/+\
~ Awakening ~
\+/
~.*.~
One agonizing moment, she felt nothing but white, hot, blistering pain. From head to tail, limb from limb, she felt his fiery wrath with no hope of escape. Amid the pain, she felt herself fall, landing ungracefully on a harsh surface.
How did this happen? Why did it happen? She couldn't comprehend, there was simply no way someone that small and pathetic could best her in combat!
Impossible, inconceivable...Yet, here she fell; beaten, drained, made a fool of. The Terror of the Skies, a name she revelled in, a name that once held power and fear by those weaklings, now reduced to a miserable, crumbled pile of flesh and bones. The thought made her choke, she couldn't stand it!
She opened her eyes. Everything was unfocused, but there was no mistake. The purple dragon, the legendary purple dragon, stood over her.
Spyro.
She expected his face to be filled with disgusting satisfaction. However, she was slightly intrigued to see her opponent was anything but. He appeared...concerned. It was as if his victory had the opposite effect. Not that it mattered, she already won.
She had fulfilled her duty. With the last crystal, she had unlocked the gate that kept her master locked away for centuries. Unfortunately she would not be able to bask in their presence. She did not earn that right, being beaten by a whelp of all things.
Her vision began to fade, her mind slowed to a crawl. Was this what death felt like? The agonizing expressions of hundreds of faces flashed by, all horror-stricken and filled with despair. Most felt immense fear and pain before their worthless lives vanished by her claws. She felt neither which suited her just fine.
Her last thoughts, as Spyro eyed the shining force that was her master's prison, was imagining him torn to shreds by their sheer power. She let loose her last breath before everything faded into the void.
...
As if in mockery, the white burning pain had returned! The sudden burst made her want to scream. If only she could! She couldn't feel anything besides the blistering heat. Was she actually in a void and this is what the ancestors condemned her to?
What's going on?
Where am I?
Master, please help me!
Why did they do this? After obeying every command, she thought she avoided punishment! Where did she go wrong?
Someone, anyone, help!
~.*.~
She snapped her eyes open and saw the color green, lots of green! All around her immediate vision were the greens of empty fields illuminated by the twin moons. Her body stiffened, her breath halted, the painful memory still clung to her like she suffered a lifetime! She felt immensely exposed, any second the pain would return and-
...Nothing.
She exhaled slowly, blinking twice to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Slowly she relaxed herself, lying peacefully upon the soft, grassy surface of wherever she had ended up. The sounds of crickets and other insect life flowed through her ears. It felt oddly comforting and soothing, like a mesmerizing melody. She could even hear the soft flow of a river right behind her.
Was she really here? Did she...was she not just fighting in the realm of Convexity? She turned her head slightly to get more of her bearings. Trees and shrubbery lay scattered in the distance. Steep hills stood erected as far the eyes could see. No...she wasn't, she was back in the real world. Did she succeed, is her master freed?
Another thing she realized was that she felt...different? Lighter somehow, and not just physically. It was as if a heavy cloud had dissipated within her mind, as weird as that sounded to her. She raised her claws, looking at her sleek black scales and the silver bracelets on each wrist. Was she imagining it or did her forelegs appear smaller?
She heard something dip in the water. She twisted herself and let out a silent gasp. There was someone on its banks. A dragon! Wait, it's...purple? Purple!? Her eyes widened as the memory of her showdown replayed in her mind. She instantly became alert, the battle was not finished! She hastily picked herself from the ground, only to find her legs were considerably weaker than she expected. She stumbled and fell back onto the earth with a loud thud and a grunt. That unfortunately got the dragon's attention, their deep purple eyes instantly snapped upon her crippled form.
She silently cursed and held her breath. With nowhere to go, she closed her eyes thinking he was about to finish her with that same unbearable attack.
...
Nothing?
She peeked to see he had walked over and sat on his haunches. He appeared to be out of breath, his face and stature conveyed as such. His eyes were constrained and heavy, his brow was furrowed with concern, and his maw was left agape. He remained like that too after the fact he saw her peek, making her feel uneasy.
He had golden horns that curved outward from the back of his head. Equally golden frills that ran along his head and down the spine. And wings that were wrapped around his sides that were a deep golden brown. Despite his exhaustion, she had to admit he appeared elegant, like someone of royalty. His golden chest plates that stretched down his belly complimented the presentation.
