Author's Note:
Damn it! I missed my self-imposed deadline on December 31st! What a shame! Oh well…
The wait's worth it though! :D I'm sure y'all are excited to read the next chapter, so I won't tarry you folks any longer.
Messages from my two beta readers below:
AzureDragonZX. Hello, AzureDragonZX here once again. Continuing off of everything that happened in the last chapter, I can honestly stand by what I said back then. This is going to be a very gripping and impactful chapter... You might want to brace yourselves. Also, before I leave... Happy 2022, everyone!
Strykeruk. Strykeruk here, boy oh boy are you in for a ride with this one. It'll live up to your expectations and then some. Once again, all credit to the Maestro himself and I can't wait to see what he sends us all next. What a start to a happy new year!
Glad the both of you are enjoying this chapter. XD I sure hope the readers will like it just as much as you guys did.
Timestamp key: "D" for days, "W" for weeks, "M" for months, "Y" for years, "EM" for early morning, "LM" for late morning, "EA" for early afternoon, "LA" for late afternoon, "EE" for early evening, "LN" for late night, and "AD" for all day. Note that the Dragon Realms follow the sexagesimal system for keeping time, just like Earth. (In other words, 60 seconds per minute and 60 minutes per hour.)
Snip category key: There are four categories of snips. "Settling In", "City Life", "Beyond the Wall", and "The Journey Home". All four represent parallel storylines that take place within Aimless, and other than "Settling In", each snip category has at least two subtypes. Those subtypes aren't listed due to potential spoilers.
Enjoy!
The Journey Home — For Science!
Chapter 55: It's Necessary
"Science, my lad, is made up of mistakes..."
~ Jules Verne
[52D/LN]
Joshua had remained quiet throughout the entire trip. He was fully cooperative, for which Cynder was immensely relieved. She led him and Coulombrin through the utilidors and quickly descended to the first floor of the Residential Area. From there, they walked out the corridor that connected to the viewdeck overlooking the front yard and the Botanic Gardens.
Joshua had blanched when Cynder suggested they take flight to maintain discretion, as he'd never flown on dragonback before. Her growing irritation compelled him eventually. After she warned him to stay quiet or else be struck unconscious during take-off, Coulombrin took the human in his forelegs and leaped off the deck after Cynder.
Joshua embraced the Talonpoint Knight for dear life. Electing to screech into the dragon's breastplate, he muffed his voice into the cool metal. He whimpered in fear every time Coulombrin dipped before flapping his wings, failing to quickly acclimate to the push-and-pull sensation of gravity on his insides.
Cynder's emerald eyes were transfixed on Alona Hall the entire flight. Her heart was pounding. The moment of truth was imminent. It was all she could think of. When they arrived at the VTOL platform extending out of the cavern, Cynder rolled in the air and spread her wings wide, channeling Wind mana into the surrounding space and momentarily calming the unstable currents that surrounded the spire.
As they landed on the extruding pier and walked down the ramp into Alona Hall, Cynder made a mental note that it was a good choice, setting the test here. Alona Hall was one of the most excluded lecture halls in the Warfang Temple, located inside its tallest tower. It took considerable skill to not only land on the VTOL dock, but also avoid being blown off the edge by the howling gales. She had maximum discretion here.
Joshua muttered as he stumbled inside, still perturbed by the turbulent flight. "Can't believe I'm here again…"
The Savior panned the hall when they arrived at the top of the seats. All ten Talonpoint Knights she requested were waiting patiently by the elevated seats. Volteer was nowhere to be seen, to her disappointment. She reasoned with herself that he was likely still downstairs at the Office of the Keeper, coordinating with Over Steward Hoffbar and conjuring a storm in their administrative processes.
Cynder quickly recovered. The test she had in mind was simple—easy to execute from start to finish. She had plenty of bodies to assist her. Mother of Knowledge, surely Volteer would appreciate it greatly if she already had results by the time he flew up here?
Cynder pointed to the center of Alona Hall's arena and gave several commands at once: an earth dragon to raise a seat with a tall backrest, Coulombrin to escort Joshua to it and ensure he took his seat, and two bipeds to wrap him in rope.
Although Joshua complied obediently, he couldn't hide the apprehension and worry from showing on his face. "Cyn," he eventually asked, "is all of this really necessary?"
"Yes, it is. This is for everyone's safety." She locked eyes with him. "And I mean everyone."
"What do you mean‽" He questioned. He demanded, "Cyn! What kind of f*cking test is this‽"
Cynder glanced at his restraints. The knights were nearly finished. She raised a forepaw as she responded, "I'll let you know once they're finished."
"Cyn!" Joshua yelled. His anger was warranted; she had rudely woken him up in the middle of the night after he'd spent the entire weekend flying circles around Cyril and whatever he planned tomorrow, with no feedback from his two tailwinds whatsoever. She could only imagine the number of times he or Kilat asked their guards to follow up, only to be rebuffed by the layers of bureaucracy hovering between them.
And now, he was being tied up as if being prepared for execution!
Cynder forced herself to look away from the human's face. Guilt clawed at her. Why did Joshua believe in her so much? She had returned to him and Kilat without any answers. She struck his sister down with her own claws. Yet he still talked down the child prodigy and voluntarily left with the Savior. Where was this faith coming from? How could he continue to place his neck between her jaws? Would he… still fly by her side, if her worst fears were realized tonight?
A loud cough snapped her out of it. Eleven Talonpoint Knights assembled before her. An atlawa hammered the base of his lance on the stone floor, gesturing at the restrained human. "It is done, Your Grace."
Coulombrin stepped forward, angling himself close to Joshua as though displaying his alignment to everyone else in Alona Hall. "Lady Cynder, will you please tell us what's poking your scales? Why are we here? Why are we keeping this operation beneath the clouds? Our participation is already a borderline violation of Talonpoint Code."
"I… I have a confession to make." Cynder shut her eyes. The time has come to fly through this stormcloud. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. The knights patiently waited for her to speak. None of them made their anxiety apparent. It was only Joshua who was fidgeting, squirming in his seat. "This entire time—the Guardians, the Council, Spyro, myself—all of us might have been treating Joshua unfairly. Subjecting him to a punishment he never should've gotten. Because…"
She choked. "B-Because the Incident actually might have been my fault!"
Murmuring erupted from the group. Every single one of them intoned in surprise and disbelief. At least two of the knights standing before her had even been at the eastern gates during the Incident, bearing witness to the tragedy as it unfolded. All the deaths had been attributed to Joshua Renalia, with all evidence and testimonies pointing squarely at him. Deaths that had occurred as a result of a scheme to murder one of the greatest war heroes of the Allied Territories.
Even Joshua couldn't believe it. "That's why we're here‽ That's the reason I'm tied up like a f**king pig‽ Cyn! How the hell can you think this is your fault now‽"
"I agree with Joshua, Your Grace." Coulombrin bowed his head once, yet remained by Joshua's side. The electric dragon stood tall, adopting a formal posture and using his full height to glare down at Cynder. "Several investigations have been done before. Although we have grudges towards Joshua, we have accepted that the Incident is a matter of shared responsibility. At the time, he did not know how his power works and the people of Warfang did not know their hostility was provoking it."
"Exactly what this dude just said!" Joshua exclaimed. "Listen to Sir Coulombrin. That whole shitstorm wasn't anyone's fault! We don't need to go through this shit again.
"Cyn, just… just get me out of these binds! Let's go back downstairs together. You can apologize to my sister, and we can try coming up with a last-minute plan for tomorrow."
