Muras took a deep breath, before knocking on the door to Master Hyrath's office. "Come in," Master Hyrath said from inside.
The purple dragon twisted the doorknob and opened the door, stepping into the office. He approached the school principal's desk and sat down across from him. "Ah, Muras. Glad you could make it before the lesson starts. I assume Cynder will be here soon?" Master Hyrath asked.
"I'm not sure. She and I don't really interact anywhere near as much as we used to, but she's not known for being late," Muras replied. "I can't imagine she'd be too much longer."
"Great. I'm sure you two know how today's going to go, but I would like to make things extra clear before we begin."
"That's understandable. I know both of us have never taught anything in a school before, and it's also been many years since the both of us were in school. Several decades for Cynder, and several centuries for me."
"I also appreciate your willingness to do this. While we work on new copies of the textbooks with the updated information, it'll be good to be able to go through some of the major key points of the Dark War with two of the main dragons who fought in it and lead the war, particularly from the other side. A lot of our content and knowledge, both in school textbooks and historical records, is primarily speculation, especially around you. It'll be good for everyone to start to get some factual information about the Dark Master and his Terror of the Skies."
"I agree, particularly if Forzen's copping a lot of judgement from it."
There was a knock on the door, to which Master Hyrath beckoned the person on the other side to come in. The door opened, and Cynder stepped into the room. "Cynder, glad you could make it as well. Take a seat," Master Hyrath said. "Now, I appreciate you both being open to do this, both speaking with the class studying the Dark War, and in updating our historical records. I do want to preface before we even start that our audience today will be students aged twelve to thirteen years old. I understand the nature of your stories is extremely intense, but there's some things I want to mention before we begin today.
"Starting with you, Muras. Now, these kids are still quite young, and frankly I think it would be incredibly inappropriate to mention some of the details regarding your family after your corruption, particularly the details involving your father and the crimes he committed. I would greatly appreciate it if you spared them of the exact details of what he did."
"I planned to, Master Hyrath," Muras replied. "I've already told the story to Forzen, and I did the same thing. It's not information they need to know quite yet."
"Great. Are there any other points in your story that may involve something similar or be as triggering or inappropriate?"
"Regarding what we're talking about today, I don't think so; it's mostly just a lot of death and killing, which is common in historical war accounts. Would you be concerned about mentioning how my foster brother died?"
"I think it'll be fine. It gives context after all; it'll show everyone that you did not murder him, nor the rest of your family. Your father's actions are the only part of it that I would like to leave out."
"Understood."
"Great. Now, Cynder. If I could give you one thing to be cautious about, it would be to think about the way you're saying things. I know you tend to be pretty blunt and harsh, particularly about harsh subjects," Master Hyrath said. "Could I challenge you to try and give them all the information about the birth of the Terror of the Skies a bit gentler? Don't coddle them like they're babies, but don't scare them."
"Could I also ask that you try not to show any contempt you have towards me?" Muras added in. "I know you've mostly moved on from it, but I know you still feel that hatred towards me whenever you talk about your time as the Terror, particularly regarding your corruption and how you were treated."
"Muras brings up a good point. I want to keep this strictly factual and free of tension between you two."
"Yeah, sure. I can do that," Cynder murmured.
"Are you sure?" Muras asked.
"I know it's harder for me to hide my anger, but I think I'll be distracted enough trying to do this to notice. After all, the historical records around my childhood also never got properly revised after the Dark War, even when the old guardians were still in charge and when I went to school," Cynder replied. "I think I'll be fine."
"Great. Now, we've got two minutes until the class starts. Is there anything you two need or are we good to head over to the classroom?" Master Hyrath asked.
"No, I don't think so," Cynder said.
"Actually there is one thing," Muras said, before turning to Cynder. "I just wanted to remind you that this is Forzen's class that we'll be here for. Please, for the love of the ancestors, don't start anything."
"I know that, Muras. I don't have that bad a memory," Cynder scoffed with a roll of her eyes.
"I'm just checking."
"Muras has a point, Cynder. I've heard that you two have some… unpleasant history over the past few weeks. I don't know any of the details, but I would prefer it if we didn't dive into any of that behaviour during the class, okay?" Master Hyrath said.
"I didn't plan to," Cynder replied.
"I would also like to ask that any inappropriate behaviour from the class also be discouraged. They will likely have a lot to say against Forzen already, but I think they'll have a lot to say about you two being here as well, particularly Muras."
"I understand."
"Thanks, Cynder. I do hope that if it does happen towards you two, it's not too bad. I know many dragons still hold the pain of the Dark War very closely to them, even after over a decade of having the both of you here in Warfang. Now, we should get going."
The three of them stood up, and Master Hyrath led the way over towards the classroom they would be teaching in. On the way there, he gave the two some final instructions for the order of the lesson.
"Firstly, I will introduce the two of you to the class and explain what the plan will be, considering it will be a very different type of lesson for them," Master Hyrath explained. "Not only with having two guest speakers here, especially when it's you two, but also taking into account the fact that they'll be unlearning some of what their previous teacher had explained about the Dark War and the origins of the Dark Master Malefor. After that, I'll have Muras open the lesson by taking about his backstory, how he fell into darkness and became Malefor, and how the guardians of his time had sealed him away in Convexity. Then I would like Cynder to take over and explain her origins to the best of her abilities, since I know she didn't retain a lot of her earliest memories before corruption."
"She didn't have any," Muras murmured. "She was corrupted the moment she hatched. Straight out of the egg and into the chains for corruption."
"Really? I didn't know that. How come you never told me?" Cynder asked.
"It never came up. I wanted you to approach me asking about your corruption," Muras murmured. "The last thing I wanted was to open up old trauma and emotions by springing a conversation like that on you. Besides, I was also trying to deal with my own trauma from Armageddon for a good few years, and after that I barely saw you."
"Well you should have told me," Cynder growled, and Muras could tell from the glint in her eyes that she wanted to slap him, but had decided that wouldn't be smart to do in the middle of the schoolgrounds. "I deserved to know."
"I take it then Muras will explain how Cynder's life as the Terror of the Skies began?" Master Hyrath asked.
