paces away, but he was quick on his feet. He gave a terrific roar as a thick aura of convexity formed around his body.

"Let me tell you…" Bulb said as he spread his limbs out. The aura danced across his scales, turning them from golden to snow-white. His wings stretched out, and his wing membranes turned a sickly red.

"I have waited for this moment…"

Bulb's aura burned like purple flames atop his head. His body shook as two horns began to emerge just behind his eyes. They bent and twisted around, before they hardened into a pair of bright golden lightning bolts, just like the horns atop Spyro's head. More flames formed on his tail, before hardening into a golden blade. Various spines and spikes burst out of his back, taking on a sinister formation to the ones on Spyro.

"…For a very. Long. Time."

Spyro paused just enough to take in Bulb's new form, but it didn't halt his attack. He bore down on the vile drake with wave after wave of convexity. But while Bulb was shorter, he was also much faster: he dashed between the attacks with an unrivaled ferocity.

"I read up on ALL of the old stories!" Bulb shouted as he dashed behind Spyro. "I learned EVERYTHING I could!" He slashed at Spyro's tail as he continued dashing around. Spyro shifted to try and strike back, but Bulb was just a bit too fast every time. "How could I not?! You're my ANCESTOR, after all!"

Spyro simply snarled and continued the chase, while Bulb snatched more purple gems out of the air. Meanwhile, Rune darted around the edge of the platform to head straight for Helianne. The princess was frozen in a moment of fear and confusion as she looked down at the sword she still held in her jaws. Rune came to a stop and spread his wings out to shield her as he watched Bulb dart around Spyro.

Compared to the nimble aggressor, the purple hero was akin to a boulder. He moved slower, but he struck the ground hard. He tried several times to knock Bulb off his feet, but the gold-to-white drake dashed around in the nick of time.

"You're going to pay for what you've done!" Spyro roared.

"Oh, am I?" Bulb asked cheekily.

Eventually, the white dragon finally tired himself out; he came to a stop a good distance away from Spyro and panted. Spyro spat blood from his jaws as he glared at the thug. His scales danced with magic as he pulled his head back and inhaled.

"I will give you one last chance." The purple hero scowled. "Don't make me do this."

"Oh, you're giving me a chance?" Bulb asked. "Did your heart soften after you killed Chrisala?"

Spyro's eye twitched and his body radiated with even more magic. Bulb grinned wickedly; his body pulsated with purple energy as he stared down Spyro.

"No regrets this time…" Spyro reached within himself. "This has gone on for long enough."

"Correct." Bulb's eyes glistened.

The two dragons slowly prepared for their strongest attacks; their Furies.

"Now, it's time…" Bulb charged up his body with as much of the convexity as he could.

"To unleash…" He spread his limbs out as he stared down Spyro. The hero reached within himself to prepare his mighty attack. Rune could only keep his wings extended out as he did his best to protect Helianne.

"The True Dragon…"

Spyro attacked first; he unleashed a powerful beam of golden light from his jaws. It grew twice as wide as his head as it barreled toward Bulb at high speed…

But Bulb didn't stay still to attack back. Instead, he sank into a shadow, letting Spyro's beam fly overhead and striking the back wall. Spyro was unable to redirect the beam, while Bulb zoomed forward within his shadow. He passed under Spyro's paws, kept going, and suddenly emerged halfway between the hero… and Rune.

"…Within YOU!"

Even within the bubble of frozen time, everything seemed to slow down before Rune as his vision was overwhelmed by violet light. A great, menacing orb of purple energy emerged from Bulb's body and rapidly grew in size. Rune felt as if he could see for miles upon miles within the abyss within the center of the orb.

And then… it exploded forth into furious spirits.

The spirits took the form of the dragon's heads, and they howled and roared as they collided against Rune's body. The prince screamed, but he couldn't hear himself. His eyes were blinded as he was struck again and again by the furious spirits. They spiraled around him, blasting through his body over and over as they struck the platform…

"PURGATIO."

When the attack finally ended, Rune could no longer stand; he collapsed onto the stone. But even that was a final straw; so much damage had been done by Bulb's attack that the chunk of platform around Rune and Helianne collapsed under the prince's weight.

Helianne could only scream, while Rune was left unconscious… and the both of them plummeted down into the abyss….

~~…~~

Spyro's Solar Fury had drained the last of his Time magic out of his body; he collapsed onto his side and panted. But though he was tired, his mind raced as he tried to process what just happened. He forced himself to rise, only to nearly collapse again. The sounds of the magic erupting throughout the Well of Souls were almost deafening… and yet, through it all Bulb's mocking laughter rang through his ear frills like a horrible fever pitch.

"You sucker!" Bulb laughed as he wiped tears from his eyes. He spun about and triumphantly beat his wings. "I can't believe a great hero would fall for such a basic trick!"

Spyro's blood boiled, and he rose onto his paws. He then charged at full speed off to the side, toward the platform's edge. But before he could get very far, a blast of lightning rained down from the air and struck the stone between Spyro's paws. He gasped.

"Leaving so soon?" Bulb asked.

"Out of my way!" Spyro hissed; he forced himself to keep charging forward despite the lightning crashing down all around him. He dashed left and right, and then forcibly leaped through the air to make a dive down into the Well. He plunged his way down, closing his wings to gain speed…

Only to be struck by an overwhelming force of magic.

Hundreds of shrieking spirits flowed out from the depths of the crater and crashed against Spyro's body. But instead of phasing through each of him, the spirits brushed against him. They blew incredibly hard and fast against his body. And like a leaf caught in a gust of wind, Spyro found himself lifted UPWARDS.

Spyro cried out in fright as he was blown out of the Well of Souls and sent spiraling around the entire crated. He moved counter-clockwise, and his limbs flailed helplessly in the overwhelming force of the magic. He tried his hardest to call forth more magic, but he'd spent all of it in his battle against Bulb. He… he was helpless…

Or so he thought, before an aura of shadowy mist formed about his body. Spyro could barely realize what had happened before he was plucked out of the cyclone and pulled through a portal. And an instant later, he found himself on the warm ground of the southern platform, with several dragons looking down at him.

"Get up, Sunshine." Cynder urged; she forcibly rolled him over onto his paws. "We've got to focus!"

Spyro nodded. He pushed himself to resume another battle stance, and darted forward to join his wife in battle…

~~…~~

Chaos had erupted everywhere Lantel looked.

He clutched the Umbral Blade tightly in his jaws as he swung it at monster after monster. But it seemed like for every creature that he cut down, another one would just emerge from the tears and take its place. At one point, he was even knocked down onto his back. He held onto the sword as if for dear life as he filled it with golden magic. He then swung his blade around in an arc to force the creatures back. But despite even his holy magic, the crepsculi just kept coming.

Damnit… He thought in a panic.

The golden prince watched in horror as an even bigger portal of shadows opened up just behind the half-a-dozen monsters that loomed in on him. He braced himself for the emergence of a new beast from the shadows…

Only for several rays of golden light to burst from the portal. The rays struck down every crepsculi in a matter of moments. Lantel looked around in awe and confusion.

"What's happened down here?" Asked an old voice.

Lantel turned back to the portal and watched as the crotchety form of Urobos lumbered through it. The old drake pursed his lips as he offered a forepaw to the prince.

There was a lot of Urobos's mind and a lot for him to take in. There was disaster and ruin everywhere he looked… and the worst thing he spotted was the fallen form of Elenar. The old drake howled in horror. He would have charged over to retrieve the queen… but a horde of other monsters emerged. They hissed and shrieked as they reached out for Urobos and Lantel with their wicked talons.

Lantel charged up and stood beside the old drake, sword at the ready. Urobos took only a single step back in shock… but then, he snarled. The elderly dragon inhaled a deep breath of air, before immediately unleashing an inferno of golden flames from his maw. The holy fire engulfed the monsters and burned their forms to nothingness.