A mole knight raised his voice. "The furless ape makes a good point, Your Grace. You need to relax! We can see you are agitated. Your tail has been trembling the entire time we've been working here. Whatever you are thinking, it probably holds no bearing."
"Mother of Knowledge, this is a waste of time!" An earth dragon snorted. "Your Grace, we know you and Master Volteer flew some aerobatics around our Keepmaster to proceed with this unsanctioned project. But it's clear to me –
Cynder reared back and stomped on the floor. A thunderous echo rippled throughout the hall. "Silence!" She ambled across the gap between her, the human, and the knights. Her glowering emerald eyes veered towards each member of her audience. "None of you know what you're talking about!" She whipped at Joshua and snarled at him. "And you! Joshua, as touched as I am that you still gave me your neck, I at least expected you to understand where I was flying from. Apparently, I overestimated your capacity to think."
"Hey!"
She ignored him. The Savior raised her neck and glared at everyone in Alona Hall. Cynder held her snout straight. She would give nobody the satisfaction of having her look up at them. "Here's why we're here! Just this past Mazarach, we learned that Joshua's Element operates on three rules. He calls them the 'Three Ds': Discernment, Deliberation, and Determination."
Cynder enunciated the Three Ds slowly, letting it steep into their minds, making sure they all understood. She quickly flew through a condensed version of what Joshua had said in Proudtail Hall: that he could easily and automatically sense life and mana to instantly discern his surroundings, that he must deliberate and specify the actions of the Unknown Element, and that he would merely needed to wish it so to manifest it into the world.
"It is similar to magecraft. He must strongly desire the outcome he deliberated—demonstrate the will to shape reality. The more unrealistic the wish, the more it will strain him. Unlike the other elements, if Joshua loses consciousness or gets distracted at any point, his element will vanish harmlessly as if it had never been there. And unlike spellcasters, he will not experience any backlash." Cynder's voice did not break or stutter.
Joshua grunted. "Aghhh, Cynder, we know all this already! Just because I 'imagine' the outcome doesn't mean it'll happen even if I put my entire will into it. Take Kilat, for example—you remember what I said about how we met, right? I've kinda figured out why she recovered back at Dry Canyon. It wasn't just that I wanted her to live; she also wished for it even harder than I did!"
Cynder took note of this. Volteer had shown interest in his element's healing ability. Neither of them had realized that it required anything from the receiver.
"It's the same thing with stuff like wishing someone dead or, o-or wishing to transform one element to another!" Joshua continued speaking. "There's this remnant, uh—I don't know—'will' inside that naturally opposes me. Element Conversion was difficult enough. But instant death? Reaping life like I'm picking flowers? Yeah—no! That's f**king impossible for me, dude!
"Point is, we don't have to worry about the Incident happening again. We already know how my shit works so all we need to do now is formulate a plan around that and—
Cynder's snort cut him off. "Impossible, you say?" She grunted. She placed herself in front of him. Towering over his restrained body. She lowered her head to look him straight in the eyes and huffed directly on his face. "Joshua. What if your life was in danger? No. What if… What if you believed your life was in danger? What if all your thoughts were totally and absolutely concentrated on a single thing—to stay alive for as long as possible, no matter what it took, even if you had to destroy everything else in the process? Have you ever considered that?"
Joshua Renalia stayed quiet. Cynder surveyed the human, closely observing his features. The way his eyes shifted, the twitching of his lips, everything. Even the way he breathed. They were all but face-to-snout. Cynder could feel her own meaty breath bouncing back to her nose. "Well?"
Then, he gasped.
A sharp breath.
His irises shrunk.
Signs of an epiphany.
The words that streamed out of his mouth afterward corroborated Cynder's thoughts. "Holy shit. That's… T-That's what you're going to test?" He shook his head violently. "Oh my God. Cyn, no! Don't. Jesus-Mary-Joseph, don't go through with it. Please…"
"I have to." Cynder's gaze had softened. A crack had appeared in her confident front, divulging the terrified, anxious dragoness hiding within. When she realized this, the war hero grunted and straightened her posture to glower down at the human. "I need to know the truth."
"N-no! No! Think about it! If you try anything like that, everyone, e-everyone here might die. Everyone in the Temple might die." Joshua hitched. His voice quaked.
Coulombrin, who was close enough to hear him whisper, recoiled from shock. "What‽ Your Grace, we must abort!"
"NO!" Cynder shouted. "We're not giving up. I'M not giving up! This is the first real lead we've gotten to finding out who—what caused the Incident! Once everything's revealed, even Spyro won't—
"Lady Cynder!" Coulombrin yelled. "We just can't rush through this! We need to set up proper precautions. Formulate safety measures. If this test is that dangerous, we can't just proceed haphazardly!"
Cynder snapped her wings, hurtling wind across Alona Hall and quelling the dragon knight's voice. "We have no more time! If we do nothing tonight, the Incident might just repeat tomorrow while Cyril's tossing Joshua through a crevice! If that storm hits us, it won't end with his execution! You know Skylands is watching. You know Kaos has his eyes on Joshua. And you know what he did the last time he was here!"
The Talonpoint Knights twiddled. The Savior saw several members of the group shoot glances at each other. All were clearly aware of the wind whispers in the airstreams. Despite the formal records held in the Office of the Keeper under seal, they probably knew exactly what had transpired the last time that Portal Master showed his snout in Warfang.
Cynder watched as their gazes slowly shifted from resistance to acquiescence. Even Coulombrin went quiet. She knew she had made her case.
Only one knight remained defiant. The sole earth dragon in the group. "Your Grace, with all due respect, what if you're the one who repeats the Incident tonight? This test is unsanctioned; nobody here knows what measures you have in mind!" He snapped his wing towards Joshua. "The furless ape appears to have figured you out, yet I see zero confidence whatsoever."
"Only because I held him beneath the clouds," replied Cynder. "Contrary to the safety concerns that were raised, everything we've done so far is part of the preparations! Joshua is completely restrained and I will make sure nobody will attack him with the intent to inflict a fatal injury! The golems in the arena are all immune to his element. And moreover, Alona Hall is practically isolated from the rest of the Temple, so any killing intent Joshua might sense will only come from this place!"
Coulombrin grunted. It had a tone of assent; Cynder felt some relief as the invisible tension in the air dissipated slightly. "I admit your logic is sound and perhaps I underestimated your thoroughness in the face of turbulent headwinds. But, Your Grace"—she frowned, noticing that his gaze seemed to have hardened—"the unexpected may still occur. And perhaps, in your haste, you have not considered all variables. I'm sorry, but this is simply too risky."
The electric dragon veered around and sauntered to the human. He raised his paw, claw unsheathed, and reached for the thick ropes binding Joshua to the stone chair.
"Sir Coulombrin!" Cynder hollered out of exasperation. Why couldn't they understand‽ Just a little more and they would have the answers they've been looking for over the last red cycle and a half! She needed their cooperation! "Egeria's wings, I have given enough contemplation to those—
Somebody shouted from behind, "Now!"
Two bipeds—a tiger and another atlawa—sprung at Cynder. The Savior hissed in annoyance. She should have known they only indulged her to relax her guard. What did she expect? They were sworn to uphold the peace and security of Warfang and the Allied Territories, not to obey every whim and command of the high-flyers governing them!
Both knights lunged at her, with arms outstretched. It was only because of Cynder's deep experience during the war that she had managed to snake around them. Sheets of ice hurtled towards the dragoness. Her paws flexed, pads sensing the ground beneath her shift.