Finally, he spoke softly, but with obvious strain. "Are you alright?"
Her mind snapped from her musings. What the hell am I doing? He was asking me if I was alright!? Her mind reeled further, she was told he was the enemy ever since she hatched. He should be killing her right now! Was this a trick? What on ancestors was he doing? Oh, how foolish of me to appear so vulnerable!
Without saying anything, she pulled herself up once more, extending her magenta wings and lowering herself into a combat pose. Her tail twitched behind her, the sharp appendage gleamed brightly on the moonlit field. Her legs quivered, both from anxiety and fatigue. She didn't know why she felt scared, how unbecoming of her. Perhaps it was due to the fact she was in a die or fight situation.
He got the message, despite the fact. He gasped and clumsily scooted away, his eyes instantly going to her tail. "Wait, hold on!" He shook his head and held out a claw. "We don't have to fight!"
She leered at him. How can he say that so sincerely? This must be a joke. Truth be told, she didn't think she could fight right now anyways. She didn't even feel an ounce of mana to make use of her elementals. She was powerless, but maybe intimidating him would give her an opening for escape.
"Where am I?" she growled as menacing as her dry throat would allow in this weird fatigued state.
The fool sighed in relief. "I'm not sure," he said distantly, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. "I thought we would be back at your fortress, but..."
Indeed...that is odd, she thought to herself.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again with that same concerning gaze. "After that last attack, you were out for some time."
She spat at the ground, how humiliating. Only weaklings showed mercy. "Why didn't you finish it?" she demanded.
He opened his maw, but closed it as he turned his head away with a somber expression. "...I couldn't." He glanced back. "When I saw the real you, I just knew you were just like me."
She raised a brow, thoroughly confused. "What are you talking about?" she blurted without meaning to. Foolish Cynder, you're speaking to your enemy!
At this, he gave her a quizzable gaze. "Like you are right now."
Her confusion grew. She glanced briefly over herself once more. She still had the impression she had somehow shrunk in size. In fact, it didn't even occur to her that she was on the same eye level as her enemy when just minutes prior she towered over him. What is going on?
"You must be thirsty," he said, motioning his head to the calm waters.
Honestly she was, but every instinct told her not to do as he says. However, he had shown no signs that he was tricking her into a false sense of security. If anything, he was the one putting his guard down. What was he planning?
She dared not to let hers down, she hesitantly stepped away from him before taking up on his words. Her legs still shook, but would be damned to show him her current state. Finally she reached the bank and lowered herself to get a mouthful of water. Instant relief washed over her throat from the cool liquid.
She heard him approach. She whipped around as best as she could, her tail thrashed to the forefront with a loud crack as it struck the ground. "Stay back!"
He backed off, sitting back on his haunches and taking a claw over his foreleg. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I'm warning you," she huffed.
He sighed and lowered his head. "Look, I'm sorry that I did," he started. "If I knew you still had some good in you, I wouldn't of..." he trailed off looking away.
She bared her fangs. She was growing more irritated not knowing what he was talking about. "Some good in me?" she repeated with a slight hiss. "Only a fool would let me live after winning a battle."
His frown grew. "I don't think you had control over your actions."
She narrowed her eyes, she had plenty of control over her body. What in ancestors was this moron suggesting? She was about to retort when a thought crossed her mind. A chilling thought at that, one she never considered until he mentioned it.
Her mind was surprisingly clear, clearer than it ever had been. She lowered her head in ponderance. Did that mean anything? She had been aware of everything she decided to do, right? Her brows furrowed as she went over her thoughts. Freeing her master, helping the dark army, conquering and quelling the realm of all dragons.
That was her mission, it always had been as far as she could remember. So then, why did it feel like right now she had not made these choices in earnest? The more she thought, the more it felt like her body had a mind of its own and she was merely along for the ride.
What the hell am I thinking? Of course I made those decisions. I'm in complete control over my body, thank you very much. Why am I even entertaining this idiot?
"I can tell you regret what you've done," he continued, oblivious to her self reflection.
She scoffed, the naivety of his statement was nauseating to the extreme. What an incredibly sheltered deduction.
"The guardians should be here soon," he said hastily after catching her fierce gaze. "I already sent Sparx to get them once we figured out where we landed."
The guardians? So it was true, they really were reunited. Well, she wasn't about to stay here then when she knew they would be wanting her dead the moment they caught sight of her. She prepared herself to take flight, before she stumbled and fell with another grunt.