Lantel was stunned; he'd nearly dropped his sword in shock. But he was jolted into stepping back, as Urobos pushed his form to charge forward toward the center of the platform.

"Elenar!" Urobos howled. "ELENAR!"

~~…~~

Albanion's priority was making sure that Bergan couldn't perform any other nasty tricks. He struck the bearded dragon in all the vital magical pressure points along his body. Albanion even applied a trace amount of paralyzing magic into Bergan's system, for good measure. And yet despite it all, Bergan scowled up at Albanion frantically.

"You imbeciles!" He screamed. "You've doomed the whole realms!"

"Shut it." Albanion snapped; he struck Bergan upside the head.

As this went on, Wraith darted all about a short distance away. He seemed to be struggling not to panic as he kept the Conduit floating around wherever concentrations of magic erupted in the air. Bit by bit, the machine was glowing and spinning. He might have called his hypothesis a success… were he not having a meltdown.

"The Queen!" He screamed; the crimson drake kept glancing over at Elenar's body, only to look away as his cheeks turned green. "Oh, Ancestors… This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Albanion snarled; he left Bergan on the floor as he rushed over to strike Wraith upside the head. The crimson drake yelped in pain; he almost crashed the Conduit to the floor before lifting it at the last minute.

"Keep your wits about you!" Albanion yelled into Wraith's ear frill. "This is no time to panic!"

"But the queen-"

"Focus on who is still alive!" Albanion said forcefully. Despite his furious façade, it pained the poison drake to say it. He looked once at Elenar mournfully, before shaking his head. "We need to find Prince Rune and Helianne! Once we're all grouped, we can…"

Shockwaves of ethereal magic erupted from the platform. It nearly knocked both Deep Shadows off their paws. The wind all around them was growing more violent; Wraith fought to keep the Conduit steady in the air. They could hear eruptions of magic all around, as well as slamming down on the stone across the way. Albanion and Wraith looked into each other eyes; they knew that they had to be ready for what came next…

~~…~~

All across the platform, the gathered dragons struggled to make sense of what was going on. They were angry… and scared. They fought against all of their instincts to keep their bravery in the face of the growing chaos. But none among them were nearly as frightened as Bergan.

Bergan hadn't felt this helpless in all of his life; not even when he was a child. He was paralyzed and stripped of his magic. And by some cruel ploy, he was left fully conscious to look out at the discord sewn before his very eyes.

Elenar lay cold on the ground across the way, with a terrible hole in her chest. Monsters and demons were breaking free all over the platforms. And a terrible storm of corrupted magic was taking place in the very center of it all… and the sinister silhouette of a dragoness floated in the eye of the storm.

Bergan was powerless; he cried as he gazed up at the maddening display. The only option left, was to watch the chaos unfold… just as he'd foreseen. Once again, like when he was a boy, he had to watch as his nightmare came to life.

"Septem… Peccata…"

The dragoness's voice carried faintly beneath the magic, but Bergan could hear it in the back of his mind.

"Daemones… Surge…"

The purple dragoness waved her paws all around as she commanded spirits to rise from the Well of Souls. But amongst the countless little specks that formed the masses… there were four that were far worse than any before.

The spirits emerged slowly from the pit, casting wicked shadows on the walls large enough to swallow the light. They flew amongst the other spirits, absorbing their fledgling energy into their greater masses in the process. And as the foursome drew closer to the countless gems, those two were pulled into their forms. And in the center of them all, shielded within the cyclone by her aura, Chrisala continued to chant and wave her forepaws about.

"Septem… Peccata…"

The spirits' forms grew brighter and brighter as the last of the convexity gems were fully absorbed into their beings.

"Daemones… Surge…"

Lantel and Urobos gasped in horror at the sight. Spyro and Cynder gnashed their fangs as they stepped back a short distance. Albanion inched his way over toward the others, while Wraith kept the Conduit close by. And as these six dragons gained distance… Bergan was left on the ground to behold the spectacle at the very front.

"Damn you…" He whispered furiously as he glared back at the others. "Damn you all."

Everyone looked on in awe and dread as the spirits floated down from the air. One by one, they landed on the platform as their energy solidified… and their bodies rose as flesh and blood.

Each of the four dragons stood mighty and tall; taller than even Urobos. Their features were clouded in layers of shadows, but each of them had eyes that glowed an unearthly white light. For three of them, purple scales were hinted to glisten behind the swath of living shadows that enveloped their forms… and for the fourth, the scales were a sickly pale.

And through it all, Bergan still watched from where he lay bleeding on the stone. The others hadn't paid him any attention, so he had a chance to process what he could do to escape this. But as he looked around… he saw something else emerging from within the pit.

"Septem… Peccata…"

Chrisala was still chanting, though now she drifted down weightlessly toward the ground.

"Daemones… Surge…"

Though four spirits were pulled from the crater… a fifth dragon joined them from down below. The drake's body was lifted through the center of the cyclone by countless more spirits from below. It broke through the cyclone and was brought down with an abrupt landing between all the others. The dragon had once been turned to stone by supernatural forces, but his visage was still as pristine as when it was sealed away four years prior.

Baneth.

~~…~~

Of the sinister dragons, one of them finally looked toward the others across the platform… specifically, at Urobos. The white dragon stomped forward, shaking the ground with his every step. Urobos's blood turned to ice as he beheld an enemy he hadn't seen in decades…

"YOU…" The dragon growled as he stomped forward; nine fearsome horns crowned his head. His height was frightening, even when compared to the other sinister dragons. His stomps were strong enough to leave craters in their wake.

Urobos's eyes dilated as he spread his wings out to shield the others from the behemoth's wrath.

"It's him…" Urobos said with tense breath as he stepped back. "It's Runileon!"

Runileon growled down at Urobos, and then at all the other dragons. Everyone got on their guard as the great white behemoth of a drake appraised them. His eyes fell upon Spyro and Cynder, who stepped into battle stances and prepared for battle.

"Spyro…" Runileon's eyes contracted. He stomped forward, sending tendrils of darkness in his wake. "CYNDER."

The two heroes snarled and prepared for an attack. Albanion did the same, while Wraith moved the Conduit over and around the back. But before anyone could launch an attack… a new voice spoke over the crowd. A feminine voice.

"My…" Said one of the three shrouded dragons. She looked over herself, before turning her gaze out toward the six gathered drakes. "Now, this is interesting. I'm… alive."

The dragoness took slow, deliberate steps forward out of the shadows. For a moment, everyone could see her glistening purple scales. But then they were suddenly engulfed back black mist. The mist traveled throughout the dragoness's figure, before solidifying into a set of robes; robes not unlike those the Deep Shadows wore.

With every step the dragoness took, her form shifted. She became thickly built, but also curved and toned. Her wings burst through her cloaks, which rippled like waves. And her head… her head was crowned with four powerful horns, all wreathed in shadows. Her eyes burned like fire as she looked over the assembled dragons.

"My my my…" The dragoness marveled as she beheld the dragon's features. "Do dragons have manes in this era? How gorgeous."

Runileon growled in frustration. He turned around to roar at the dragoness, though she seemed quite nonplussed by his outburst.

"Who are you?!" Runileon demanded. "What are you doing in my domain?!"

"YOUR domain?" The dragoness asked cheekily. She gazed all around at the crater, and then shut her eyes to laugh a shrill, painful chortle. "Not much of a domain, is it?"

"Answer me, harlot!" The great white drake tore chunks out of the ground in a show of power.

And that's when a third dragon chimed in. And when he spoke, it was as if he was a voice in the back of the head of every dragon in the chamber.

"This one is a slave to his rage." They spoke in a dull, almost dead voice. "It will take very little to draw his ire."