"I think I might have to," Muras said sadly, before turning to Cynder. "Sorry."
"Save your pitiful apologies for later and let's just get this over with. I'll take over when I can," Cynder snapped.
Muras sighed. "Okay. Okay, I understand."
They made their way to the classroom in the next few moments. Master Hyrath opened the door for Muras and Cynder, letting them both in, before following. They took their seats in the front of the room, staring out over the empty tables. Muras felt a tingling in his gut as nervousness took hold of him.
Then, the bell rang, and a few minutes later, young teens started to file into the room. Wide eyes met Muras and Cynder, and they took their seats silently, their gazes fearful. Muras watched as Forzen then stepped into the room, and almost audibly squeaked when he saw Cynder standing there. The younger purple dragon took a cautious step backwards, his legs shaking, and he almost looked like he was about to run away.
Master Hyrath seemed to catch onto the same body language as him, and the earth dragon spoke out. "Young Forzen, sit down please. It'll be okay," he assured him.
"But… Cynder… she…" Forzen stammered, fear evident in his voice.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Cynder groaned exasperatedly, sounding as if she was holding back a threat or insult. "Just sit down please."
Forzen looked up at her, uncertainty filling his eyes, but after a moment of hesitation he finally moved forward, stepping forward and sneaking towards the back of the classroom where he sat alone. No one sat with him at the group of tables. Muras' heart broke; he knew this was happening and that Forzen had no friends, but to see it for himself, seeing Forzen sitting on his own, defeat and acceptance in his eyes, made him want to cry for the young dragon who didn't deserve any of this.
Muras swallowed the lump in his throat. He could do that later when he got home. For now, he needed to focus on the task at hand, and that was teaching these students the truth about Malefor, not some twisted version of the story that a clueless, biased, bigoted teacher had conjured up.
Once everyone had arrived, Master Hyrath welcomed everyone and did the roll call, before beginning the lesson. "Alright, now I'm sure everyone has noticed we have two guests in the room. Today we are resuming our topic on the Dark War, but we'll be going backwards briefly to touch up on some of what I heard was taught earlier," Master Hyrath explained to the class. "Master Krygour's lesson content had contained some incorrect information, and so we have two of the major figures in the Dark War here with us today, Muras and Cynder. Muras will be going through his history and how he became Malefor, and will also touch a little on Cynder's corruption. Then she will take over from there and explain a few things about her life as the Terror of the Skies.
"Now, I understand there may be some unfamiliar aspects and topics to these stories, and ones that may go against some of the things you've been told by parents, teachers, society, whoever it may be. But today is meant to clear everything up and provide some truth to the history that we have previously tried to fill in the dots on. Feel free to ask questions if you want clarification or more explanation on certain things that they are describing."
"I have a question," a fire dragon said, raising a paw.
"Yes, Haldrad, what is it?"
"Well… how do you know that the purple dragon is telling the truth? What if he feeds us a bunch of lies to make himself look good? You can't expect us to trust the dragon that used to be Malefor, right?"
"Same with Cynder!" another dragon called out. "How do you know we can trust her?"
"Whoa, hold on," Cynder piped up. "I thought we'd all moved past this with me, particularly after all I've done, all I've sacrificed for Warfang."
"It doesn't matter!" the yellow dragon argued. "You still killed people!"
"I haven't been the Terror of the Skies in twenty-three years, long before you were even born."
"You killed my grandparents and my uncle!"
"You grounded my grandma!" another dragon shouted.
"You killed my older sisters and blinded my mother in one eye!" exclaimed a dragoness.
"ENOUGH!" Master Hyrath bellowed. "I want none of this from anyone today, or in future lessons where I may get Muras or Cynder in again. I want the utmost respect towards them, since they are taking time out of their busy lives, particularly General Cynder, to help you all learn about the Dark War and give you accurate information on how the dark side operated. I can verify from a few meetings with them that this information is reliable and trustworthy, and even the guardians will back that up. Now I want everyone's respect and attention towards them, and I only want questions that are genuine and not bigoted or judgemental in any way, is that understood?"
"You can't make me respect that moras'tov!" an ice dragon snapped, causing Muras to flinch. "Either of them!"
"I SAID IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?" Master Hyrath roared, slamming his clubbed tail on the ground for emphasis.
"Yes, Master Hyrath," the whole classroom except the ice dragon that had spoken up chorused.
"Igarva. Do you understand me?"
"You can't make me respect anyone. Respect is something that someone has to work to earn, to deserve. Cynder may have earned that, but Malefor has done nothing of the sort," Igarva, the ice dragon, replied.
"I won't ask again, and I will carry out a punishment if I need to; after all, I run this school. Now I don't care what your personal opinion of Muras is, whether you like him or not. But I want respect towards him as long as he is in this room. Are we clear, Igarva?" Master Hyrath threatened, speaking in a terrifying tone that Muras wasn't expecting.
Igarva groaned, slumping back in his seat. "Yes, Master Hyrath…" he huffed.
"Good. Before we start as well, I want to also warn you that there may be some heavy topics discussed today, so if anything is upsetting you, feel free to let me know. Now, I'll have Muras begin now and he'll talk about the origins of Malefor, the Dark Master," the earth dragon said, before turning and nodding to Muras.
The purple dragon gulped, nervousness washing over him. He felt beads of sweat start to form on his brow, and he had to try not to let his nerves get the better of him. "Alright, uhhh… so, I was born here in Warfang, about a thousand years ago," Muras started. "I was raised, like you, pure, innocent, free from darkness in my heart. I was… I was a normal kid. I was happy, kind, and free, and was an only child.
"I was ten when I had darkness enter my heart, two years younger than the Dark Overlord was. I was captured by a cult, who had been trying to hunt me down ever since I was born. They captured me, took me to the Well of Souls, and threw me in there, attempting to sacrifice me to the fallen souls that slumbered inside the Well. They left me, and I was stuck in there for weeks. A Night of Eternal Darkness happened while I was down there, and I was caught in the dark energy beam that sprouted out of it, and I had darkness enter my heart."