No, come on body, I need to go!
"Hey, take it easy," he said on approach. "You're still hurt!"
She growled loudly at him, baring her fangs once more which got him to stop thankfully. This was bad, she quickly thought of a way out of this predicament. Perhaps Spyro was so much of a naive fool that he would listen to her plea. It disgusted her, but she had little choice if what he said was true.
"Hide me and go," she commanded, hoping she didn't have to say anything more.
He shook his head with a resolving glint in his eyes. "I know you did terrible things to them. They haven't seen the real you though. Once they do they'll understand you were under the Dark Master's spell."
She quickly parsed his message and formed an idea. Her appearance had changed and he had just suggested a very convenient cover up. Yes...it all made sense. That's what he meant by her not controlling her actions. She stared directly into his eyes, masking her joy with a deadpan expression.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded, a small smile forming on his features.
~.*.~
It felt like a long time had passed with nothing happening. Spyro had retreated back to the river banks while she laid and watched the leaves sway from the light wind that washed over the hills. She spotted the occasional nocturnal life zooming across from time to time, but it was an otherwise boring spectacle.
She thought about her master and where they were right now. She and Spyro had escaped from the realm of Convexity, a feat she didn't understand. Did her master follow along? Were they out and about in the real world? She assumed the worst seeing as her enemy was not shouting death and gloom over the fact.
...She did succeed in freeing them, right? Were they stuck in the realm? Impossible, her master would, for sure, have the power to break out of such a place. Maybe Spyro wasn't aware? Yes, that had to be it.
Occasionally she would glance at him and wonder what his true plan is in leaving her alive. If she were him, she would've definitely just outright killed and be done with it. He, however, did nothing to make sure she didn't get away. Not that she could get very far in her condition. Oh, how she wished she could get away and find out the whereabouts of her master!
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard heavy wing flaps. She raised her head to see three figures approaching from the south following a golden speck. Spyro had noticed too and was shakily trying to get their attention by waving to them on his hindlegs, how disgraceful.
"Oh man, Spyro, glad you're still in one piece!" the golden speck shouted causing her to cringe. "Look man, I don't know about you, but leaving you with the evil-psycho-she-dragon was probably not the best plan."
She mentally scoffed, already she wanted nothing more but to swat the mosquito out of the air. She stayed her tongue though when, one by one, the guardians landed. All of them, of course, were staring intently at her with clear suspicion and disgust, except for the electric one who instead was giving her a curious gaze. This didn't surprise her, but she had to sell Spyro's idea. She pretended to give them a frightened look, feinting a small quiver.
The electric guardian took her bait well, she thought. His pointed face was filled with sympathy almost instantly, not unlike the other two. Darn.
"Sparx, why did you not inform us of the one dragon that has caused chaos throughout the realm?" the earth guardian asked in a seething, baritone voice.
She huddled into herself, rolling her eyes mentally at his obvious attempt of rousing her. Same with the ice guardian that answered next.
"Yes, I would prefer to have been prepared to dispose of this wretched creature."
"Hey, I was panicking, alright?" the annoying mosquito countered.
"Hold on," Spyro interjected, slowly making his way to stand between them and her. "This isn't the same dragon as before."
The electric guardian nodded. "Yes, yes, her physical form has altered to that of a young female. A most perplexing, confounded phenomena to be-"
"Where's Ignitus?" the earth guardian demanded, ignoring the electric guardian's musings.
Honestly, she hadn't a clue. Most likely he was still atop her fortress, drained of his elemental abilities. "I-I don't know," she stuttered intentionally.
"He's probably still at Cynder's fortress," Spyro echoed her thoughts. "He should be safe for now, I drove off most of the dark army before I confronted her."
The earth guardian's piercing green gaze never left Cynder. She wondered what he could be thinking. Ways to eliminate her? That's what she would be doing in his position. He let out a heavy sigh. "Volteer, since the area is more or less built for your kind, could you please go ahead and fetch our friend?"
Volteer opened his maw, but quickly closed it after thinking for a moment. He nodded, and reaching into a satchel around his neck Cynder just noticed, pulled out a pair of red and green spirit gems and gave them to the ice guardian who was ready for it. He then, with a nod to everyone, including her, lept into the cool night and flew off slightly east going north.
The ice guardian approached Spyro and handed him the gems. He shook his head, motioning to Cynder. "No, heal her first."