When the dragon moved, his limbs didn't move a muscle, and yet he lifted himself off the ground weightlessly. He slowly emerged from the shadows, atop a platform of stone. The drake's purple body was grotesquely rotund; it was almost as if he was a stomach with vestigial limbs attached. His head faced forward unblinking, and he had no horns to speak of atop his head. The drake's pale eyes darted all about to take in the features of everyone present.

"Mortals are present." The dragon said as he turned his entire body to face them. "Greetings. I am known as Desysto. I will bring about the end of your world."

The dragons gasped at the declaration, while the purple dragoness scratched her chin.

"Not one for playing around, are we?" She raised an eye ridge at the large drake. "Nor do you care for your figure."

"Flesh is flesh." The obese purple dragon said. "And I have a mission to accomplish."

Runileon looked between the two purple dragons with equal parts irritation and confusion. He then turned and spotted the last of the shrouded drakes…

And the last thing this did was rip off his foreleg at the elbow.

"Wretched!" The dragon hissed as he threw his limb to the floor, much to many others' disgust. But the final drake ignored all of them as he concentrated on the stone around his body.

Many chunks of stone broke free and flew straight for the bleeding stump. They spun all around as the drake wriggled the talons on his other forepaw. Bit by bit, the stone transformed in flashes of golden light. The next thing anyone knew, the stone had not only turned to pure gold but had shaped themselves into a new foreleg.

The dragon marveled at his work… and then used his new limb to rip away his other foreleg. After some more magic, he soon had two artificial forelimbs to balance atop.

"Ah, now THAT's much better." The dragon chuckled in delight. "What do all of you SCALLYWAGS think?"

The dragon turned his head to gaze out at the crowd… and he finally revealed that he had three eyes; two normal ones, and a third one that gazed out from a hole in his forehead. His gold limbs clanked on the stone as he marched forward, all while he appraised the rest of his form.

"Bleh, I'm far from complete…" He mused. "If I were a betting dragon, I'd wager that this isn't my original form at all."

It was at this moment that all four of the dragons acknowledged each other. Runileon was too furious to make much conversation. But the other three… they kept inspecting each other's purple scales. They marveled at one another… or at least the dragoness and the self-mutilator were. They all turned to gaze out at the crowd, who had been stunned into silence this whole time.

"Purple… dragons." The dragoness declared in delight. Her eyes gazed all around, and even at Spyro. "So many purple dragons!"

"My, what an unprecedented find!" The self-mutilator turned his three eyes across the way. "Who would have thought there would be more than one at one time?"

"It would appear that someone has cast forbidden magic." The rotund dragon said, showing no clear emotions. "We are alive. And we can accomplish the great purpose."

"But how?" The dragoness asked. She gazed over at Spyro and Cynder. "Got any answers, hmm?"

Spyro and Cynder didn't budge; they just quietly extended their wings to shield the other dragons. But an answer did come to the four dragons, in the form of two more.

The group looked up to see Chrisala drifting out of the cyclone to come to a landing on the stone beside Baneth's statue. On the other side, the white dragon Bulb drifted down to land across the way.

Bulb's eyes lit up at the sight of so many powerful dragons standing in one place. He held a forepaw over his muzzle and struggled to contain his delight. He'd never felt so excited in all of his life. But he had one final loose threat to tie up; Bergan.

Throughout the spectacle, the bearded drake had struggled to regain control of his body. He rocked in place and tried to force his limbs to work, or for his magic to return to his command. But Bergan was helpless… helpless to watch as Bulb walked over to him. Bergan refused to show fear in the face of the corrupted white dragon; he clamped his jaws shut and put on a brave face. But Bulb just casually strolled on up to him, with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"I have nothing to say to you." Bergan scowled; he turned his head to the side and exposed his neck.

"Oh, don't be like that…" Bulb crouched down close to Bergan's face. "You don't think I went through all of this trouble just to kill YOU, do you?"

Bergan sneered. "What do you want from me, then?"

Bulb's eyes glistened in the light of the cyclone. He reached out… and plucked a convexity crystal from the air just as it passed by. He then grasped another, and then another… before long, he had a large pile.

"Don't worry, Master." Bulb snickered. He used a free forepaw to pry the purple drake's maw open. "I've got a deal for you."

~~…~~

Chrisala held a silent scowl. She held her forepaw up, and the Lilac Grimoire floated down to land in her palm. She grasped the tome in one forepaw as she fell back onto her haunches. She motioned with her free forepaw, before pointing her talons at the cold stone.

It was only at about this time that Urobos realized who the statue was. He clattered his fangs and took a step forward in the hopes of thinking of something… but a scowl from Runileon frightened the elderly dragon into shrinking backward into the shadows.

Chrisala finished chanting, and a jolt of purple lightning erupted from her talons to strike the chest of Baneth. And then… tendrils of magic spread throughout him.

The stone surrounding Baneth's surface slowly cracked and crumbled. Chunks of stone fell away and soon collapsed into raw energy… only to be absorbed back into the dragon's scales. Bit by this, this process happened all across Baneth's form, until his outer shell had become flesh and blood once again. And once the black dragon's body was fully freed from its stony prison, the drake stood up and opened its eyes…

Sickly, yellow eyes

The dragon took a single step forward, and a purple aura emerged around his body. With every step, the drake's appearance shifted. His scales turned from black to purple. Spines broke free along his back, and his tail ended in a sinister blade. Violet flames erupted atop his body, which transformed into three thick red horns. And when the transformation was complete, the dragon blew purple smoke from his nostrils.

"Foolish king." He spoke aloud as he looked over his body. "He couldn't keep me contained forever, it seems."

Spyro and Cynder gasped; they channeled their magic in preparation for a fight. Albanion and Wraith stepped up from behind, ready to lend their powers when need be. And in the back, Lantel could only look on worriedly as he held the Umbral Blade in his jaws. He'd heard many stories, and already knew just who was speaking through Baneth's mouth…

Malefor, the Dark Master.

But Malefor's attention wasn't on the six mortal dragons; instead, he looked all around at the various figures that loomed all around him. The others stepped back and watched curiously as Malefor made his way up to the group. He even marveled at Chrisala, who closed her grimoire and marched forward to stand amongst the others.

"More purple dragons…" Malefor said plainly. His eyes lit up, and he grinned wickedly. "I knew it; they were many."

"We ARE many," Chrisala replied. The others looked down curiously at the dragoness; it was the first time she spoke in the common tongue.

"You're mighty young, aren't you dearie?" The taller dragoness looked down at her. "And such a pretty face."

Chrisala didn't directly address her; she just gazed around and counted the heads of the assembled drakes, and then herself. "We're only six. We need one more."

"One more WHAT?" Runileon demanded.

"One more purple dragon." The rotund drake said plainly.

"Bah!" Runileon spread his limbs out. "I am no purple fledgling! I am WHITE! I amass ALL the colors of the light!"

"Keep your voice down, your half-wit." The mutilated dragon snapped. "You looking to wake more of the dead from the waters?"

Runileon and the other drake snarled at each other, while the rotund dragon turned his attention to Chrisala.

"I must question this oddity." He said to her. "You required purple dragons. He is NOT among them. Explain this."

Chrisala snorted. "This one is the inheritor of the Wrath left behind… in the wake of my parents' resurrection."

The assembled dragons had various levels of curiosity. Malefor in particular felt the urge to lower down and appraise Chrisala's form.

"Your… parents." He mused. "And I presume that they are Spyro and Cynder?"

"Yes." She scowled at the mere mention. "Their resurrection was the catalyst that allowed the Well of Souls to break apart, so our souls could be born anew."

She held up the Lilac Grimoire for all the dragons to see. The rotund dragons examined it closely.

"A tome of evil magic." He stated.