"Okay, we get it," Haldrad interrupted. "That's your corruption story, but it doesn't change anything. We know the details of everything that happened after that."
"Haldrad, enough," Master Hyrath scolded, but Muras raised a paw.
"Let me challenge that. What happens next, if you know my story so well?" Muras said, narrowing his eyes at the young fire dragon, knowing that he would not get a correct response.
"You returned home, let the darkness fester inside you, and then you got greedy for power, killed the guardians, killed your family, and started a war," Haldrad explained. "It's as simple as that."
"Also speaking of your family, all the accounts say you had a brother, but you said you were an only child. You're lying, hiding something from us," an earth dragoness added.
"My family adopted a dragon later when I was twelve, which was after my corruption. I'm going in order, so by that point I was an only child. As for you, Haldrad, there's many things wrong with what you said. I didn't let the darkness fester inside me. For many years I didn't even know it was there, and when it was starting to get strong enough to feel, I didn't know what it was until it was too late. I also only killed one guardian, and I never killed my family. I may have gotten greedy for power and started a war, but I was deep into my fall into the personality I would later name Malefor by the time that happened."
"So how did you figure out that it was the darkness inside of you festering?" another dragon asked, to which Muras sighed with relief at a genuine question.
"And who did kill your family if it wasn't you?" another asked.
"Hindsight gave me all the answers about what happened to me," Muras explained. "I still don't have a complete understanding of the darkness inside of me to know everything that was going on, but I have enough information to know that it was there even while I was clueless to its existence and didn't know it was still inside me after all those years. The ancestors gave me a few answers as well after they pulled me into the crystal into the core twenty years ago, which purified me in preparation to bring me back. As for my family, I'll get to that, but in the end, they were ultimately all responsible for their own deaths.
"Now, going back to the story, I eventually made it out of the Well of Souls, and it took me nine days to return to Warfang. I was grossly undernourished. I found out that I had been gone for seventeen days without much food or water, alone and afraid.
"I spent the next few years going through major mood swings, going from feeling like a normal dragon to… just being angry all the time. Everyone, including myself, blamed it on my trauma from spending two weeks alone without family, friends, food and water, but looking back, it's clear there was darkness at play.
"I experienced a lot of loss later on as well, as I lost many people close to me: great-great-grandparents, cousins, and an uncle, all by the time I turned eighteen. I was twenty-one when one of my closest friends committed suicide.
"I was involved in a war when I was twenty-three, and did what I thought was right in going to fight for Warfang. It turned out to not be the case when I found out that I was the target for the opposition, which was the major wolf city called Wyaar. They managed to capture me, and I was imprisoned in Wyaar with a high ransom price put over my head. Warfang tried to rescue me and that was a failure. That was the first time I remember actually breaking down. I lost a cousin in that rescue mission. Three months later there was another one, and I was finally rescued. In that time, I had returned to being malnourished and depressed, and so I was excused from fighting so I could turn my attention to recovery.
"When I rejoined the army I was twenty-five, and that's when I did my first major act of slaughtering. For the first time, I felt revenge. I felt bloodlust. I wanted the wolves dead. So I killed them all. I decimated their king and slaughtered more. The rest of the wolves scattered in fear."
"It took you fifteen years to first feel the bloodlust you were so well known for? Why so long? Or was that the first time you acted upon it?" a dragon asked.
"It was the first time I ever felt it. I don't know why it was such a slow burn for me. My fall into darkness was a slow, long journey, but it crept up on me gradually, and then suddenly it came up and gripped me like a vice, and by that point I couldn't get out of it. The slaughter of the wolves was the moment my descent went from 'gradually' to 'suddenly'. Unfortunately, I was so blinded by everything else going on around me that I never realised it, so I couldn't get myself out. I went further and further into it, and it was too late.
"It also didn't help that I was treated as a hero for my actions in Wyaar. It made me think that what I was doing wasn't a bad thing. That also kept up the drive to keep going. That was what fueled my greed for power. I organised crimes to happen so I could swoop in and stop them. I paid people to do all the criminal work for me, to fight me. I wanted the thrill of the fight, the violence. The guardians found out and I was imprisoned for it.
"I was twenty-eight when I was released, and while I tried to do what was right, the darkness inside me was getting real bad. I didn't know it was even there; I wasn't in tune enough with it to know what it really was. I didn't know what was fuelling my anger. I became an awful person, a bully, over the next year."
"That was when you completed your fall into Malefor," a dragon piped up.
"Correct. It was my twenty-ninth hatchday when I became the Dark Master. I wanted power, I went to the guardians for it. I killed the ice guardian. They eventually managed to overpower me, weakening me with a combined elemental attack. I retreated, back to the Well of Souls.
"This is the part where my family died: my brother committed suicide. My parents were too deep in their grief to realise until it had already happened. My father wanted death but couldn't bring himself to do it on his own. So, he committed some atrocious crimes to put him on death row; he was executed within three days of imprisonment. My mother had tried to stay strong the whole time, but after everything that happened, she committed suicide also. I had no direct involvement in their deaths. They died from their grief and horror of what I had done, as well as the loss of each other for the later ones that went, but I did not kill them. I want to make that very clear."
"What crimes did your father do?"
Muras blinked. He didn't know how to deflect that question. Master Hyrath had told him not to mention his father's crimes due to the nature of some of them. Luckily, the principal came to his rescue when he spoke up instead.
"The crimes of Muras' father is not something that I think is appropriate to mention here, nor is it super relevant to the story at hand. We're focusing on Muras, not his father. I asked Muras not to go into detail, but they were bad enough to the point where he had to be sentenced to execution. Trust me on that and do not ask any further right now," Master Hyrath said.
"So you're just… leaving out information? I thought today was supposed to 'clear the misinformation' that we were given," Haldrad asked with a roll of his eyes.
"It is not appropriate for this audience. It will be mentioned in updated historical texts to preserve all of the information, as per Muras' permission to have it published, so if you are that curious you are always able to look into it, but I warn you it is not for the faint of heart," Master Hyrath said coldly. "Anyway, please continue, Muras."