Adroitly, Cynder weaved and twisted and contorted her way out of the knights' trajectories. She eluded all their attempts to ensnare her and put a stop to this test. "I didn't want to do this but…"
With a snarl, she reached into the malleable mana inside her core. With her will, she guided it to her four paws and aspected it with shadow. A cool, clammy, and slimy sensation spread out from her pads, inundating the space under her in liquid darkness. She fell inside, embracing the frigid yet oily texture of the shadow element.
Though her five senses were blinded in the penumbra, Cynder propelled herself towards the nearest knight using her natural instincts and ultimately launched upward out from behind an ice dragon's shadow. The Savior pounced and subsequently kicked into the knight's armor. He flew in the air, knocking into the others.
"..if none of you will see reason, so be it!" Gathering wind mana into her wings, she spiraled in the air and fanned them out. A tremendously strong wind materialized from her wings and slammed into all eleven knights. As soon as she landed on the floor, Cynder willed a wave of shadows to spread out from her claws and inundate their legs. The adumbration wrapped around the knights' feet and formed ethereal shackles.
As soon as they realized what just happened, everybody stopped. Coulombrin gaped at her in dismay for an instant before his wings drooped. The electric dragon retreated away from Joshua, fully aware of what Cynder could do at a whim.
He bowed his head. "Lady Cynder, reconsider this test, I beg you!" He entreated her desperately, his voice shaking. "Azeroth's horns, please, abort this flight, while we're still smooth and whole! Do this, and I swear we will respect your discretion and stay quiet!"
"They have your neck, Cyn," Joshua quickly added. "I know they just attacked you, but believe me, I can tell it's not because they want to!" He looked up at her, his eyes shimmering with the same intensity as Coulombrin's. "Just give up on this while you still can. This test won't end well." He shook his head, unable to hide his anxiety. "It's too dangerous!"
Cynder stiffened her posture. She steeled her gaze and stared straight into Joshua's eyes. They were as green as her own. "No," she rebutted, her words resolute. "It's necessary."
The entire group hovered in this stalemate for several moments. Cynder glowered adamantly at Joshua and each Talonpoint Knight. Her resolve did not waver. In her mind, she could picture Spyro, and only Spyro. He was staring her down, as though daring her, challenging her to prove her determination.
That dragon flew away last week because he couldn't accept that he was wrong. And whatever fueled his stubbornness had begun nipping at his relationships—at their relationship. To this day, Cynder did not know why he became a different person every time they fought about Joshua. She simply could not comprehend why... She only knew now that he would fly to a dead end by himself if he believed with all his heart that he was in the right. By the Lifebringer, she refused to lose her mate to this disagreement.
This test was the only way to prevent it. The only way to undeniably prove Joshua's absolute innocence. Cynder felt water pool in her eyes, yet she didn't blink. Displaying weakness to the others now would only embolden their efforts to compel her to relent.
Another long while passed before the fight in their eyes faded away. Joshua slumped in resignation, letting out a frustrated sigh. Even the knights wilted in turn.
Cynder dispelled the shadow shackles on their legs. To her satisfaction, no one resisted, even as she ordered each knight to take positions around the arena and within a set distance from the human.
"If things go wrong," she was saying, "we will rush in and quickly disorient Joshua. Knocking him out will be the best possible option as it will nullify the Unknown Element instantly." When they grunted their acknowledgment, Cynder turned to an atlawa knight. "You. Stay by the summoning orb in case we have to activate the golems."
"Your Grace." He immediately moved to the edge of the arena closest to the utilidor access.
When she was satisfied with their placement, Cynder padded over to Joshua and stood before him. They eyed each other. Instead of resentment or resignation, he had a look of concern, the worry clearly etched on his face. Meanwhile, she was tense, apprehensive, and if being completely honest with herself, quite scared of what she would discover tonight.
Cynder couldn't help but ask, "Joshua, are you ready?"
"What about you, Cyn? Are you?" Joshua responded.
Cynder flinched visibly. She hadn't expected that from him. Neither did she think he'd verbalize his question in a way that conveyed his concern for her.
"I don't know everything you've gone through after the war. Hell, I know next to nothing about that! But I'm sure you've moved up the ladder in spite of it all. I don't want people thinking less of you." After this test, he probably wanted to say.
For a brief moment, the Savior felt diffidence weighing down her liver. She swallowed loudly, if a little forcibly. After banishing her hesitation, she leaned her muzzle beside his only ear and muttered, "Joshua, they can get mounted for all I care. I'm used to being hated, anyway."
If she had it her way, they never would've returned to the Allied Territories in the first place. Yet Spyro's exposure to dragonkind had been limited to the few individuals he had interacted with during the Great War. Before then, he'd been raised by dragonflies and knew nothing of their culture, their history, or their glory. After he put the Dragon Realms back together, when he proposed the idea of coming back, Cynder could only acquiesce out of her newfound love for the hero.
Four years had passed since then, and she was confronted everyday with all that she'd wrought during the Great War. Cynder had long decided what she had to do to make amends and be at peace with herself—to live a life of service regardless of what people thought or believed about her. It was the least she could do after ripping apart countless families in the past. The fact that she had done it under the Dark Master's influence was irrelevant.
Joshua sighed. He had nothing else to say. "Then… I wish clear skies for you, Cyn."
"And steady winds in return." Cynder watched the human close his eyes.
The time for words had passed. Cynder stepped back and raised her head high. She reached for the mana resting within her soul and tugged, letting it gather in her throat. The repulsive taste of salt, acid, and dead blood graced her palate. She could spy the scarlet glow filling her maw, and filling it quickly.
Then, when she could barely restrain the crimson mana in her throat, she bared her mouth open. Parted her jaws wide, stretching her tongue for as long as her body allowed.
Cynder released the mana as she shrieked. A monstrous scream ripped out of her throat. The light of the Fear Element enveloped everything within three wingspans around the black dragoness as she unleashed the full power of Siren Scream.
The attack had a concussive impact on everyone who heard it, and it was greatest within its area of effect. Where all the Talonpoint Knights flinched and hunched back the second her voice slammed into them, Joshua Renalia yowled loudly, grimacing as her ear-piercing shout coursed through his hearing.
When her voice was spent, when Cynder had been reduced to tired wheezes, the dragoness gazed upon the human. He was slumped over, his gut twitching and jolting about. He was breathing rapidly. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…"
Cynder gulped. This was it. The moment she was waiting for. She could hear her heart pulsing just as badly as Joshua's. Sweat coated her paws, so much so that they left wet pawprints on the floor. She had to speak. Get his attention. Hopefully, it would be nothing and they could just leave it all behind after a few moments.
"Joshua?"
Joshua whipped his head up so fast even Cynder was startled. His eyes were wide open, the viridian pools dilated and quivering in place. He was staring at tornadoes. "C-Cynder?" He practically stopped breathing.
"...Are you alri—
The adolescent suddenly screamed. He screamed for dear life. "AHHHHHHH!" He flailed his legs, struggling to escape his bonds. He pulled at the thick ropes binding his arms together. He tossed and turned on the seat. "Goddammit! F**k. F**K!"
Cynder shuffled gently towards Joshua. She maintained eye contact with him. "It's okay. Ancestors! It's okay, Joshua. We're not going to hurt you."
"Kilat's right! You were trying to kill me this whole time!" He railed at her, unable to think properly. "You f**king rat! I never should've trusted you! NEVER!"
Cynder kept herself from crying. This wasn't the Joshua she knew. He was under her magic's influence. She raised her paws to hold him by the shoulders and prove he was merely imagining the threats.
"No! Don't touch me!" He kicked his feet towards her. The movement was desperate. He genuinely believed he was in grave danger.