"Fascinating." The tall dragoness scratched her chin again. "Such a smart little darling."

"Bah." Runileon snorted. "Who needs spells when you can harness raw power?!"

"Spells have their uses." The rotund drake continued. "However, if you were among the dead, then you couldn't have possibly revived yourself. Explain how you regained flesh."

As the obese drake spoke, rays of golden light blasted forth from behind the group. The six dragons all turned and watched as two more stepped forward. The first was Bulb, who had an elated grin to look up at all the powerful purple drakes. And behind him… was Bergan.

Bergan's body was wreathed in golden light. He'd absorbed a lot of energy from multiple crystals, and he was rapidly healing. The bearded drake did his best to keep a level head, all while he stared forward at the gathered dragons.

Bulb trotted forward and bowed his head before the six dragons… before focusing his attention on Chrisala and Malefor.

"It's so wonderful to finally meet you." Bulb's eyes gleamed as he beheld Malefor. "You're where it all began… even if you're borrowing someone else's body."

"Mhm…" Malefor lowered his head to gaze into Bulb's eyes directly. "And who might YOU be?"

"It's a little… complicated, oh Dark Master." Bulb bowed his head. "One of your descendants managed to survive into the new age to have a child with Spyro's daughter."

Malefor glanced at Chrisala, who rumbled in place. The Dark Master wracked his talons on the floor. "Continue, boy."

Bulb flashed a grin. "That child went on to have a secret family line… and it continued all the way to ME." He fanned out his wings. "It took a long time, but I eventually tracked down all the tools I needed and made my way to the Well of Souls, all so I could bring back Chrisala."

"You've served your purpose…" Chrisala turned to scowl at him. "So… why are you here, still? Why didn't you flee when you could?"

Bulb's eye twitched for a brief moment; he glanced all around at the purple dragons, and he sighed in contentment.

"I wanted to see this with my own eyes." Bulb wiped some tears from his eyes. "Some of history's most powerful dragons, all assembled at once. And even if I've done my part, and nobody owes me anything…" Bulb turned to look into Malefor's eye. "I just have one small little request."

"And what would THAT be?"

Bulb's eyes reflected Malefor's wickedness back at him. "Burn the world."

The six powerful dragons looked down at Bulb as his words echoed around… and most of them reeled their heads back and laughed. The only two who didn't share in the horrible cacophony were the rotund drake and Bergan.

Bergan held himself still as his wings fanned out wide. He took deep breaths as he listened to their chortles and guffaws. He took deep breaths, and he blew out golden smoke as he waited to be addressed.

"There is still the matter of our seventh purple dragon." The obese dragon declared. "State your reasons for joining in with the rest of us."

All eyes were upon Bergan. His forelimbs shook, and he scowled as he looked out at the gathered dragons. He unfurled his wings wide, and golden light shined from them.

"I have spent all of my life working to prevent dragons from making horrible mistakes." He said aloud. "And yet… they don't listen to me." Bergan scowled. "They have committed sin, after atrocity, after vice, after INIQUITY."

He dug his talons into the stone… and it cracked.

"I'm tired of allowing fools to abuse their free will." Bergan's fury seethed as his body radiated with a purple aura. "If joining your ranks is what it will take to purge this world of the wicked… then SO BE IT."

"Ah, a toast, then." The mutilated drake said; He held out a golden forepaw and transformed the magic in the air into a bowl of liquid gold. The dragon then chugged the bowl, not caring if he burned his lips in the process. "To the end of this wretched world! And a toast to myself: Lucrun the Gilded!"

"There are so many sights to see in this new age before it's gone…" The tall dragoness chuckled wickedly as she unfurled her wings. "You all may call me Amouris: Mistress of the Night."

"I'll rip all the cowardly weaklings from their beds and destroy them!" Runileon bellowed, sending shockwaves through the air. "For I am Runileon, the MIGHTY!"

"I spent most of my life planning this day; I always knew someone would find the Revival Ritual." The shorter dragoness held her grimoire aloft. "I am Chrisala: Alchemist Supreme!"

"In the previous age, I was known as the one true Dark Master: Malefor." The corrupted drake grinned. He gazed down at Bulb and wracked his talons. "Behave dutifully, and you might just find yourself as my newest General."

Bulb lifted an eye ridge. "You're not going to kill me?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Malefor snorted. "A loyal minion never outlives its usefulness, and you have a long life ahead of you indeed."

"Well then…" Bulb's eyes gleamed. "It seems I've gotten a serious promotion." He glanced at Bergan. "I hope there are no hard feelings, Oh Wizard of Faeshrine."

Bergan paid him no mind; he just turned around and gazed out across the platform… at the distant body of Elenar. He sighed sadly and marched forward, while the rest of the wicked dragons plotted their sinister schemes. He shut his eyes and forced himself not to cry; he was in no position to show weakness.

It didn't matter that the love of his life was… slain before his very eyes. It didn't matter that a childhood friend was… now the puppet for the Dark Master. And it didn't matter that his eldest daughter, the crown jewel of his life… had seemingly vanished for parts unknown. It didn't matter… he mustn't let it matter. Everything would crumble if it mattered…

"Just to remind you all; I am Desysto." The rotund drake chimed in. "And so you're aware, the six mortals fled while the rest of you were gloating."

Bergan stopped in surprise, as did the others. Sure enough, upon looking at the entrance, all of the dragons had disappeared. Most of the other dragons didn't particularly care… except for one.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

~~…~~

Spyro, Cynder, Urobos, and Wraith all worked together to channel their shadow magic to teleport everyone (and the Conduit) out of the Well of Souls and back up onto the airship. The vessel's soldiers were caught quite off-guard by the sudden appearance of the six of them.

Before anyone could even say a word, Wraith snapped his talons in a panic and vanished in a cloud of smoke… only for the Conduit to slam down on the deck and smash part of it. Wraith soon reappeared with a face on his muzzle.

"Shit!" He grasped the device and struggled to lift it up. But its surface was quite hot, and the three segments were spinning like mad. "Someone help me get this thing downstairs!"

The soldiers rushed forward to grasp the Conduit, much to the others' confusion.

"Why didn't it go with him?!" Lantel exclaimed.

"I don't know; It is too full for just one dragon to teleport it!" Wraith declared as he hurriedly led the way below deck. "We'll figure out the details later! We need to get out of here NOW!"

As Wraith was rushing downstairs with the soldiers, Albanion was making his way to the helm of the ship. He grasped the wheel and spun it to pull the airship away from the Well of Souls. Spyro, Cynder, and Urobos were making their way below deck to assist in the teleportation magic, while Lantel stood behind on the deck.

The golden prince could barely hold onto the Umbral Blade as he gazed down at the Well of Souls… and the cyclone of purple magic that continued to erupt into the air. His mind could scarcely comprehend everything that had happened; so much had gone on in such little time. He was just lucky to finally have slipped away; he could at least gaze down at the distant evil dragons. They were so small from so high up, he couldn't even make out their forms…

Except for a white blob…

Which kept getting bigger… and bigger… while also roaring quite loudly.

"SPYROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Lantel snapped to attention as he watched the furious form of Runileon barreling through the sky toward the airship.

"CYNDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"

WHAM!

Runileon struck against the airship at full force, knocking it off balance. Everyone on the vessel was thrown to the side and sent sliding off toward the port side. Albanion struggled to work the mechanisms to force the airship to resume its proper formation… but that was difficult, seeing as Runileon was repeatedly slamming into the hull.

"SHOW YOURSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELVES!" Runileon screamed. "COWAAAAAARDS!"

As Runileon attacked the deck, two clouds of purple smoke formed in mid-air. And before the white drake could even look back at them, Spyro and Cynder burst forth at high speed.

"We're right HERE!" Spyro roared.