"Oh please, we're sitting here talking about suicide and killing and death, death, death! We're talking about the birth of the Dark Master! What could be worse to talk about than that?!" Haldrad exclaimed, preventing the purple dragon from continuing his recount.
"Haldrad, trust me on this; I do not think this particular topic is appropriate for this audience."
"Why, because we're too young? Master Hyrath, we're living in a time that's probably worse than the Dark War! Living through it! Surely we can handle a little bit of extra death in a war origin story!" Haldrad snapped, before turning on Muras. "Surely he would've had to kill a lot of dragons to be sentenced to execution! How many did your father kill? Twenty? Thirty?"
"Uhhh… no, not quite that many, but—" Muras murmured under his breath, but Haldrad had heard him.
"Okay, so what then?! My uncle killed six dragons before the war started and he wasn't executed! He got two hundred years in prison! Your father must've done something else!"
"Haldrad, now is not the time!" Master Hyrath snapped.
"No! You said today is meant to clear everything up! I don't want to leave here with questions! I want to know everything about who this demon speaking at us is! Who knows, it might help us figure out what type of demon the moras'tov at the back of the class is going to be!"
"Hey!" Muras exclaimed, not at all happy that Forzen was getting dragged into this mess; he watched as Forzen shrunk into his seat in the back of the room.
"You're a hypocrite, Master Hyrath, for wanting to keep information from us when you told us we would have everything cleared up and answered for us!"
"This doesn't even concern me! It's about my father! All that I was aiming to do was to clear up that I didn't kill my family! You don't need any extra information!" Muras snapped.
"You told us how your adopted brother and your mother died!"
"And I told you how my father died!"
"You didn't tell us what he did to warrant his execution! I feel like that's kinda important context to the whole thing!"
"Kinda important isn't vital to the story, Haldrad," a fire dragoness piped up, surprising Muras as he watched another student get herself involved in the very unnecessary argument.
"Why are you standing up for him, Volryss?!" Haldrad shouted.
"Because so far, this story is telling me that Muras didn't willingly turn into Malefor, and he wasn't the main one behind everything he did!" Volryss challenged. "Maybe he's not as bad as we all thought he was before his purification."
"You can't seriously be saying that! We've already done all this with Cynder, and that was easy because Malefor was the one behind the way she was! He doesn't even know anything about the darkness that he gave into!"
"So you're needing someone to blame, is that it?"
"That someone to blame is HIM! He's making up LIES to get us to stop blaming him for everything he did as 'the Dark Master'! He's leaving out information! Who know what else he's hiding if he can't even tell us how his father died?! It should be easy since it's not even about him!"
"Haldrad, you're looking way too deep into this," another dragon piped up. "I think you're nuts."
"It's not about it being easy; did you not hear what Master Hyrath said?" said another. "If he thinks the topic or reasoning is inappropriate for us then maybe we don't need to know quite yet."
Muras blinked, not expecting any of the students to be standing up to him, considering how hateful they'd been towards him so far. He knew there was still a lot of hate towards him, particularly now that he was sheltering Forzen, but he hadn't heard it be so vocal for a while now. It was weird to hear the insults thrown at him again, and even weirder to see other students taking a stand to fight for him as well.
He looked back at Haldrad, who was sweating and breathing heavily. He was going mad, his rage taking control of him. He needed to calm himself before he said something he was going to regret. The youngling was a fire dragon, and Muras knew that anger problems were common among fire dragons, particularly teenagers.
But even this was way too ridiculous. He didn't think he'd seen a young teen with such awful anger before. He was getting so worked up, so hyperfocused on a piece of information that wasn't even necessary to the story. It wasn't anything he needed to know in the first place.
"I'm just going to move on with the story…" Muras started.
"NO! I WANT ANSWERS!" Haldrad roared.
"SIT DOWN OR YOU WON'T GET THEM!" Master Hyrath bellowed, and silence filled the room. Master Hyrath took a deep, frustrated breath, before he spoke again. "Anyone who desperately wants to know this irrelevant piece of information can stay back after class and I will tell you. I won't stop you from finding out when revised history documents are published so if you really feel you need to know for whatever reason, I will tell you once everyone else has gone."
"Why can't you just tell us all?" Igarva asked. "Don't use the 'you're too young' stick; we've been through enough during this war as is."
"It's not quite like death and murder, so I would still say that is a valid reason," Master Hyrath replied. "It is the main reason I have, but it is not the only reason."
"What's the other?"
"That is something I do not have to disclose."
"That's all fine and dandy, but I want to hear it from the demon's mouth. I want to hear him say it," Haldrad scowled.
"Fine. I will stay back and be the one to tell you," Muras huffed, wanting this argument to be over.
"Good. Now, Haldrad. I want to see you in my office at the end of the day," Master Hyrath growled coldly. "That argument and escalation was unacceptable. Not only were you incredibly rude to me and your peers, but you interrupted the class, and disobeyed my order to show respect to Muras. I'd better not hear another peep from you again, do you understand me?"
"Yes, I understand…" Haldrad grumbled.
"Alright. Now, Muras. Please continue."
"Thanks. So… I returned to Warfang shortly after my retreat, and that was when I found out about my family's death," Muras explained. "Even though I had become the Dark Master by that point, I still felt heartbroken over their deaths. It pushed me further over the edge. I lost all feelings for anyone by that point. I killed many, many more dragons, some of them being cousins and uncles, and other not-so-close relatives to me."
"So… you did kill your family?" one of the students asked, intent for clarification clear in her voice.
"I… Well, I guess to some extent I did. Not my immediate family, but other relatives of mine… yes. I guess that counts. Umm… after that attack, the war… raged on for another twenty years. Wanting the bloodshed and warfare to end, the guardians tried to contact the ancestors for aid. Aloelle, the firstborn purple dragon responded. She helped the guardians to imprison me in Convexity, where I remained trapped, unaging, for one thousand years.
"Even from my imprisonment, I was still able to contact and command the apes from Convexity, so the war raged on, although nowhere near as intense as it had been. For the most part, it was quite peaceful throughout the Dragon Realms… until Cynder came along.