Before Cynder could even reply, no less than twenty orbs of white ether materialized above his head. "Joshua, ground your—
"Get the f**k away from me!" He screamed. The spheres soundlessly emptied themselves into beams of light. Cynder narrowly dodged two of them, jerking herself back at the last second.
Cynder was left stunned at the sight of her worst fear being confirmed. Yet instincts that she had never relinquished to the last four years of peace impelled her to focus on controlling the situation. "Knock him out!" She cried. "Quickly!"
The Talonpoint Knights scrambled to act on her command, but beams of light struck two bipeds who failed to jump completely out of the way. The strikes rang true, and both victims collapsed on the floor.
They were screaming, clutching at their feet. One of them wrenched their boot off and fainted the instant he saw his foot had turned into an unsightly black lump. Necrosis!
"N-no! I won't let y'all kill me!" Joshua hollered, struggling fruitlessly against his bindings. Despite the otherwise pitiful sight, phosphorescent lightning shot out of his mouth, hurtling towards one of the knights who'd fallen.
Cynder quickly gathered wind mana on her tail and whipped it at the fallen knight, firing off a powerful gust of wind. Strong enough to both overtake the white bolt and fling the helpless knight out of harm's way. He landed near the utilidor access. "Get out!" she commanded. "Get out now!"
One of the dragon knights launched himself into the air. Flapping his wings, he sent a wall of frost in Joshua's direction. A good strategy, Cynder thought. By denying him warmth, he would quickly lose consciousness from hypothermia if he was too focused on killing them to even consider converting the element.
A translucent screen flashed into existence and barred the frost from striking him. The dragon in question flew across the air in an arc, passing through the shield and bombarding the human with several iceballs. Cynder gasped as soon as she realized what he'd done. "Stop! You're giving him—
The freezing spheres veered off-course without warning, scattering in straight lines. Two smashed into another dragon that had just taken flight, nearly punching a hole through his wings. Another knocked out the other knight who'd lost his leg. A third crashed into a gnorc, who'd been cocking a bow and barely had time to block a solid hit to the face with his gauntlets.
Seeing the remaining knights endure or avoid the hits, Cynder barely evaded a few iceballs herself. She realized any elemental attacks at range would just become fuel for his own. Hence, she moved agilely. Quickly encasing her forepaw with compressed air, Cynder reared up to give Joshua a powerful slap to the face. As long as the impact wasn't skin-to-scale, she could snap him out of his magically-induced delusion!
Cynder swiped sideways, her paw coming dangerously close to Joshua's face. Her hopes died when he remained unharmed. She began panicking when she realized how much she had misjudged the distance between them. He had somehow distorted the Savior's depth of perception, causing her to attack early. Screaming as though he was locked in a struggle to escape certain death, Joshua kicked out his leg, this time clad in the bright and foreboding aura of the Unknown Element.
Thrashing her wings, the dragoness launched herself to the far back, retreating from Joshua before he could fully extend it. Her emerald gaze widened when the white glow protruded where her hindlegs had been and enveloped it in white flames. Too close… That was too close!
The lone earth dragon stomped down on the floor, forcing out a chunk of solid stone right out of it. He twisted and kicked it with his hind paws, both wrapped in the green glow of the Earth element. It flew into the air and careened towards Joshua. Cynder hoped it would land—something like this wouldn't kill him—so he would snap out of it.
Yet even that failed to connect. The remnant life energy existing within the flying rock was enough for Joshua to seize it with pure will alone. He redirected it straight into the ice dragon swooping down behind him from above. It collided thunderously, then scrunched him into the elevated platforms. He did not get back up from that.
Cynder had no time to ascertain whether he was alive or dead. Joshua was gawking at her. Staring in her direction. She recognized his eyes. He was hallucinating, just like everyone she had struck with the Fear element in the past. "Malefor!" His lips moved silently before he shrieked anew. "I knew it! You always come back! You're like a cockroach that doesn't die, like in all the fics I've read!"
Cynder shouted, "Joshua, don't listen to him! It's just an illusion! You're hallucinating!"
"Shut up! You and all the other corrupt dragons can go f**k yourselves!" He shouted at her. At them.
His vivid imagination gave Cynder the time to consider their next move. She spotted a bush of health crystals sprouting near the double doors leading down to the rest of the Temple. Poison was the best way to disable him, surely! The dragoness coughed and grumbled, pooling saliva and phlegm in her throat. At the same time, she slathered the goo in her mana, turning a harmless blob of bodily fluid into a potent venom designed to cause paralysis and nerve damage from mere dermal contact alone.
Cynder broke into a sprint, galloping the arena to close the distance between them.
Trapped in his delusions, Joshua shouted crazily. "As if I'm letting you! Not again!" His eyes focused on Cynder. The Unknown Element came into existence once again, manifesting as spears of light. They rained down on her, but with the wind accompanying her every step, the Savior managed to sidestep out of the way at the last moment and let them disperse on the floor behind her as fading motes of light. She did not let Joshua regain control of them in any way and spat the thick, envenomed loogie right at the human's eyes.
"I'm not dying in this shithole!" To her horror, a white glow encased the glob of spit soaring through the air. The familiarity of this aura was unmistakable, reminding Cynder of the field demonstration Joshua had given the other morning. Without any preamble, her loogie transformed into one of the strongest fireballs she had ever seen and promptly engulfed Joshua Renalia before Cynder could even process what she was seeing.
"Joshua!" Cynder helplessly called his name, anxiety driving her heartbeat to its fastest. Even if she knew Joshua could easily perform Element Conversion in this altered state, she had never believed it would be this instantaneous. The Unknown Element had become sensitive to the human's every thought and desire, executing his deliberations in the simplest and most efficient ways possible.
This was how the Incident had escalated to such a terrifying degree: absolute fear for his life and the unyielding, unwavering determination to survive at all costs.
No matter the consequence.
Fright overwhelmed Cynder as she watched the blaze intensify. Such flames could only have been produced by someone as skilled as a dragon knight. It was unthinkable how Joshua, in his delusional state, could replicate such a thing. She was horrified. What could she do? He was there! She could still hear him screaming his lungs empty!
Another gnorc stepped forward, heavy shield in hand. Gnashing his teeth together, he snarled at Cynder. "Not dead yet! Must knock him out first!" A few more steps and he was upon the torrid pyre. He lifted his hefty shield and smashed it into Joshua's shrieking head.
The whole pillar of fire vanished. A loud thud rang out as the massive slab of enchanted metal bashed through the stone backrest.
Cynder gasped out of horror. It had just been an illusion‽ Azeroth, it felt so real. Then, this meant… Joshua was lurking somewhere amongst them! He was a great danger to them all in his Fear-stricken state! But how could she find him? He was invisible to the five senses and—
With a gasp, Cynder figured out a solution. If the bodily senses were disabled, then she could only rely on magic. She shut her eyes and spread her mana, distributing it throughout the surrounding area. She hadn't expected much from it, knowing that the jaw-dropping versatility of the Unknown Element rivaled that of Convexity, yet she was surprised to sense vibrations coming from the center of the arena—from right behind the gnorc shielder.
"Run! He's behind you!" Cynder screeched. She cast down another oily puddle of shadow on her feet and submerged herself into the darkness, in hopes of reappearing behind either Joshua or the knight and separating the two of them.
When she emerged from the murky portal, it was too late. The Talonpoint Knight had heard her—had tried to flee—but his efforts had been futile. Joshua had a firm grip on the gnorc's waist, his bare, russet skin visible to all and covered in white, unsightly burns.