The purple hero slashed a long gash along Runileon's left flank, while Cynder followed up with a slash to his right. The great white drake howled in pain and fury; he kicked against the airship to gain air. Once again the vessel was knocked off-balance, causing everyone onboard to become disoriented.

Unable to hold onto the Umbral Blade, Lantel had no choice but to store it in his scabbard. He then stepped back in horror at the sight of the freakishly muscular dragon. Even Cyrus, as his fully corrupt, would have been a pipsqueak before this freakish monstrosity of muscle and rage.

But despite Runileon's sheer scale compared to Spyro and Cynder, they weren't deterred. They flew around in the air, blasting at the behemoth with convexity beams and blasts. Lantel could only watch helplessly, while Albanion worked the controls to get the airship away from the Well of Souls…

~~…~~

Down in the inner chamber, Wraith worked frantically to reattach every single pipe to the Conduit. He turned a valve here, adjusted some machinery there, and then placed his forepaw against the stone as it vibrated. Beside him was Urobos, who worriedly gazed out the nearby porthole to behold as much of the battle as he could.

"Did you collect enough energy to get us away from here?!" Urobos asked.

"I don't know…" Wraith's jaws clattered; he hurriedly adjusted everything to make sure the device was tightly secured.

"How far can we get from the Well of Souls?!" Urobos insisted.

"I don't know," Wraith said louder.

"But we need to-"

"It's out of my control!" Wraith yelled frantically. He slammed both forepaws against the machine and concentrated as much as he could

"Wraith!"

"Elder Urobos, I'm doing everything I can!" His eyes turned bloodshot. "Either this thing works and we can teleport away or… or…"

SLAM!

The airship was knocked at an angle, sending Wraith and Urobos crashing into a wall. The vessel soon righted itself again, and the both of them placed their forepaws against the stone.

"Come on…" Urobos scowled at the Conduit. "Work, damn you…"

"Well, we can't have it work TOO SOON!" Wraith shouted. "We can't just leave even MORE dragons behind, can we?!"

Urobos flinched, and he slammed his head against the machine in shame. Their numbers were dropping like flies… and there wasn't anything he could have done. No… No that wasn't right. He could have left the safety of the airship sooner. He could have gone out ahead, and faced the danger head-on with everyone else…

Oh, why did his cowardice always have to cost so much?

~~…~~

Lantel was knocked off his paws once again. He struggled to hold onto the banister as he dashed from the bow of the ship to the helm. Albanion was fiercely spinning the airship this way and that, desperate to keep it from being completely knocked over in the air. But between each turn of the wheel, the poison drake gazed up at the battle taking place right above their heads.

Runileon unleashed a blast of Convexity, which blasted off several planks from the banister. Spyro flew around and caught as many planks as he could before placing them down on the deck. He then worked to summon up a barrier to try and shield the vessel from any future damage.

Meanwhile, Runileon had become distracted by his initial attack. Cynder took this opportunity to fly around from behind and blast him along the back with purple lightning. The white dragon roared furiously as he turned about to fire a barrage of purple fireballs upon the dragoness. Cynder dashed swiftly between all of the attacks, making short work of gaining distance. She unleashed a convexity beam at the back of Runileon's head, making him writhe in pain. The great white dragon then plummeted through the sky like a boulder, before he crashed violently somewhere down in the snow.

Spyro and Cynder panted as they flew down to land on the deck; they struggled to recover in a hurry.

"Did they get him?" Lantel asked. "Is he dead?"

An answer came in the form of a roar of thunder. It grew louder and louder...

WHAM!

The airship was jolted UPWARD a few feet. Everyone was knocked into the air, before coming to a hard landing on the wood. The dragons groaned in pain, while the vessel was shaken left and right from beneath. Spyro and Cynder looked at each other in horrible realized. They sprang off in different directions and leaped over the sides of the vessel with wings outstretched. They flew around and righted themselves as they beheld Runileon.

The white drake had launched himself from the ground and embedded himself partially into the airship's hull. He dug his talons into the wood and worked to tear it apart piece by piece…

But blasts of lightning quickly put a stop to that. He howled in pain as Spyro and Cynder clawed at his forepaws.

"DAMN YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!" Runileon roared; his voice was so loud that it caused every plank in the airship to writhe. He proceeded to snarl and claw at the two heroes as they unleashed everything they had to rip him away.

Meanwhile, up on the deck, Albanion had endured quite enough. His anger was at a boiling point, and he forcibly grabbed Lantel to pull him up to the wheel.

"Whoa, hey!" the prince protested. "What are you-?"

"Steer the vessel!" Albanion commanded as he all but threw Lantel against it. "NOW!"

"But, I…" Lantel stuttered in bewilderment. "I mean… what are you…?"

Albanion charged forward and willed his wings to burst through his cloak. He sprang up into the air and took a determined stance.

"It's time for a Deep Shadow to enter the fight!"

Albanion flew down as fast as his body would carry him. He dropped down a considerable distance toward the ground, before turning about and propelling himself up toward Runileon.

In the span of a few seconds, Albanion prepared as much of his magical energy as he could; he aimed to deliver one quick, decisive blow; something destructive, concentrated into one deadly spot.

The great white drake was still engaged in a furious match with Spyro and Cynder. Convexity countered convexity; Blasts and beams and lightning bolts sprang into existence in a furious display…

So how was Runileon to suspect a quick bite to the end of his meaty tail?

The great white drake roared in pain as Albanion's fangs sank deep into his flesh. All of the drake's magic erupted free at once; a subtle but vengeful FURY erupted from his fangs. Runileon's flesh was rapidly filled with a torrent of the worst thing that that Albanion could conjure: venom.

Runileon screamed as his attention was drawn to a burst of searing pain within his body. Albanion ended his bite and flew away just before Runileon could even swing his tail on instinct. Albanion flew away and looked back to marvel as his dark element did its work.

Runileon snarled and hissed as a horrible burning sensation flooded through his blood. It started in his tail, then spread out to his hind limbs, then up along his back. Soon his forelimbs were afflicted, and he lost control to grip the vessel. Runileon plummeted to the ground once again, writhing in agony as the venom worked its way toward his heart.

And all the while, Spyro and Cynder were stunned at the display. Albanion floated up to them, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"That… was for the queen." Albanion declared.

SLAM

Runileon crashed violently into the ground. The great white drake lay splayed out. He was still in one piece… but he continued to writhe and roar in pain. All that Runileon could manage to do was lift his head up at the distant dragons; his eyes glazed over, and he wheezed.

"Come…" Albanion said to Spyro and Cynder. "Let's get on board. Quickly!"

Spyro and Cynder nodded; they commended the Deep Shadow for his efficiency, even if they didn't quite agree with his… method. The three dragons flew up into the air and swerved around, triumphant and confident that the threat was finally dealt with. Lantel looked on in amazement from his place at the helm; he always had a feeling was the leader of the Deep Shadows for a reason.

Spyro came to a landing, followed by Cynder, and Albanion was the last one to hover down…

Only for something to IMPALE THROUGH HIS CHEST.

Lantel, Spyro and Cynder all gasped in horror. Albanion's pupils shrank, and he gazed down as blood pooled at the corners of his jaws. The object that impaled Albanion was a horn of monstrous size; one of Runileon's.

Spyro wasted no time catching Albanion before he collapsed. The hero reached within himself for every vestige of healing magic he could access. Cynder plucked the horn free from the poison drake's chest, while Spyro's magic prevented too much blood from flowing free.

Lantel just stood in complete shock as this happened; his hands fell from the wheel, and the airship drifted in place. And while all of this happened… the wounds of big, fat wings propelled something into the air. He looked up all too late to see the wounded, but quite furious, Runileon.

Blood pooled down Runileon's face from where a horn was ripped free. The white dragon concentrated hard with a snarl… and a new horn steadily grew in its place.