The look on the ice guardian's face, Cynder tried hard not to snicker.
"Spyro, understand what you're suggesting," the earth guardian said. "She may look different, but she's still the same dragon that has spread her mark throughout the realm. She's the entire reason our people are on the verge of total annihilation."
"I concur," the ice guardian piqued. "An abomination such as her should not be allowed to live. She deserves no sympathy."
For all the nasty comments currently directed to her, she was surprised to feel...slightly hurt? Odd, she definitely heard fouler stuff coming from wannabe heroes that thought they could stop her. Why then was this pompous moron's words stabbing her heart, if only faintly?
"That wasn't her fault!" Spyro almost stuttered, but remained undeterred. "She was being controlled by the Dark Master!"
The two guardians still weren't convinced.
"I'm gonna side with the big guys, if you don't mind," chimed in the insignificant nant. "Besides, she's giving me that evil look right now and, brr."
"Please, we have to help her!" He glanced back at her, again with that idiotic pity. "Give her a chance."
She began to wonder if this stunt would work. The guardians were, unfortunately for her, much wiser than the naive child of the legendary purple dragon. If they could just fly away and leave her be, as unlikely the scenario is, that would be fantastic.
Would beat being dead and or being a prisoner. Which is, of course, exactly what one of the guardians suggested next.
"We'll take her back to the temple, but that's it," he said with a tone of finality, causing the ice guardian to silently gape at him. "We'll keep her locked in one of the chambers where we will have her monitored."
"I object to this!" the ice guardian angrily growled, the pupils in his cyan eyes slitted. "Pardon me, but we should snuff out this problem while we have the chance!"
"And by doing so we'll be no different than her," the other said swiftly.
She was thrilled to see the ice guardian stutter at his comrade. Dragon honor, she had seen plenty of that in her tour around the realm. How lucky she was that one of the guardians had the bleeding heart of a warrior.
How foolish and convenient.
"Hey-hey-hey, I refuse to sleep in the same place with that psychopath!" the mosquito squeaked with an angry pointed finger.
Spyro shook his head, giving her an apologetic smile before returning his gaze. "Thank you, Terrador."
"Hey- hello!? I said I'm not sleeping-"
"Fear not, young Sparx," Terrador said with forced calmness. "I'll personally make sure Cynder will not leave any of our sights." He lowered his gaze to Spyro and nodded. "Now, heal up, we have much to discuss when we return."
Spyro nodded back, taking the gems in each claw. Cynder watched as the glow from the red gem faded away as he absorbed its essence with a deep sigh of relief. It was quite the mystery, she had to admit. Not many were able to harness these gems as dragons could. The dark army even had trouble making use of such objects, but their potential was ever present. If it weren't for those gems, she'd probably be dead a long time ago.
However, something far more interesting happened than regaining vitality through these artifacts. The green one, the gem that harnessed the very fabric of mana itself, refused to leave its confinement. Spyro was bewildered by the fact, as were the others.
"What?" was all Spyro uttered.
Immediately Cynder hypothesized what exactly that could mean. Usually it meant the user was bursting with mana already, which she didn't believe for a second for Spyro's case. Was it that power he used?
"What's wrong?" Terrador asked.
"I'm not sure," he said. His face scrunched as if he was trying to harness the gem in his grip. "It's like I can't even feel it."
Terrador stared at the green gem with furrowed brows. "How strange, but no matter, we can worry about that later. You can fly, right?"
Spyro nodded, looking between the gem, Cynder, and Terrador. The earth guardian wisely shook his head at the silent question.
"I'll carry Cynder," he continued. "Cyril, stick close to me."
Cyril didn't much like the idea, if his scowl wasn't enough to convey. Still, he nodded, glaring daggers at Cynder the entire time. What a joyous coot he's going to be.
With no more words, Terrador walked over and, without being gentle about it, gripped around Cynder's neck and waist. She let out a grunt of discomfort. He probably heard her, but chose to ignore it. Then they were up in the air, dangling uncomfortably from the way he had her.
How disgraceful, though she supposed this was the better alternative than death. She smirked through the slight pain. I can still redeem myself to my master, she thought wondrously. All she needed was to bide her time and strike when the moment came. Once she regains both her strength and mana, she'll just summon convexity and kill all the guardians in one fell swoop.