"The intention was always to grab Spyro, as I knew the guardians were holding a purple egg in the Dragon Temple near the Swamp. I sent my forces to find the purple egg, but I also told Gaul, my ape general, to take another egg as backup, just in case we were unable to get Spyro. That egg ended up being Cynder. Every other egg was destroyed. We took her egg back, and the moment Cynder hatched, we chained her up and corrupted her. I refused to wait. I needed a dragon general and I wasn't giving this hatchling a chance to latch onto anything else. I needed a bloodthirsty, emotionless dragon in charge, and so I wasn't going to let her develop those emotions or the morals needed to get in the way of her bloodlust."
Muras looked towards Cynder, who was staring at him with wide, horrified eyes. A small sense of closure gleamed in her eyes, but Muras could still see the pain inside them. He could see the trauma inside them. Her time as the Terror of the Skies still affected her greatly, no matter how much she had seemed to move on from it. That was a trauma that would never go away.
"That's… that's how the Terror of the Skies was born," Muras murmured, before stepping back and nodding towards Cynder.
She stepped forward and spent a few moments trying to recompose herself. "I, uh… I was learning some of those last things about me at the same time as you guys. It… it doesn't make my situation any better, any less horrific, but it brought some clarity and closure about some of those early aspects of my life," she said. "As you know, I was bloodthirsty and loved to kill and destroy and fight, and by the sounds of it, that's what the Dark Master had intended. By corrupting me so early on that I wouldn't develop any other feelings… it helped create the monster that a small percentage of the world still sees me as now. It helped create my current personality, alongside the extra traumas I've picked up along the way.
"The way I lived the first twelve years of my life is no secret to anyone in Warfang now, but I'll explain it again in case someone doesn't know. The real me sat trapped inside my mind, watching, tasting, feeling everything that Malefor's darkness forced me to do, unable to do anything about it. I couldn't fight back, couldn't stop it, couldn't do anything. I could only watch and take everything in as I slaughtered millions."
"But… even if you could, you wouldn't have been able to anyway, right? Muras said you didn't develop those emotions or morals," a dragoness asked.
"The thing is, I did. Somewhat. Malefor's plan obviously wasn't as infallible as he had thought it was. My emotions and morals never got in the way of what my body was doing and saying as it was under the Terror of the Skies' control, who at that point was essentially an entirely new entity separate from me. But all throughout those twelve years as I watched kill after kill after kill, I developed the itch that… that it was wrong. I screamed, I cried, I pleaded, inside my mind. I wanted it to stop. I can't explain it, but at the same time, I… I didn't know why. I felt the pain and emotions of those that I killed and it painted itself on me. I felt the pain and the fear and the anger that they did towards me. But I didn't understand what it was that I was feeling.
"When I was rescued from my prison inside the mind of the Terror, every emotion that I never got the chance to develop hit me all at once. The emotions were crushing, and I didn't know how to deal with them, or what emotions I was feeling. Now that I had control, the grief, shame, fear and sorrow hit me properly, and it was so suffocating that I ran to get away. That's why I ran from the Dragon Temple on the Night of Eternal Darkness all those years ago. It's why I found developing positive emotions like happiness and love so hard because even through my imprisonment, I never felt any of that. It's why I struggled with my emotions so much, and still do. I've known for years I never developed them properly, I just… I never knew why."
Cynder gave Muras a brief look that almost said 'thank you', before she turned back to the class and continued speaking.
"I know many dragons went through hell under my wrath, but I also went through my own hell. I was a victim as well. I was a victim to the Dark Master. He made me the monster that I was, and stopped me from ever developing normal feelings."
"So… You're still saying Malefor is the villain, then, right?" Igarva asked. "Why should we feel for him and want to accept him then?"
"Because like myself and the Terror of the Skies, Muras and Malefor are two completely different people, even though they shared the same body and mind. I hope hearing Muras' story brought some extra clarity to that."
"So who's the villain of the Dark War then? Who are we supposed to blame for it if he isn't to blame, as you say?" Igarva questioned, pointing to Muras almost mockingly.
"Don't get me wrong, Malefor is still the villain," Muras clarified. "Malefor was still the one in charge, calling all the shots, and he was the one who started the war. I shared and felt his every thought, and spent a thousand years trapped with him. I know how he thought and what he was scheming. But he is not me. I am not Malefor. I'd say the real villain is both Malefor, and whatever dark force was absorbed into me that created Malefor. As to what that is, I still don't know."
"So… you two both describe your dark sides, Malefor and the Terror, as… as separate entities created by the dark magic that shared and controlled your bodies, right? That you two were 'trapped' inside your minds as your dark selves took the reins?" a lightning dragon asked, looking up from some of the notes he was taking.
"I… Yes, that is correct," Muras replied.
"Well… I hope this isn't me speculating too much, and I know this is a history class so this probably isn't even the right place for me to ask, but… do you think that could be happening with Spyro too? He's taken on a dark form and taken on the alias 'Dark Overlord', although he hasn't renamed himself entirely like you did, Muras. He had a similar fall to darkness, and had a similar exposure of darkness to you in the Well of Souls."
"You're asking me if… if Spyro experienced… is experiencing… what we felt? A separate dark entity controlling his body, trapping himself in the furthest, darkest corners of his mind?" Muras repeated for clarification.
"Yes. Could that be a possibility?"
"No. Not at all," Cynder snapped, beating Muras to the answer.
"Are you sure?" the lightning dragon challenged. "All the individual points of evidence particularly among Muras and Spyro aren't dissimilar in the slightest."
"I don't think it's possible. It can't be," Cynder growled. "Spyro is not a victim like we were."
"Cynder, I think it's plausible enough of a theory," Muras murmured, turning to look at her with wide eyes.
"No. NO! He's evil and… and…"
"How can you not want to think that there's a chance that Spyro… your mate… is not truly at fault for this? How does it not give you relief that there's a slight chance that he is still in there?"
"You have no proof, no evidence! I will not go around building up false hope on theories and hunches! Besides, that dragon is dead to me, and you know this, Muras," Cynder snarled, raising her head high and advancing on Muras threateningly.