"You… are not the only ones…" Runileon spoke with gnashed fangs; a bit of venom spilled from his jaws. "With HEALING POWER."

Albanion's limbs trembled as he gripped a banister. He wearily pulled himself up onto his paws, though he trembled quite a bit. His eyes twitched, and he breathed heavily as he stood in place.

Spyro and Cynder snarled; they lifted themselves into the air to engage in another battle. Though much of their magical energy was spent from the previous battle, Runileon wasn't in top form either. He moved more slowly from last time, and he kept his fangs clasped shut as more venom spilled forth.

"I will kill you…" Runileon's nostrils flared as he swung his talons at the two heroes. They flew all about his body and slashed at him, but he just kept going. "I will DESTROY you."

Lantel glanced between Runileon, the two heroes… and Albanion. He wasn't sure what he could do; he felt so… so worthless. He put a forepaw on the helm and tried to keep the vessel steady as his mind raced. What good was he at steering? He didn't know how to work this ancient airship. It wasn't like there was much good, either; they were preparing a teleportation spell down below. But if they didn't leave right now, that just left more time for this monstrosity to unleash havoc. Albanion's efforts had failed, and he was struggling to stay alive. Spyro and Cynder were giving it all that they had, but they too were failing.

Lantel looked away from the spectacle and down at his sword; the Umbral Blade. He thought about Rune and the oath he'd sworn to rescue Helianne and return her to safety. But now not only was his sister gone, but Rune was missing, too. And now, Lantel was stuck at the mercy of a dragon who wasn't even involved, and yet was still threatening to kill him and everyone else…

Lantel scowled. He couldn't let it end like this. Not in failure, and definitely not as a coward. The prince's limbs ached, and he quickly drew his sword from his scabbard. Lantel let go of the helm once again as he made his way to march down the stairs for the deck. And in the process, he channeled all of the magic that he had; he poured it all into his maw as he kept his blade at the ready.

Albanion was coughing up blood as he saw the prince approach. He looked at Lantel with a horrified expression but said nothing. Spyro and Cynder were still in the air, doing their best to keep Runileon from attacking the airship. But the great white drake was getting closer and closer, and his talons were starting to tear chunks out of the heroes' backs. Lantel picked up the pace and spread his wings. He leaped forward into the air and spun his sword so that the blade faced forward.

Runileon was distracted; he'd smacked Spyro and Cynder out of the air and sent them sprawling through the sky. The great white drake had just a split-second to register what was happening…

SCHLINK

Runileon grunted. He looked down quizzically at what attacked him. Down in the center of Runileon's wide chest, Lantel's blade had just barely pricked its way between the scales. Runileon growled in frustration, but Lantel ignored him; he sank the sword as deep as his strength as he could go.

Lantel moved as fast as his body would let him; He pulled the sword completely out of Runileon's flesh and brought his muzzle up close and personal to the wound. Runileon snarled and reached down to crush the prince in his meaty forepaws…

But Lantel attacked first; he roared as loudly as he could, pouring all of his magic into a single, bursting attack of golden flames.

Runileon's paws stopped, and his eyes constricted. The beast twitched and writhed in mid-air as his head tilted backward. And then… Runileon's jaws burst out wide, and a blast of venom and golden flames erupted forth.

Runileon's screams echoed all throughout the region, while a wretched explosion of venom and solar magic exploded out of the drake's body.

Lantel gripped his sword tightly in his paws as he kicked off of the great white beast. He flew through the air and came to a hard landing on the deck of the airship and hit his head. Lantel's vision was hazy; the last thing he could perceive were the sounds of Spyro and Cynder rushing over to him…

~~…~~

"Come on, COME ON!" Wraith screamed as he slammed into the Conduit. "Teleport us away! Teleport! TELEPORT!"

While Wraith continued to assault and berate the machine, Urobos's ear frills were struck by a horrible scream. He looked out the porthole… and beheld something massive plummeting by the airship at great speed. A torrent of golden smoke was left in its wake… followed by a horrible crash; one of several in so little time.

"Come on! Get us out of here!" Wraith screamed. "You've got so much energy in there! You've got to get us away! Please! Anywhere else would be better! Anywhere! ANYWHERE!"

Wraith struck the Conduit once last time… and all of its segments came to an abrupt stop. He flinched in horror, thinking he'd broken into it. But then, to his amazement, all three of the segments began to spin in the opposite direction. They started off slow and then built up in speed. The symbols on the exterior began to glow purple, and then white… and then, to his confusion… blue. And seemingly out of nowhere… a voice spoke aloud.

"Does someone need assistance?" An old voice asked.

"HUH?" Wraith sat up and looked around. "Who's there?"

While the crimson drake was trying to make sense of things Urobos perked up; it was decidedly familiar. He placed a forepaw before the Conduit and spoke aloud.

"Yes, help us," Urobos said calmly. "Please… take us somewhere safe."

"Is that you, Urobos?" The voice asked.

"Yes, it is." The elderly drake declared. "Please, can you teleport us to where you are?"

"What in the flying…?" Wraith balked. "What is going on?! Who are we talking to?!"

"Well, it seems like you have all the energy you need for me to help." The voice declared. "Just a moment; I was anticipating this night for years…"

The blue light spread throughout the entire Conduit, and then out into the pipes. The magic flowed faster than anything Wraith had ever seen in his life. He looked around in amazement, while Urobos sat down on his haunches and prayed for a safe departure.

Up on the deck, all of the floorboards became enveloped in a great blue light. Spyro, Cynder, and even Albanion were in awe of the spectacle. They felt… calm. As if they were in excellent paws now.

Soon, the entire vessel was surrounded. And in a moment… it was whisked off far away…

~~…~~

Lantel's head ached as he slowly woke up. For several hours, his mind was assailed with a snarl of memories. So much had happened in such a little time… and had gone so very wrong. There was shouting, screaming, magic exploding… and his sister Helianne being just out of reach. Lantel imagined her screaming as she plummeted down into the abyss.. it was just too much for him to bear.

"SIS!" Lantel screamed as he sat up. He nearly smacked his head on something but stopped himself with a gasp. It looked like some kind of wooden beam protruding at an angle.

"Are you alright, Sunshine?"

Lantel blinked in confusion; he rubbed his eyes and shifted around to make sense of where he was. The moment he spotted Cynder nearby, he gasped and awkwardly stood up.

"Uh… I'm f-fine, Lady Cynder." The prince sheepishly bowed to her.

"Oh, there's no need for that." She shook her head. "Just call me Cynder."

"Well, alright…" The prince stood up to get his bearings.

Lantel wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real. He was in a massive circular library, with scores of bookshelves lined up against the walls extended high up toward the ceiling. A massive, hourglass-shaped device loomed in the center of the room, surrounded by a ring of shimmering water.

"Wh-What is this place?" Lantel asked as he gazed up at the hourglass. "How did we get here? Where's the airship?"

"We're in a place called the White Isle," Cynder said as she stood up and stretched her back. "As for how we got here… we're still figuring that out."

"We?" Lantel repeated, turning around with a slight bit of relief. "So, did the others make it out alright? Where are they?"

"They're in the next room." Cynder scrunched up her face as she glanced at the doorway near the back of the chamber. "They're with Albanion."

Lantel had an uneasy feeling as he looked over the dragoness's expression. He wondered what had happened to Albanion… but then his thoughts returned to his sister, and his expression turned sour.

"Where's Helianne?" Lantel demanded. "Where's my Sister? And what happened to Rune?"

"I… I don't know." Cynder frowned at him. "Spyro was the last one to see them, and he's… a bit shaken up about it."

Lantel's soul filled with dread; he needed to get the answers or he'd go absolutely insane. He did his best to find his resolve, before finally making his way toward the doorway.