The shocked Cynder could only watch as the gnorc's vibrant, green skin shriveled up and withered, sagging as wrinkles formed and teeth fell out. What was once a proud and mighty gnorc knight now resembled an old, feeble person. As the last of his life force departed his body, his pupils shrunk back, and he choked out his final breath, dying on the spot.
In contrast, Joshua's body had fully recovered, mending his wounds and regaining his stamina in full.
Cynder sobbed. Despite their best efforts, someone had died. Somebody had actually died! "Joshua!" She shouted. Why was the Fear element so potent on him‽ "You're among friends! Please, stop!"
Her pleas were useless. Joshua screeched like a desperate child. "Aieeeee! OH MY GOD, F**K OFF!" He swung his elbow back, wrapped in the pallid, ethereal fog of the Unknown Element.
The last time Cynder had been struck by his power, she had been blinded, struck deaf, and lost her balance all at once. She didn't know if this would have the same effect or worse, but she did not want to find out. On impulse—on pure, automatic reflex, the dragoness reached for her mana reserves. A powerful gust instantly burst out of her maw and not only stopped Joshua's advance, but also shoved him a few paces further.
Cynder was nonplussed. That shouldn't have worked. Joshua did not seize it‽ Why? A thought suddenly came to her: were… were instinctive attacks at short range too quick for him?
The ice dragon from earlier boomeranged to make another pass at Joshua. He pointed his muzzle down. Blue-white miasma billowed down at Joshua and dispersed on the floor. It chilled the arena to colder-than-freezing—gelid enough to bite through Cynder's scales.
Joshua clasped himself, squealing, teeth chattering. "F-f-f-f**ck!" A few breaths' time under these conditions, and he would quickly succumb to the icy chill. Everything would be over once he was asleep.
Unfortunately, despite his addled mind, the human still registered the indirect threat of hypothermia. He shut his eyes and curled in on himself. "Go away!" Joshua howled. "Leave me alone!"
The subzero haze disappeared.
No. It imploded. It collapsed directly into Joshua as a faint, chartreuse sheen. Cynder realized what was happening immediately. He's absorbing it all! "Abort!" she clamored, channeling her element to transmit her voice directly to the Talonpoint Knight. "You're helping him recover his mana!" She trained her eyes on the atlawa by the utilidors. "Summon the golems! We can't—
"KAOS!" Joshua screeched. "Jesus f**king Christ! You're involved in this too‽" He leaped, dodging some figment of his imagination before glaring at the ice dragon above him. "You aren't taking me alive, you f**king imp! Not you, not Malefor, not anybody!" The Unknown Element manifested as immaterial blades— bright, purplish-white, its mere sight portending death. Innumerable, relentlessly they flew at the dragon knight, locking him down and preventing escape.
"L-Lady Cynder," the knight shrilled, panicking. "H-help! I—
The attack struck and passed through his body and his armor. Unopposed. Unimpeded. Had this been a mere light show, he would've been unscathed. To Cynder's horror, the Talonpoint Knight died instantly, his voice disappearing.
"Aghhh!" The voice of Coulombrin screamed as he appeared beside Joshua. He was a comet, rushing in whilst enshrouded in crackling bolts of plasma. He had answered his comrade's call for help. He was too late to help him, but not too late to try taking Joshua down and liberating him from the illusions of Cynder's Siren Scream.
"F**k, no!" Joshua noticed, but he was too late. "Don't—aaahhhhh!" He buckled, unable to stop the momentum of Coulombrin's Volt Tackle. The knight slammed into Joshua, whamming his sturdy helmet into the human's chest and careening him to the floor.
As soon as they fell over, Coulombrin jerked away and widened the distance between him and Joshua with two—three rolls, narrowly avoiding a jet of ethereal, white flames. During this time, Cynder had taken a deep breath and, to assist the loyal knight, blew out a magically strengthened squall. Aimed squarely at Joshua, it was meant to push him back and pin him to the arena walls.
None expected the human to seize the invisible globe of air. He snatched it—obvious from the purple-white corona enveloping her attack—and, by thought alone, commanded it to rebound. It bounced off-trajectory on its own and slammed into Coulombrin's rear.
Stopping his retreat.
Hurling him back.
Straight into Joshua's glowing right hand.
"Joshua!" Coulombrin yelled. "Ground yourself! It's me! Lifebringer's horns, we're not trying to kill you! We're—JOSHUA!"
Coulombrin died screaming the human's name.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Or rather, he would have.
Coulombrin would have died had Cynder not reacted in the blink of an eye, sunk into the shadows, and reemerged next to Joshua, and thrown herself into the hapless knight at the very instant the human touched him.
With Cynder's intent and movements focused completely on Coulombrin, Joshua could not switch his attention to her as she rescued the electric dragon from certain death. The two dragons rolled away from the human in a writhing mass of black and yellow scales.
Cynder was relieved to feel Coulombrin squirming—he was still alive! Yet to her dismay, he did not escape unscathed. The scales on his foreleg and shoulder had lost their natural color; everything had turned a sickening black. He growled constantly, grunting from sheer agony. Cynder noticed one of his wings flailed sloppily and felt anguish when she saw the hideous splotches at the base of his wings.
As Coulombrin finally succumbed to shock, she realized that when he awoke, he would never fly again, let alone function as a proper knight anywhere.
Joshua whipped his head at them. Cynder froze, recognizing the haunted, terror-filled gaze in his eyes. Her eyes widened as well, dilating, afraid herself. Joshua was still ensnared in the inveigled mindset of the Fear element. How did they look to him? How would Joshua interpret this sight? If they did nothing, would he feel threatened at all?
Praise Azeroth the Infinite they didn't have to find out. Cynder noticed at least five golems had materialized in the time she had made her bold rescue. Their building blocks had risen from the bedrock itself and combined to form the shape and guise of Ape Fighters—the most common foot soldier of the Dark Army in the time of King Gaul. Taller than adolescent dragons, they were large enough to glare at Joshua eye-to-eye.
The golems assailed Joshua Renalia as soon as the formation process finished. They rushed in to tackle—to pin the human down. Cynder sighed, "Spring of Fortune, it's finally over."
She watched Joshua's face twist and crumple in front of these magical constructs. He screamed hysterically, then turned to run away and flee down Alona Hall's entrance, only to find another two golems barring the path. She thought to herself, We'll hold him for a few hours to make sure the Fear state wears off.
I'll return with Volteer, Kilat, Vara, and Blink, Cynder planned. She knew Joshua well enough that she expected him to figuratively tear off his own horns at the sacrifices that were made tonight. And we'll stay with him. He needs to know we're there for him, and—
Cynder suddenly got up, choking. She coughed up a sound that resembled a squeal, a whine, and a sob all at once. "Why? Why‽'' Her withers hunched beneath the great weight of despair, for it was impossible to miss the distressing view of the golems suddenly exploding into clouds of dust and spectral motes of light. Cynder couldn't take her eyes off of them; they were transforming in color, each changing from a dull gray to a rich purple. A purple that matched the brilliance of Spyro's scales cleaned and buffed with natural oils. Her black and maroon hide trembled as she sensed the thrum of Convexity inside them.
She couldn't comprehend the incongruity. It ran counter to the report that Joshua couldn't touch inorganic objects! How—no, why could he manipulate magicked artifacts‽ It didn't make sense!