"But Cynder, there is—" the lightning dragon who asked the question started.
"VALARIS, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Master Hyrath roared. "I should have stopped this conversation before the question was even answered; you're right in that this class is not an appropriate place to ask about speculation on current events. We are here to learn about the history of the previous war that we endured, and to gain facts, and only facts, from Muras and Cynder. Speculation and misinformation is what caused this lesson to happen in the first place: a lesson to right the wrongs that we had been preaching towards you. Misinformation causes nothing but pain and hurt, and it paints an incredibly inaccurate picture of the truth, which I'm sure you can tell after hearing the comparison to what Master Krygour told you, and what Muras is telling you now. I do not want to hear any other questions like that, understand?"
"Yes, Master Hyrath," the lightning dragon murmured, shrinking in his seat after being scolded.
But Master Hyrath wasn't done with the scolding. He turned to Cynder and began to raise his voice at her, meeting her stony gaze with his own. "And as for you, Cynder, control yourself, damn it! You're here to help teach this subject, and to be professional. Keep your anger in check in front of everyone!" Master Hyrath snapped. "Is that understood?"
Cynder sighed with a roll of her eyes, not used to being scolded by Master Hyrath. He was the principal even when she was in school, but she was well-behaved enough where she never got in trouble with him. He was even looking out for her, making sure she wasn't bullied or attacked by students and teachers alike for her past as the Terror of the Skies. Eventually, after appearing very conflicted about a few inner thoughts, she replied, "Yes, I understand."
"Good. You and I will talk later. Now, let's wrap up the class; we're getting close to the end. Does anyone have any more questions? And nothing that is speculative or that is insensitive!"
The class was silent.
The bell for the next class then rang.
"Alright, in that case, the class is over. I hope you all learned something from this. Next lesson we will have Muras back to explain how the culture of Warfang was at the time of his fall, who the guardians were and what their roles were, as well as what they did to help fight against him in the major battles leading up to his imprisonment in Convexity. Next week, Cynder will be back to go over the details of many of the battles and sieges she led, how the ape military worked, how she led them, up to the capture of the guardians to help her open the portal to Convexity to free the Dark Master. Now, off to your next class. You are all dismissed," Master Hyrath announced.
Muras watched as all the students filed out of the room. He watched as Forzen grabbed his stuff and walked out at the back of the group, making sure he was one of the last students out behind the large mob of young dragons that rushed out of the door. Forzen didn't even look once at Muras.
It's like he's trying to avoid me here, Muras thought. Is he ashamed of me? I guess it makes sense, being a hated purple dragon being raised by another purple dragon, particularly one who started the last war that Warfang had been a part of.
Once all the students had vacated the classroom, Master Hyrath turned to him and Cynder. "Alright, let's head back to my office. I want to debrief," he said, before making his way to the door.
Muras turned his gaze towards Cynder, who just huffed with agitation and began to march after Master Hyrath. The purple dragon sighed and followed suit, his head hanging low.
That lesson could have gone better, particularly at the end, Muras thought.
And that was Master Hyrath's first words to them as soon as they all sat back down in his office. "Don't get me wrong, the recounts of the events were good, and you answered the students' questions well, and handled Haldrad's insensitive question well, but I was not happy with how you handled Valaris' question," the earth dragon said without emotion. "I understand I should have shut the question down earlier, as it was unproductive and unrelated to the lesson, but I will have to admit that I was curious. I also wasn't expecting that reaction out of you, Cynder, which I'm greatly disappointed about. I better not see any of that again next time you're here."
"I'm sorry, but—" Cynder started.
"No buts!" Master Hyrath interrupted. "I know you are very sensitive about topics related to Spyro, but for the love of the ancestors, keep your anger in check and don't explode at the students! Valaris was not trying to antagonise you, he was just asking a genuine question and I think was wanting to try and understand the current war at hand a bit better."
"There's nothing to understand about that when the assumption was wrong," Cynder replied.
"Cynder, you shut him down quicker than you had time to properly even think about what he was saying. I know you've been through your grief, but… you grieved hard for the loss of your mate when Spyro turned, didn't you?" Muras asked.
"Yes. I did. What's that got to do with any of it?" Cynder asked.
"Well what if your mate is still here? What if he's going through the same hell you and I went through? Trapped inside his mind, watching as the Dark Overlord does his evil deeds?"
"Muras, Valaris is twelve. He doesn't understand matters as complex as war."
"You'd be surprised what goes on in a child's head," Master Hyrath said. "They can be deceivingly wise and smart for a young age sometimes, and say things that you never expect them to say."
"I don't believe you," Cynder replied with a shake of her head.
"Cynder, take it from two dragons who actually lived a real childhood," Muras interjected, causing Cynder to glare at him with a look of hurt, as if what he said had cut to her core, almost mocking her. "Children will surprise you with the wisdom and knowledge and theories they pick up, whether they're twelve, or even younger."
"Very much so. And Valaris… Valaris is an exceptionally smart dragon, so even more so for him. Don't underestimate some of the things he says," Master Hyrath added. "Do what you want with his theory, but… at least give it some thought."
"I don't need to. My mind is made up," Cynder growled. "Spyro is dead to me, and will forever be dead to me. He betrayed me, he betrayed Warfang. He sacrificed the peace that we fought so hard to gain. We fought SO HARD for it, and he just went and THREW IT ALL AWAY! All our peace, all our hope, GONE! THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD, GONE! MY MATE, GONE!"
By now, Muras had stepped back cautiously, noticing how raw her screams were becoming, as her throat constricted with each shout, each breath hoarse and dry. She terrified him when she was like this. She had bad anger problems even back when they first reunited twelve years ago, but it had only gotten worse since, and it was at the point where he was scared to talk to her, let alone be near her, when she was having a breakdown. No other emotion ever came out of her anymore; it was only ever anger. Where twelve years ago she would've broken down in tears, expressed sadness or grief, it was now replaced by rage. Muras didn't know the last time he ever saw her cry.
But he swallowed his fear and spoke anyway.