As the golden prince pushed the door open, he heard several voices talking quietly amongst each other. He recognized two of them right away: Lord Urobos and Lord Spyro. They were seated on their haunches across from one another, speaking to a third voice Lantel didn't recognize. But this stranger carried quite a surreal presence; his body seemed to radiate with silvery blue moonlight.

Lantel wanted to get closer to this stranger to try and understand who they were… until he spotted the dragon that the three others were gathered around. Albanion, the leader of the Deep Shadows, lay belly-up upon a cot.

The poison dragon was wheezing as he coughed up blood from his maw. Urobos had a frantic expression as he ran a forepaw over Albanion's body; he showered Albanion with a multitude of healing spells and magic across every element that he knew. Spyro tried to help Urobos along, but the purple hero had a dour expression.

"Urobos," Said the mystery dragon, "I'm afraid that his wounds go deeper than the flesh."

"Nonsense!" Urobos yelled. "There's still time!"

As the black dragon tried more healing magic, Albanion weakly reached up and caught his wrist.

"My Lord…" Albanion said between coughs. "It's best to just let it go."

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Urobos grew louder and he stamped the floor. The drake wrestled his wrist from Albanion as he continued channeling more healing magic. "I won't have you dying at such a young age!"

"Young age?" Albanion gave a weak chuckle. "My Lord, look at me. I wasted so many years waiting…" He coughed again. "I should have started a family with Elza much sooner. And now…"

"You'll be fine!" Urobos screamed. "Don't give up on life! You mustn't!"

Albanion looked down at his chest, where the large wound was covered up in bandages… which still bled through. He took a few raspy breaths and fell back.

"Please… just give it a rest." Albanion shook his head and sighed. "I failed to protect my queen… AGAIN." A few tears fell from his eyes. "I failed to stop my sworn brother, my king, from becoming corrupted. And now… this is my punishment for failure."

The teal dragon put a forepaw on Albanion's shoulder. "Fear not. Your actions enabled your sworn charges to escape with their lives. You've lived a noble life, Albanion; I've read it in your tome."

"Say what you will, Chronicler…" Albanion lifted his head up to look at Lantel. The golden prince had held his tongue up until now and just stood awkwardly as all eyes fell upon him.

"I…" Lantel stammered. "I can come back later…"

"Wait." Albanion held up his paw. "Prince Lantel, do you still have the Umbral Blade?"

"Huh?" The prince blinked. Before he could even turn to look for his scabbard, Cynder appeared from just behind him. She presented the sword to Lantel, hilt at the ready.

"I kept it under close watch while you were asleep, Sunshine," Cynder said to him.

"Err, thanks…" Lantel turned and took the hilt in his jaws. He then turned toward Albanion, unsure of what he was supposed to do next. The poison drake kept his eyes on Lantel, while Urobos, Spyro, and The Chronicler beheld the blade with satisfaction.

"Keep that sword in your possession as long as you can, Prince Lantel," Albanion said. "That sword is your oath… and your guiding light."

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

"You'll know it soon enough…" Albanion fell back onto his cot. "It would have been nice… to teach you myself."

Lantel looked down uneasily at Albanion and thought back at how much the poison drake had devoted himself to looking after Rune, Cyrus, and all of the apprentices. So many of Lantel's peers looked up to the Salve-master… and all Lantel ever did was scowl at him. He should have known that this noble drake wanted the chance to teach him right.

"You…" Lantel lowered his head down. "You would have been a great mentor."

Albanion smiled a bit but then coughed some more.

"I've got one last bit of unfinished business to go over…" Albanion weakly turned his head to the side. "Wraith?"

At once, Wraith appeared in a puff of smoke. The crimson drake had a hard time looking at Albanion through his teary eyes.

"I… I'm here." Wraith said as he stepped up. "Sorry, I was just making sure that the airship was intact. I…" He took a deep breath. "I wasn't sure if I should even…" He turned to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. "Damnit."

"Wraith…" Albanion held his forepaw out. The crimson drake cautiously took his leader's paw in his own. Albanion held him firmly and looked Wraith square in the eyes. "The Deep Shadows must have a leader."

"I know." Wraith nodded. "When… When I get back to Warfang, I'll arrange to have everyone vote on the next one."

Albanion simply snorted and turned to address Urobos again. "My Lord, will you bear witness?"

"I shall." Urobos patted Albanion on the shoulder.

"Wait…" Wraith looked at Albanion in confusion. "Bear witness to what?"

"Wraith, as my final act as the Leader of Warfang's Deep Shadows…" He looked Wraith in the eyes. "I hereby pass the title onto you."

Wraith's eyes lit up in shock and bewilderment. He nearly let go of Albanion's paw as he glanced around at the other dragons; he wondered if this was all some sort of sick joke. But there were no jokes or japes to be found: the room was silent and still as Wraith tried to come to terms with what just happened.

"You… You can't be serious." Wraith glared down at Albanion.

"I am," Albanion said simply, before coughing. "Wraith, from this day on, YOU will lead the Deep shadows."

"D-Damnit, Al…" Wraith gnashed his fangs and cried a little. "I'm no good as a leader. I barely qualify as a Deep Shadow." His eye twitched as he clutched Albanion's forepaw with both of his. "The others never took me seriously. The soldiers scoff at my orders. The apprentices see me as a glorified babysitter…" He bent his head low and cried. "I'm nothing like you, and I never will be."

"Funny: You sound just like I did when I was given the mantle." Albanion smiled a little. "You're already on the road to greatness… Shademaster."

Wraith perked his head up in surprise. He then cried again as he smirked down at Albanion as he let go of his paw "You were always the king of cheesy titles and nicknames."

"Indeed…" Albanion chuckled, before coughing up a bit more blood. "Just do me one favor. When you see Elza next…" His eyes welled once more. "Tell her that I love her. Her, and all of our children."

"Of course I will." Wraith sniffled as he nodded.

Urobos, Spyro, and Cynder all cried as they looked down at Albanion. The poison drake put his head down and slowly shut his eyes. Even Lantel couldn't help but nod with respect. Albanion had only a few more raspy breaths… before…

A dusty old book flew up to the Chronicler from out of nowhere. He looked up with a dejected sigh as the book opened up to a blank page. After a moment, the page magically filled with various runes and glyphs, describing the final moments of the life of Albanion. The teal drake looked quite somber as he read over the information on the page, before he closed it and sent it back to its shelf.

"There's much to be done." He said as he looked at Urobos and Wraith. "I'll help you prepare his body for the voyage to Warfang."

Urobos and Wraith were as silent as they'd ever been as they stood up to get to work. Lantel put his sword in his scabbard and made his way out of the room. But on his way, he glanced back at the teal dragon, and his mind wondered about what authority he carried…

~~…~~

It was an hour later.

Everyone was gathered on a beach that sat at the foot of the fortress on the White Isle. The airship was parked up on the grey sands, and everyone got to work preparing to take off.

Lantel was left on his own at the moment, seated on his haunches and taking in the bizarre scenery. The ocean seemed to radiate with a bright, vibrant shade of blue that he'd never seen on any other beach before. And the skies… it was like a perpetual night sky, but with no stars; only an aurora borealis of bizarre size and magnitude. Massive formations of rock and ice burst from various parts of the ocean in the distance; the lights of the sky seemed to twist and bend around them.

Lantel gazed out at the ocean and tried to come to terms with what had happened. Everyone's mission… was a failure. They didn't rescue his sister. They didn't prevent the world from falling into danger… they couldn't even bring everyone back alive. Rune and Helianne were missing…. Albanion had sacrificed himself to stop Runileon… and Queen Elenar was murdered… by her daughter, no less.