Volteer's scrolls on his failed field demonstration last cycle said Joshua described the golem as emitting "a buzzing sound that refused to stop". What else could that mean? The Guardian even had her and Councilor Tuconsis review his notes! They agreed that he couldn't interact with magic items—that he couldn't extend his sense of self into them like he could with living organisms—
Cynder's muzzle turned grim as it dawned on her that all three of them assumed wrongly. Mana sensing and mana manipulation were clearly high-level techniques not normally available to Joshua, just like element conversion.
She didn't know what to do short of absconding Alona Hall, letting Joshua do as he pleased, praying to Alona that he would just stay in the stairwell! Cynder felt terror when her sharp hearing caught his faint murmurs. "Either you or me, you or me, you or me…"
The Unknown Element faded into reality as a ghostlike shroud. A purple-white haze that surrounded not only the human, but also everything within a radius equivalent to the full length of an adult dragon. Nobody could get close.
Another golem rushed into the mist. Cynder and every Talonpoint Knight remaining witnessed it dissolve into powder and mana. They had run out of options, and Cynder could feel their gazes burning into her wings. She clenched her paws. What could they do now?
A mole knight stepped in beside her. "Your Grace, should… s-should we try to kill him?" He had a small bomb in his paws. "I, I-I don't know what else we can do. Rushing minecarts, none of us do…"
Cynder quickly assessed the landscape. Five knights down and unable to fight; two dead. She and four others remained, of which two were dragons. Joshua's gaze had turned vacant, his body still quivering, still curling inward. Legs bent, ready to either bolt for safety or retaliate out of terror. There was no predicting when he would return to normal.
She mentally reviewed the Three Ds. With Deliberation at its most lethal and his Determination strong enough to freely control the Unknown Element, the only way to end this catastrophe was to disable his perfect Discernment without risking close contact, and finish it with a heavy, knockout blow.
There was only one way to accomplish this.
Cynder straightened her posture and properly took command, like the war-hardened warrior she had always been. "No need for that! I have a plan. Get ready to swoop in for the knockout."
"What do you need us to do, Lady Cynder?" The mole's voice leveled out, confidence buoying him. Cynder didn't know how much he resented her for following through with her flight plan, but for as long as they still trusted her, it would be enough.
"I need an opening. Light the bomb and throw it to the side. Get ready to dodge." Cynder didn't care that Joshua could clearly hear her. In his altered state, his reactions were predictable. She was counting on this; there would be no margin for error.
"As you command!" With no fire dragon among their ranks, the mole scraped a claw on a strip of odd-colored metal on his gauntlet. Sparks flew out and ignited the fuse.
As he made to toss the explosive, Cynder once again called upon her mana and channeled it into a dense pool of darkness beneath her. She sank into its oily depths like the last time, letting instinct pull her closer to Joshua.
Without warning, the black, opaque ink she was submerged in fell away and yielded to the purplish-white glow of Joshua's Element. Hijacked by the human, she was abruptly spat out midway to her destination—the very edge of his domain. He was looking at her, right hand outstretched and his posture tense.
"Cynder!" He cried, terrified and still staring at tornadoes. "W-why…? Why did you give in to them‽ You can't let Kaos and Malefor—Aahhhh!"
Cynder had no time to process Joshua's words. Like a scared hatchling, he suddenly swung his right arm in a reckless and hurried manner. He traced a crescent blade in the air, the elemental attack flying straight to the mole knight behind her.
He had only a second to scream before he was quickly and decisively silenced in death. Cynder resisted the urge to break down. She strengthened her resolve and grabbed her mana, dragging it through her throat and out of her mouth as she roared as loudly—as thunderously—as deafeningly as possible.
Amplified not by Fear, but by Wind.
A gale focused entirely on the bulging, purple-white cloak enshrouding the human as though he was a wraith, a reaper of death itself.
Boom!
The bomb exploded next to the mole's corpse, obliterating it into several chunks of decayed flesh. Cynder felt one splatter her from behind, doubtlessly leaving blood all over her tail and rump, but she didn't let herself stop. She howled even louder, forcing out all the air her lungs carried. The air had picked up even the jarring waves of the explosion and slammed it straight into Joshua Renalia.
"A-ah! Ahhhhh!"
Joshua screeched from behind the veil. Then, without warning, the White Cloak disappeared as though it had never been there to begin with. The human was revealed, his naked form hunched over. He clutched his head with his good arm, trying not to stumble, trying to straighten his posture. "F**k! F**K!"
Joshua staggered as though he had just gulped down flagons of Glimmer or Ember's Ale. "Oh God, what did you f**king do to me‽"
"Get him!" Cynder barked as she slumped over, gasping for breath, the stinging whine in her ears. Surely Joshua's tinnitus was far worse. "Quickly, before he recovers!"
The three remaining Talonpoint Knights made their move and rushed towards the mad human. "N-no! NO!" Joshua screeched. He flailed his hand about. The Unknown Element manifested as a wisp of gas, only to wink in and out of existence.
Cynder made a mental note of this. So that's Joshua's weakness. Overload his mind and stop him from thinking clearly.
Where dragons were at their most dangerous when they were reeling from intense, primal emotions, Joshua Renalia was at his most dangerous when he was fully concentrated on a single objective.
The only biped remaining—a bear—was first to strike at Joshua. He hurled his furry mass into him, the combination of steel and flesh squishing him into the nearby wall. With a vindictive snarl, the Talonpoint Knight clutched the human's chest, claws raking—digging into his skin. He lifted him up before he could scream and threw him at the center of the arena.
As he rolled a little past Cynder, the last two dragons were already upon him. Joshua noticed their approach and squealed like a feral beast in its death throes. The Unknown Element fluttered in his only hand, but the mental strain from being discombobulated made it impossible for him to conjure any more than that.
In the end, all it took was one dragon.
The earth dragon who had protested this test from the very beginning—probably also the one who orchestrated the surprise attack on her earlier—reached him first. He hammered the back of Joshua's head with his forepaw, which he had encased in rock for more power. The blow silenced the screaming boy in an instant.
He towered above Joshua's body as it slumped forward, unconscious at last. The knight was breathing erratically; his scales were pockmarked with bruises from the elemental attacks Joshua had redirected earlier. He let out a sigh and collapsed on the floor. "Ancestors. It's, finally, over…"
His fellow knight came to a stop right behind him. He looked over the damage, seeing the giant bruise already swelling beneath Joshua's black hair. A look of surprise appeared on his snout. "He really is like a dragon…"
Had Cynder heard the comment, she would have understood his astonishment. No biped of Joshua's age could have survived a blow to the head like the one he had just received. Their skull would have caved from the impact. Only an adolescent dragon could have endured it without serious consequence.
The Talonpoint Knight glanced back at the Savior. "Your Grace, what now? Lady Cynder?"
Cynder did not hear him. Her lifeless gaze had fallen upon each and every knight who had died tonight. She couldn't stop gaping at their faces; all wore expressions of unimaginable anguish. Even those who had merely lost consciousness appeared to be in great pain.
She cupped her own muzzle. Tears streamed out her eyes. Cynder began to sob as her mind finally pieced together the truth. She had dove into fog on that day. She had reaped the unforgivable. She had put Joshua into a state where he viewed anything and everything as a direct threat to his life.
.
.
.
"Get up, both of you. We need to help our comrades. Spirit Gems first, then the nearest clinic downstairs."
.
.
.
Where the Fear Element would have any other victim paralyzed and unable to think from sheer terror, the human could only worry about surviving in a situation full of perceived enemies.
The dragoness hunched down, her withers going lower and lower until the magenta scales of her underbelly finally touched the floor. She curled her wings around herself.
And wept.
.
.
.