The only smart one was Cyril, she'll deal with him when she could. Otherwise this just may be the easiest espionage mission she had ever found herself in.
~.*.~
The sun had just about risen over the horizon. She didn't think the flight would take this long. She felt immensely tired, still experiencing fatigue from earlier. She couldn't sleep if she wanted to, not with the way the earth guardian was handling her. Oh well, it was far more important to figure out where their base of operations were located anyways.
It was hard to see, her head being locked in place due to Terrador's tight grip. She could see golden mushrooms in the corner of her eyes, large ones at that. So they were in the swamp region, that much was apparent. She felt her captive begin to descend. They were heading toward a super structure. The old decrypted dragon temple?
...
When Terrador dropped her on the platform, she felt incredibly stupid. She was sure she checked this place countless times. Especially since she was aware this was one of the few places in the entire realm that possessed a Pool of Vision. She had scouts here! Whatever happened to them? No matter, they were most likely incompetent, as they usually were.
She looked over the platform. A grand vista, one she already was spoiled with back on the mountain. It hovered over a large expanse where she could easily see the silver rivers that stretched all the way to the great sea. The scenery was a lot more vibrant. Instead of dull grey rocks and putrid green pools of toxic sludge she had grown accustomed to, there was a distinct palette of gold and purple that encompassed the entire region.
Spyro landed next to her, giving Terrador a frown. "Was that really necessary?"
The annoying insect flew by him giving her the stink eye. "Spyro, my guy, she's evil." Cynder wanted to blow him away. Instead she lowered her head with the best frown she could muster.
"And I'll keep saying that wasn't her," Spyro defended with a glare.
"Be as it may, we can't trust her," Terrador said. The clubbed end of his tail pounded on the stone floor with a thud. "I'll honor what I offered, but that's all I'm willing to give at this time."
Cyril landed by the entrance, giving the gate a shove before he turned to Terrador with a nod. "I believe I have the perfect place to put this sorry excuse of a dragon."
Cynder heard Spyro growl softly. He didn't retaliate back though with words. Instead he lowered his head and glanced at his talons in silent disappointment.
"Yes, I may just know where," Terrador answered back. He leered at Cynder. "Follow along, don't do anything sudden, and I promise you'll be unharmed."
Cynder nodded which prompted the earth guardian to begin moving forward. She followed along, hearing that annoying insect talk to Spyro about how much of a nuisance she was going to be and how he couldn't believe they were doing this. She looked at him, as did Spyro, with a slight glare, but he didn't seem to mind the negative attention.
They passed by a large chamber that could easily fit thirty dragons. It was decorated with tapestries showcasing different elements. She wondered if this was a place where important decisions were made when dragons were more prevalent. They then entered a smaller room with, surprise surprise, one of the Pool of Visions. The blue liquid glowed faintly casting the small chamber in a ghastly color.
She had no clue how they worked, neither did the dark army who also possessed one. She recalled numerous times where they demanded her to show them how. After endearing many days of punishment, they finally gave up on understanding. The memory caused her to frown at the relic.
Soon enough they were traveling down grand, twisting passages that might've looked impressive in its prime. The vegetation had overgrown around the walls, making the hallways feel desolate and detached. It reminded her of old ruins, especially the structures on the tundra region of Dante's Freezer. Of course this temple didn't feel as if the walls were watching her.
Eventually, after many forks, they reached a room that was larger than the first chamber. There was no ceiling, but the area didn't need it. The walls towered in a wide circle that stretched to the skies. Platforms were scattered about the walls showcasing the many floors that must've been constructed. Each one adorned a symbol and an orange light.
The only dragon to show they were impressed was Spyro, who's eyes excitedly looked around the place. Did he not explore his own base? The two guardians made no comment about their surroundings. They silently went to an entryway that curved downwards.
She entered, noting how much darker the passage was. The desolate ones from before at least sported some kind of natural lighting with the orange lights and the tiny openings in the ceiling. There was no comfort here, the walls were seemingly more cracked and rotted as if nature tried to take it but starved.
"Wow, this is, uh... quite different from the other maze of hallways," Sparx remarked as he inspected a vine that had withered long ago.
No one answered back in their silent trek. There were no forks this time. The passage grew smaller, but the descent was constant. She wondered how far down they would have to go after a long minute. It was starting to become harder to see as well, the only obvious light source coming from Sparx. She still couldn't harness any of her mana, otherwise seeing in the dark would've been child's play.