How had things gotten so out of grasp? How could things just spiral into complete disaster and tragedy all in under a day? Lantel felt an ache in his chest as he struggled to keep calm. He had to be strong; he had to be a valiant knight and prepare all over again to search for Rune and Helianne. He… He couldn't break down… he couldn't fall to his lowest point… no matter how badly he missed his sister…

The sounds of crying drew Lantel's attention. He stood up and glanced across the way, and was surprised to find that Lord Urobos was also seated upon the beach. The elderly black drake gazed up at the dark sky miserably as tears stained his muzzle.

Lantel couldn't help but be intrigued; he stood up and cautiously made his way over to the old drake.

"Are…" Lantel stepped up close. "Are you alright?"

Urobos bent his head low. "Of course, I'm not alright." He dug his talons into the sand. "I've lost so many dragons I care about… AGAIN."

"S-Sorry." Lantel backed up a bit.

"Urobos?"

Lantel heard Cynder's voice from behind; he glanced up to see the dragoness gliding down from the airship to land beside him. She briefly appraised Lantel before focusing on the old black drake. Lantel could only grimace before he backed up to give the two of them some privacy.

"Do you need a shoulder to cry on, Sunshine?" She asked as she sat down beside him.

"Why does this keep happening, Cynder?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why do I keep outliving the ones I love?" Urobos glanced over at her with red eyes. "Alexander and Catherine. My wife Arachne. My brothers Valchen and Eos…" He sucked in a breath and struggled to keep still. "Baneth and Elenar. So many of my Deep Shadows… All of them die, I somehow stay alive."

"Urobos…" Cynder draped a wing over his back.

"I don't deserve to be here." Urobos continued. "I failed to stop the Twilight War. I failed my people when they went into hiding. And I couldn't do anything to protect the children of the city…" Urobos nearly broke down again. "I should have been the one to die to Runileon."

"Stop talking like that." Cynder snapped. "Runileon was… IS a monster. Albanion didn't deserve this death; nobody would. You mustn't blame yourself for anything he did, or what ANY of those…" Cynder looked away and scowled. "What those BEASTS are planning to do to the realms." She looked back and snorted. "It's not your fault."

"But what am I to do, Cynder?" Urobos frowned at her. "What could a useless old drake like me possibly do."

"You'll have to be STRONG, Urobos."

Lantel gasped, while Urobos and Cynder flinched. They all looked up to see the teal dragon descending from the airship to greet them. Spyro was shortly behind him, having finished helping Wraith preserve Albanion's body.

"The people of Warfang are counting on you, Urobos," Ignitus said. "As the eldest living member of the royal line, you must take up the mantle of High King once again."

For only a moment, Urobos pondered challenging this. But Rune was missing, and Cyrus had to live a life of atonement far to the south. There was no one else who could bear the ivory crown.

Urobos still felt miserable; he still felt like he'd plummeted to his lowest point. But he had to put it aside; he had to take a deep breath and put on the aura of command and wisdom he'd once had long ago.

"Very well…" Urobos stood up tall and tried to be bold. "I'll… I'll return to Warfang. The people are still recovering from Bergan's previous machinations. Things are only going to get worse, with all of these wicked dragons wreaking havoc on the realms."

"You're not alone," Ignitus replied. "With a threat to the realms as grand as this, I'll gladly lend you my aid."

"And you'll have mine as well," Spyro added.

"And don't forget about me." Cynder declared. "I'll do my part to try and find Rune, Helianne, and even Hope." She stamped her paw. "And then… maybe we can do something about those purple dragons running amok."

"Right…" Spyro said with a slight twitch of his eye. "So… where shall we begin?"

"We need to make contact with Warfang and Glenhaven," Urobos said. "We need all the realms' Guardians and Deep Shadows to be aware of the threat. They need to know EVERYTHING."

"Right." Spyro and Cynder nodded.

"Warfang's abducted children will have to remain in Glenhaven… for now," Urobos added. "We need to ensure that the seas are safe for travel before sending them north. And in the meantime, warnings need to be sent to every corner of the realms. Every kingdom and township needs to be on the highest alert possible about the threat spreading from the Well of Souls."

"I can arrange to reach out to various clergydrakes via dreamscapes," Ignitus said. "Perhaps some errant visions of the danger to come will stir them to speed along our efforts."

"It's worth a shot." Cynder mused.

"That just leads to one last thing…" Urobos took a cautious breath before addressing Ignitus. "Chronicler, do you think you can find the lost teenagers?"

"I'll do the best that I can," Ignitus said.

And so the adult dragons began working on their plans to combat the great threat, leaving Lantel to awkwardly stand around on the beach. He turned back toward the dark skies and surreal sea, and was left much as he was before; stranded and confused. Everything was happening all around him once again, with no say or input from him. Lantel could only wait to follow someone's orders, same as always. Maybe he'd be able to search for his sister… or maybe he'd be told to go back to Warfang and wait like a good student. Wait… and worry about her and Rune all night and day.

Lantel felt so frustrated; the only thing he could think to do of his own accord was to draw the Umbral Blade in his jaws and twirl it around. He swung it from left to right, and then right to left, all in the hopes of distracting himself to pass the time while the adults made the plans.

I can't just sit here waiting on orders. Lantel thought miserably. He sighed as he looked over the Umbral Blade's dark metal. I miss the Sol Blade. Helianne used to love it when-

SHING!

A glint of light reflected off the central ridge of the Umbral Blade. It was only there for a moment, and it returned once again as he swung the sword once more. Curious, Lantel slowed down and deliberately pointed the sword out toward the ocean. Sure enough, a curious light emerged from the blade. Lantel stood up and held the hilt firmly as he kept the sword pointed out at sea; he strafed to the left and right and followed the light's path. It wasn't just the tip of the sword glowing; the light was flying out to sea, in a very specific direction. After a moment the light faded, and Lantel wondered if he was seeing things… then he recollected his thoughts.

Helianne used to love looking at the Sol blade, he thought. The Sol Blade…

The light returned to the beam on the Umbral Blade, and it once again guided him out to sea. More specifically, it was just a few degrees north of what he guessed was due east.

Lantel once again focused his thoughts. He thought of Helianne and the Sol blade. He thought of how he traded swords with Rune. Rune went to rescue Helianne, WITH the Sol Blade. And they all were together when they fell, according to what Spyro said.

Rune, Helianne, and the Sol blade… Lantel took a deep breath. I want to find them all.

The beam erupted from the Umbral Blade and flew across the ocean in the same direction. Lantel wasn't sure what he was seeing; he'd never known of this magic before. Was there a connection between the two blades? Was that part of the bond between the two royal bloodlines? Lantel didn't know… but he wanted to hope that this would guide him in the right direction. And as he looked out at the section of ocean that the light flew in, he spotted a few small islands.

Lantel put the Umbral Blade back in its scabbard. He double-checked to make sure that all of his pieces of armor were in their proper place. And lastly, he made sure that none of the adults had their eyes on him.

Lantel took a deep breath, spread his wings wide, and took off into the sky. He beat his wings hard and flew as fast as he could carry himself despite his armor. He made a beeline for the nearest island, and made a mental note to prepare to recreate the light should he need it again.

Perhaps this wasn't the best plan. Maybe this was the guiding light that Albanion had mentioned… or maybe not. Maybe he was flying off toward his doom, leaving behind the chance to return safely to Warfang. But Lantel had made a promise; he was going to bring Rune and Helianne back to safety. However long it took, and whatever danger Lantel found himself in, he'd push through.

Rune, Helianne… Lantel took a deep breath as he flew through the sky. I'll find you. I swear it.

~~…~~

Greetings, friends and loved ones.

I hope you're having a wonderful Christmastime. Most of the bulk of the story is finished. There's just one more chapter left, which is coming they day after Christmas (assuming all goes well).

Tenebra ecce Veritas