"What about Lady Cynder? And, a-and the furless ape? We can't leave them alone—
"She's not in her right mind. Master Volteer can deal with them when he gets here. Besides…"
.
.
.
Cynder knew she was giving off an image unbecoming of the Savior, of one of the greatest heroes of the Dragon Realms. Yet she couldn't stop herself from trembling—from looking back that day and remembering the disturbing scene in front of Warfang's Gates.
The dragoness sobbed. "It's my fault. I caused the Incident." She whimpered, sniveling. A great weight pressed down on her spine. Her chest tightened. She wailed. She mewled to the dead. "Alona's wings, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's all because of me…"
.
.
.
"...Joshua will no longer be a danger when he wakes up."
.
.
.
Cynder had spent the last four years in a life of servitude, serving the people of the Allied Territories as its hero. Not because she wanted to, like Spyro, but because she believed it was the right thing to do with her life. She had her snout to the ailerons scraping away her ill-famed reputation as the Terror of the Skies as much as she could.
Yet her efforts were undone in but one moment. Many had died during the Incident that followed. An innocent sapient had been subsequently jailed and was now subject to the same skepticism that she had suffered before. She and Spyro had begun fighting with each other, clashing over the human. Over the last cycle, they had had so many arguments that she couldn't blame her mate for leaving her alone while he left for December.
Because she reacted on impulse.
Because she didn't stop to think.
Tonight was no different. Three people had died; another five were seriously injured. Worse, Cynder could have been a casualty herself.
All because she had flown on the winds of emotion.
Author's notes:
And with this, all the basic stuff about Joshua's Element should be clear: how it works, what its weaknesses are, the methods Joshua can do to improve his ability, and even how it can be (artificially and temporarily) boosted to its highest potential. If it still isn't clear how the Incident in chapters 11 to 19 have occurred... I don't know what to tell you XD
But wait, it doesn't have a name yet? Don't worry. Joshua will christen it.
More importantly, I can finally start focusing on the more lore-heavy stuff concerning Joshua's existence and what his Element is. I've already given y'all a few clues, so feel free to figure it out. *evil cackle*
So, what's coming next?
Well, first... I gotta go back and retcon CH29 again, since Coulombrin pretty much got terminated from his job by a sudden disability. I didn't mean for Coulombrin to get hurt like that. The outline called for some random, unnamed mook, but the idea just came to me when I was writing CH54. Plus... more impactful to inflict this onto a minor character that both Joshua and the readers know.
And second, a return to the December Cliffs is in order. Spyro's got a raid coming up soon and it's time to shed some light on the geopolitical mess happening up north. I hope y'all are as excited for that as I am. I'm sure you've figured it out by now that the entire arc exists to give him some much-needed character development, but don't forget, the events in the story arc will fuel the plot later down the road. :D
Anyway... time for replies to reviews.
MysteryWriter175. And it's someone you know? Yeah, it must be unnerving.
What do you think of the experiment? XD
Kilat's and Cynder's fight just took their relationship to an all-time low, I guess. Your way of resolving it... well... sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. I've already seen cases IRL where we had two conflicting people fight it out until they couldn't anymore, but they never buried the hatchet afterwards.
AlbertDS1921. The possibility will always remain if people try to provoke Joshua without knowing exactly what triggered the Incident.
Kidnapping Joshua is not feasible since he is aligned with Warfang. He needs to be persuaded to relocate.
Djax80. As you expected, it was a "trial by fear", and it blows up just as expected. XD
Hahaha... I remember a LOT of people accusing me of "author ex machina" or whatever that gave Joshua a power-up during that story arc. Heh, so now we find out that it's actually something else entirely. Something more mundane. :P
If Joshua starts doing that, it will cause friction between her and Joshua. What Kilat needs is an intervention. If Joshua ever complains to Vara I'm sure she'll come up with something ballsy... and have Joshua pay for it all with all the coin he'll make as a teaching assistant.
I'm sure there's a way you can pull out the text hiding inside the glitchy stuff. As for what each phrase means... well, that's for you to figure out. XD
Bizzleb. And thank you for the review. :3
The Incident does feel like forever ago, which makes... total sense since that's at least 30 chapters ago. It's a very long time IRL, and a month in-universe. Even things that happened last month already feels like ages ago, honestly so... yeah. XD Even if some readers are already aware of it, as someone who enjoys reading stories, it's always a pleasure to see the story go in a direction I've figured out while so many others are still clueless or not bothering to speculate as to what's going on. XD
I wonder if you tried deciphering Kaos's glitchy text though? :P
A Cynder VS Kilat fight was inevitable, yes. Poor Cyn. She can't even go ham on the poor kid. 'cause... you know, that'd be bullying. XD I guess Kilat will have a character arc of her own eventually.
Guest #1 (Guest). Oh, they'll be very dangerous together. Think Spyro + Cyn are tough? Spyro + a fully realized Joshua would be unbeatable. There's a reason why Kaos and Master Eon have their eyes on him. They know a young sprout with so much potential when they see one...
Thanks for reviewing!
X-Shadowheart. Kilat's state of existence, while out of the norm, should make sense if you consider what Joshua takes when he consumes someone. Sometimes it results in a necrosis-laden corpse, or a glass-eyed mannequin. It depends on what he's thinking at the time.
Oh, and thanks for review! Sorry if I didn't get to DM you. ^^;;
Guest #2 (Guest). LOL. It happens.
JustAnotherReaderPlz. Joshua's been working in a dead-end job for about a month in local time? That translates to 1.5 months on Earth. Pretty long time, actually. You know working these shitty jobs "build character", as the Boomers say.
BronzeHeart92. Hello there! I certainly took my sweet time but I am glad I made it to the holidays XD Too bad this chapter didn't make it to my New Year's Eve deadline.
Not sure if you can say she'll be saner. She's a kid. A bit more mature than most kids, but still a kid. If someone other than Cynder had done her, she'd probably have learned her lesson and be a smidge more respectful. But... this is Cynder we're talking about. She hates her guts. It'll take a lot more than that for her to keep her paw down the next time they see each other.
Aaaand yes, it's my story. That was during the background check in the Audience Chamber, IIRC. It WOULD be nice if someone else had also done that...
ThatBombsMine. Glad to know you're back :D And you're more invested in Joshua's story, huh? Well, the story of "gaining acceptance by the locals" and "figuring out the Unknown Element" is being wrapped up now. Things should be more interesting once he's able to get out and about. I gave you a bit more detail in the PM and I hope you will find that direction interesting. My two beta readers certainly do!
Ginopippofreebooter. Definitely a long review! You put a lot of effort in this one XD Thank you so much!
I haven't seen Spiderman: No Way Home yet. So unfortunately I do not know what you're talking about. I don't want to know spoilers either, so I'm not gonna go watch YT videos of the scene either.
This chapter was never meant to be filler, though, so I'm wondering how it came across like that. This is one of those milestones that had been present in the original outline when I first conceived the story.
Your theory touches upon the lore I've set up for Spyro, Dark Spyro, and the "true nature" of Purple Dragons. Something that Malefor has merely alluded to in canon, and has been contested by Spyro just before the final battle in DotD. The connection that Spyro has with Joshua runs deeper than he thinks, and you're on the right track, I will reveal that much...
DiabloPProcento. And with this chapter, all has been revealed. XD Hope your theories were on the money!
Kilat doesn't trust anybody easily, sadly.
You only noticed Joshua calling Cynder as "Cyn" just now‽ LOL!
guywithshotgun. Didn't send a PM since I figured you'd see my reply here, but you know, it felt awesome to know that you binged my story for like 3 days. XD I'm so glad you loved it.