"Cynder… you can't seriously be throwing away the one possibility that your Spyro is still in there!" Muras exclaimed. "Is there truly nothing in you that desires to have him back again? Is there nothing in you that wants to save him the way he saved you?"
"SHUT UP!" Cynder snarled.
"LET ME SPEAK!" Muras argued, not expecting to shout as loud as he did. He took a deep breath to calm himself, before continuing. "Look, I know it's hurtful to think back to what you had with him. But if Valaris' theory is true, then there is at long last hope. The real Spyro could still be in there, and we could get him out, and put a stop to this awful war. You could have your family back again. Your family. Would you really throw away that future, that hope, just because you want to believe Spyro is actually evil? Because you want him dead?"
"Muras, you think it's hurtful for me to think back on my past life? It's agonising. It tears me apart," Cynder growled lowly, advancing on him and looking down at him. "I've already lost all of that. I can't get it back. Even if Valaris' theory is true and we're able to get him back, it won't be the same. I don't think I could ever have him back. Not after everything he's done to me… to the world. But even then, it's only a chance. What if it's not true and we hold onto false hope, only for Spyro to rip it from our cold, dead hearts? What if we try and get the real Spyro out, and he was never there to begin with? What if the Dark Overlord is the real Spyro? We get ourselves close and vulnerable to him, and then he takes us in, tears us down, or even worse, brings us back to that hell we are so used to. The hell I was raised in… the hell I was born into.
"No, the real Spyro's dead. I refuse to hold onto false hope. I refuse to hold onto uncertain hope. And who knows what damage has been done to Spyro even if that was the case? I had to fight back urges that my body had grown all too familiar with over my twelve years as the Terror. Even if the real Spyro was to come out, I wouldn't trust him one bit. He's better off killed."
"Cynder, you know how hard it was for you once you were brought out of your imprisonment inside the Terror. Mentally, but socially," Master Hyrath said. "I know how hard it was for you. I stood up for you, protected you, made sure you were safe within these schoolgrounds. I know very well what torment you were going through. You didn't have many by your side, and all through this, Spyro was your strongest cornerstone. Think about how Spyro would feel. How would he feel if he came back out of his darkness, confused and scared, everyone hating him, including his beloved mate? How would you feel if Spyro turned his back on you in a time of need?"
"First of all, do not compare my suffering, my dark deeds, to Spyro's," Cynder growled. "Do not even compare Malefor's deeds to Spyro's. Malefor corrupted one child; Spyro's corrupted dozens. Malefor slaughtered millions; Spyro's slaughtered probably ten times more. Malefor summoned the Destroyer; Spyro summoned Naar'voth."
There was an uncomfortable silence as Muras and Master Hyrath recoiled as his name was said. No one really spoke about Naar'voth since Armageddon. It was almost taboo to say his name. It brought back horrific, traumatising memories for everyone, whether they were possessed by him or not. Even Cynder looked taken off guard that she had spoken the name of the devil that had threatened the entire world. But at the same time, she looked like she intended to do it, to prove her point.
Spyro was worse than even Malefor, the greatest evil the world had known at the time. Before the Dark Overlord, before Naar'voth.
Cynder continued, "Spyro gave the world another purple threat to worry about as well, and I hate that I contributed to that fact. That leads me onto my second point: I already know how I would feel. Because I lived it. I was a new mother, trying to look after a newborn hatchling, while at the same time being plagued by nightmares and dark omens that would 'warn' me about this coming war. And he… he turned his back on me. He betrayed me. He was the very thing I was being warned about. He stole my child from me. He took everything from me."
"But Cynder, your child is here. He's not gone; he is back in your life," Muras said. "He was in the very class you were teaching today. I'm sure he would give anything to have his mother back in his life but instead you pushed him away. He's afraid of you. Because not only have you pushed him away, but you abuse him and threaten him whenever he's near. If you lose your son again, it will be your fault, not Spyro's."
"Muras, that purple worm is not my son anymore. He was raised in Dark Peak for twelve years. He was raised under Spyro. I don't know what darkness Spyro has put into him, but I fear what he could do. No son of mine will ever carry evil," Cynder replied.
"That's the thing, Cynder. I don't think he does," Master Hyrath said. "He seems completely free of it. He doesn't pick fights, he's respectful towards those who hate and attack him, and he's quiet. He doesn't even fight back in a fight, real or a supervised spar. Master Almai told me it took a lot of effort to get him in the ring for a sparring match. Cynder, he's clean. He's clean and he's getting unfairly villainised. The same way you were. You and him are way more similar than you think; he's practically living your schooling life, except unlike you, he has no support from anyone his age. Most of everyone else who tolerates him also secretly fears him and hates him."
"Don't you DARE compare me and him, got that?" Cynder snapped. "And what's with this sudden change of heart? You were no different when he first came to the school. You told us you would protect him to keep up the school's image of safety, not because you believed it!"
"The aftermath of the venomfang attack showed me otherwise," Master Hyrath explained. "The first time he ever fought back was against a venomfang, a creature that everyone thought was one of his own. And he did it to protect the other students—students who couldn't give a damn about him, and who also want him dead. A dragon like the one I thought he was would never do that, even to keep up a false façade to fool us. He is genuinely a good dragon."
"The evidence is there, Cynder," Muras added. "The more you deny it makes you look even more insane. The more you hate him and despise him makes you look stupid. At this point it feels like you're just treating him like a punching bag."
"He's good NOW. What about ten years from now? He's good NOW, but so were both you and Spyro," Cynder replied. "What will happen in ten years once he hits the age you and Spyro fell? Will he fall? I will not build up any ties to him; I cannot go through that grief again, of losing him, of losing a beloved dragon close to me to evil. I fear what he will do. He has less power than Spyro, but only by a margin; he's still incredibly strong, and is significantly more skilled with his elements than I think any dragon is. If he went dark, he would be an even worse threat than Spyro, and I believe that wholeheartedly. Forzen is no longer my son. I fear him, and I hate him. Nothing will make me change that."