Finally the passage opened up into an open chamber where there was one orange orb in the center of the ceiling. It hardly illuminated the room, but even still she could see the gates around her. Gates meant for keeping someone in, she wagered by the metallic glint the bars gave. Terrador went to one, and pulling at a switch on the ground with a heavy grunt, opened the gate. He turned to her and motioned her in with a tilt of his head.
She complied, making sure she stared forward and not looking at the contraption that he had pulled. When she passed the threshold, he closed the gate with a loud rattle and pulled at the switch once more.
"Now that's dealt with, can we please get to more important matters?" Cyril asked with a bit of frost blowing through his nostrils.
"Of course." Terrador turned to Spyro who had given Cynder another sympathetic smile. "Now then, what happened?"
A loaded question, one she was curious to learn about as well. Not with her defeat, obviously, but anything after.
"Should we really be talking about anything in front of Queen Psychopath?" Sparx asked, motioning to her.
"It's fine," Terrador answered.
Spyro fidgeted before letting out a sigh. "Cynder opened this weird place. Ignitus called it the portal to Convexity." The two guardians exchanged worried glances at the mention. "I followed her and she placed the crystal that had Ignitus' power in some well. We fought, but nothing came out of it."
"Yeah, it was like a constant light show the entire time," Sparx interjected. "Except ten times scarier and probably means trouble, but a light show nonetheless."
"Are you sure nothing escaped?" Terrador asked, his brow furrowed into a slight glare.
"Positive," Spyro nodded. "And then when I-" He looked at Cynder with a frown. "-stopped Cynder, she changed to what she is now and I carried her out through an opening."
He flew through the opening? Impossible, not unless he could also summon convexity too. Was the power he had related somehow?
"I see." Terrador looked at Cynder curiously before turning his attention to the ice guardian. "It seems we may have lucked out. The Dark Master must still be trapped in the realm of Convexity."
No! She did everything she was ordered to do! All the years she spent painstakingly acquiring the powers from all the guardians. Could her master not break out of the realm after being released from their prison? How was it she failed? Oh, stupid, don't show your emotions like that, Cynder! Thankfully no one had noticed her flustered demeanor.
"Wonderful, then it seems we can finally rest easy for a moment, hmm?" Cyril smirked at Cynder. "Not only is she an absolute failure of a dragon, but one that couldn't even finish what she started."
It took everything within her not to growl back. Even more to feint being hurt by his words.
"Cyril, stay here," Terrador commanded, eliciting an immediate growl from the ice dragon. "Spyro needs to recover and I need to relay his words to the others when they get back."
Cyril nodded in agreement, much to his and Cynder's displeasure.
"I can stay," Spyro said. "Don't worry, I can handle it."
"Oh no, come on, you heard what the big guy said." Sparx flew in front of Spyro's face and jabbed a finger at his nose. "You're going to go back up and stay far far away from the evil-she-dragon."
"No, Spyro. Until we're certain you're able, you need to rest." At that, Terrador walked off to the exit with Sparx flying along. "Do not make this an issue." Spyro shook his head and gave her a fleeting glance before he hurried off to Terrador.
Their clawsteps disappeared leaving only silence in her wake and her own breath. Cyril stood like a statue near the center, never taking his icy gaze away from her. She silently cursed, she would take this time to examine her cell, but she needed to act as if she was a helpless child if she hoped to gain any of their trust.
No, this is a good time to finally rest up. She didn't expect her captors to give her anything to restore her mana anytime soon. Soundlessly, she curled up into a corner and, with one last look at the ice guardian, lowered her head and closed her eyes.
Instantly, she was swept into the vast waves of her darkest dreams.
~.*.~
Author's Note
Hope this was a good opener. I haven't seen anything in the archive here or anywhere else that explores Cynder's immediate psyche after the duel between her and Spyro. I'm sure they exist, but I looked plenty! Already I think there might be some divergences where this will probably spiral down some AU route, but that's inevitable because I don't think the actual game handled this topic very well, if at all. If you read this far, then I hoped this fits within her personality (because really, she wouldn't just switch off her evil side with a flick of a switch, right?).
Anyways, thanks for reading. I'm not gonna make any promises about updates, I've been pretty bad about that for the last couple fics I've wrote. Besides, this kind of works as a oneshot if I end up not pursuing this fic.
~Until next time~