Guest #3 (Guest). I always do in every chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
[52D/LN]
[City of Warfang, Central Markazia — Warfang Temple]
Joshua Renalia snapped his eyes open and lurched awake.
"Owwww…" His head hurt terribly, as though somebody had bashed it against a wall repeatedly. In fact, his entire body hurt. His legs felt like lead. His right arm quaked when he tried to move it. Even the left ached like hell.
He tentatively rubbed his head—a vain attempt to soothe the pain. "Mother of God, what the hell hit me?" He was asking himself, feeling the thick, fleshy knob on the top of his head when he heard the strong winds of the Warfang sky howling through the cavern mouth.
Only then did he recognize his surroundings.
"H-holy shit…" Joshua uttered dumbly. Three bodies were strewn across the arena of Alona Hall. All of them were once Talonpoint Knights. Every cadaver had all but shriveled up, as if something had drained both life and mana out of them. Worse, the bodies had been turned black, filled with rot and decay. The scent was profoundly offensive—it reeked of death. Joshua barely kept himself from vomiting.
He didn't want to expand his ego boundaries. Not yet. He shut his eyes, shrinking his attention inward. Limiting it to himself. He blotted out even the sickly odors and tried to remember what had happened. It was all a blur. Cynder of all people had him tied up for something she and Volteer had never done before. Something which was clearly a dangerous test.
It terrified him once he realized there was no way in hell he could convince her to stand down and quit. Her sphere of life at the time had shrunk to half its usual size, and it kept fluctuating—spasming in his mental constellation. Its swirling gases flared as it constantly throbbed. Her life signature was also a deep red—a color he had long associated with either intense rage or fright.
In the real world, Cynder's terror manifested in her ruthless gaze and her cold, if menacing, demeanor. She had been sharply decisive ever since she appeared on the Third Floor, not only antagonizing Kilat but also raising her claw against her, a child! She also fought against the very knights she dragged into this f**king mess, coercing them—cowing all of them to compliance.
Just so she could find out what caused the Incident.
Looking at the damage that had been done to Alona Hall, it was clear she managed to replicate it. Horrified, he could only hope the sacrifices weren't in vain. He glanced at the center, where he'd been restrained and bound. Strange, the chair's gone. How did I get free? A black mark dirtied the center. The remnants of a great, blazing fire, if he wasn't mistaken. The hell happened here? I don't remember seeing a fire dragon among the knights...
The wind howled again. It was louder. It was also cold. Unusually cold, too, considering how warm the air was inside the White Mountain. The chill seemed to envelop him on all sides, as if he wasn't wearing any—
Joshua realized he was stark naked. He inhaled sharply, almost gasping. "Oh my god!" he murmured, patting himself all over with his good hand. Where did his clothes go‽ He left the Third Floor wearing a full set of sleepwear and his sandals. "Shit, shit, shit!"
Goddammit! Why couldn't he remember what happened? The effort from merely trying to recollect the information hurt like a bitch. It was all a damn blur. All he could recall was Cynder standing above him, taking in massive amounts of air like she'd been about to blow out some sort of elemental breath, and then letting out a piercing scream that could rival the horrendous shrieks of The Exorcist.
After that, nothing.
The memory was as a dream that barely escaped the grasp of his thoughts. He could picture horrific images of Malefor and Kaos working together. Of Cynder betraying him. Of a corrupted Savior leading an endless horde of demonic dragons to slaughter him.
He couldn't hold on to the mental images long enough for them to be anything more than brief flashes. But there was no mistaking the primal fear steeping in his soul. Everything in that nightmare sought his death.
Joshua shuddered. What was going to happen to him now? Were they going to announce his execution tomorrow? Or put him back into lockdown? Christ, have mercy on him. He never wanted any of this to happen. It wasn't his fault this time! Really!
And damn it! Where was everybody‽ He spread his ego boundaries to their usual range. Why was he alone—
His thoughts lurched. Someone was still here. Someone he knew.
He recognized the sphere of life. Hell, he could recognize it anywhere. "Cynder—!" Joshua's voice stopped as soon as he turned and saw his favorite video game hero in real life. The dragoness was tightly coiled on herself. She was sniffling, crying uncontrollably. Closely scrutinizing her life signature, Joshua realized the callous and decisive she-warrior was all but gone.
In its place was the vulnerable dragoness of The Eternal Night.
Joshua stood up. He walked—he staggered towards Cynder. His eyes couldn't help overlapping the real-life dragon with the fake, pixelated image of her 3D model from the second game. The drooping wings, the faint sobbing, and the stabbing pain in her chest, which he could feel as if it was striking his own—all tugged at his heart and compelled him to move.
Cynder snapped her head up at him when he was merely steps away from her. She bared her teeth and shrunk back defensively, only to relax when they locked eyes with each other. They did not need to exchange words.
She curled her muzzle away from him with a pitiful whine. She turned away fast, but not fast enough for him to glimpse the rivulets dripping down her flews.
Cynder was crying.
When Joshua was next to the Savior, the thought of whether this was appropriate or not—since he was in his birthday suit and all—briefly entered his head. Seeing Cynder drowning in sorrow, the gamer easily cast away his doubts. He knelt next to her head and, with some diffidence, placed his hand on her withers. "I'm sorry. I, I didn't want to kill them. I-I didn't mean any of this… What, whatever I said, whatever I did, that… t-that wasn't me. Cyn, you still have my neck."
"No, Joshua. I'm sorry. I put you through this. I'm the one who killed them all." The second of Warfang's greatest heroes buried her snout into the floor. "Oh, Azeroth the Infinite! It's me. It's always been me."
Cynder was blaming herself for the tragedy that happened today, the one that happened last month, and the injustice that Joshua had suffered. The gamer felt her grief as much as she did. It tugged at his heart. He couldn't bear to see her suffer like this. "Cyn, what happened last mo—last cycle is just shared responsibility. Everyone was at fault. You, me, Spyro, the city guards…"
"But I started it!" She cried. "I dragged everyone onto that flight! We even flew into that same crevice tonight."
Joshua shook his head. Words were useless. Even if he expressed his share of the blame in tonight's disaster, he would never get through to her. He felt a spike of irritation as he sat beside Cynder. Why the f**k did Spyro have to leave? He should be here comforting her, like a proper mate!
Cynder let out another sob. Joshua couldn't take it anymore. He reached down and embraced her, wrapping his arm around her neck and clutching it tight. She leaned on him and, by reflex, clung to him like a young whelp. Her body was warm, like Kilat's, but far larger and more encompassing. She carried the scent of smoke. "Why? Why…?"
Joshua massaged her smooth scales, kneading the tense flesh around her throat. They rocked in place, moving in tandem with her hitching breaths. Not once did she let him go. Even when Volteer appeared after what felt like hours, Cynder did not relinquish him as she shouldered all responsibility for the woes caused by the Unknown Element.
During the entire time, Joshua could only ruminate on Cynder's actions. She had been obstinate the whole evening, desperately seeking answers even if it meant endangering other people. Spyro would surely have never done this experiment… yet even he had his own faults.
Joshua Renalia decided, then and there, that he could not—he should not rely on his heroes. That he should not rely on anyone.
In the Lord's name, he swore to grow stronger—to master the Three Ds.
He did not want to see anyone floundering in regret over mistakes they had made on his behalf ever again.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Aaaaaaand that's all she wrote!
See y'all in the next chapter.
Got a lot of IRL work to catch up on, plus I need to update my OG fic too, so... I'll be gone for a while. XD
Toodeloo!