"ANCESTORS DAMN IT, CYNDER! HOW CAN YOU BE SO BLIND TO THE TRUTH?!" Muras roared, his anger finally getting the better of him. "HOW CAN YOU HATE HIM SO MUCH WHEN HE'S DONE NOTHING WRONG?! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT HE'LL TURN EVIL!"
"I didn't know Spyro would, yet here we are."
Muras slapped her.
He did it without even thinking.
The glare he received from her made him regret it immediately. He stood there, trembling, waiting for her to lunge at him and rip his throat out. Even through his fear, his rage still burned strongly.
A shuddering breath left him, before he spoke once more, cutting through the deafening silence.
"I hate you. I hate who and what you've become. I thought… I thought after all this time, you'd become someone good. Someone with good morals. I thought you would be able to help someone in need, particularly someone who is going through something not all that different to what you had been through. But… you've just grown hateful. You've returned to your violent ways."
"Both you and Spyro are to blame," Cynder said lowly. "You raised me like this: to hate, to fight. Even though I knew it was wrong deep inside my mind, it's all my body and heart know. Spyro taught me otherwise, but pushed it back out of me when he betrayed me. He's the one who forced me to fight again. He made me hate again. I have been beaten down over and over and over again by both you and him, but the physical scars aren't even the worst of it. The trauma has broken me. I am broken, Muras. I'm aware enough to know that. At this point, I don't even know if I can be fixed. I thought I was, but Spyro's betrayal showed me that I was just put back together with sticks and mud. They don't withstand turbulent storms like this. Falling apart again just made me hurt more. I don't know anything more than this. I've spent twenty-four years of my life hating, fighting, killing… And these last twelve years… it has been me.
"I don't remember what it was like to care, to love, to feel happy. I don't remember what it was like to… to not be tired. Of everything. I know you want me to believe the things you do, but I just… I don't. I can't. I can't bring myself to, because it doesn't make sense, and because it will hurt me more to believe in things like hope and love. Maybe… maybe once all this is over I'll relearn it again, but even I'm not too sure about that. But I can only do that, if Spyro is gone, and if Forzen is gone. I need to know that they won't threaten the world ever again. That they won't threaten me ever again.
"I'm tired of fighting. I fight Spyro's dark forces, and I argue constantly with those I once saw as friends. Like I'm doing now. But… I know it's not… it's not going to end. I know once I leave this room, once this conversation is long behind me, another fight will fire up between me and someone I once cared about, or another fight with Spyro's forces will start up. I know once I head back out there, I'll be needed for some other siege or defense route or something.
"It's constant. Muras, the darkness never left me. Once the Terror was slain, her darkness left, but a new darkness replaced it: self-loathing, trauma, and fear. The darkness of hate never left, it was just redirected towards myself. The darkness of fear no longer was being put onto others, but onto myself. The darkness of trauma was the same. And that darkness has only gotten stronger, and stronger, and stronger, AND STRONGER!"
A tear slipped down her cheek. Muras' eyes widened at the sight. Cynder felt it slip down her face and she seemed scared by it. As Cynder vented at him, he realised how truly destroyed she was as a person. He had never stopped to truly think about it, about why she was so angry and hateful all the time. He knew there was something wrong with her, but he didn't realise it went this deep, and had been there for so long.
For all her life, darkness had tormented her.
He still hated how she was treating this current situation, but… at the same time, he felt sorry for her. He felt like he wanted to cry for her. What she was saying made sense. She needed something tangible and certain to put her trust and hope in, not theories and possibilities, or something that could fall away from her, much like what had happened with Spyro.
Which at this point, wasn't really anything…
"Anyway, I've made my point clear now," Cynder said, angrily wiping her face to stop more tears. "If the debrief on the lesson itself is over, I will be heading off now. I don't need any more of this pointless fighting about whether or not Forzen is good or if the 'real' Spyro is still alive. I have bigger worries than this. May I be excused?"
"Yes. You may be excused, Cynder," Master Hyrath said.
Cynder nodded, before she turned and left. Muras sat down, looking down at his paws, defeated. There was an uncomfortable silence between him and the earth dragon, before he spoke.
"I, uh… I'm sorry you had to be here for that fight," Muras murmured. "I'm sorry we had to do it here. That was… inappropriate of us."
"I forgot how intense she could be. She was never this bad, but even as a teenager struggling through school, and life as a whole, she was often like this," Master Hyrath said. "Trying to hold back her emotions but failing, either angry or scared, or both. She was often sad and also quite shy.
"But… it made the moments where she smiled very special. It made her happiness shine brighter than the sun. For the first few years, those moments were few and far between, which was throughout most of the time I had her in this school. She truly started to get better in her final year of school when she was eighteen. It helped that everyone was a lot more accepting of her, she had a boyfriend and a good life ahead of her, and she had a therapist. She wore a smile often, and I would often hear her laughing about with her friends. The down moments were still there and quite frequent, but there were a lot more ups.
"I didn't hear much of her after she graduated from school, but I did hear of her engagement and marriage with Spyro. I heard she was doing so well that her therapy appointments started to slow down, and pretty much stopped to the point where she would only book one if she really needed to.
"It's… it's really disheartening to see her back like this again, worse than she was before. I don't even think she took up those therapy appointments again since Spyro's fall. The way she's spiralled makes it seem pretty obvious that she's tackling all this on her own without anyone else to support her, professional or not."
"The problem is, she won't let anyone in to help her out with things. She'll vent and let it all out in anger, but she'll never let anyone close," Muras murmured. "Even her own brother can't get close to her anymore. It's… it's really hard to watch. Cynder was one of the first people on my mind once I returned from the ancestors' purification. I prayed for good things for her. But seeing how everything has turned out is… it's heartbreaking.
"The darkness of the past pales in comparison to the darkness of the present…"
Happy new year everyone! Hope everyone had a great new years, and hoping for a good 2025 for everyone! I was aiming to get this one done sooner to try and squeeze it out before the end of 2024 but I didn't quite get it done in time. Happy to finally have this one out though, getting started for this one was pretty tricky but about halfway through the chapter the rest of it came out pretty easily, particularly that last scene.
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MysticFire824: Yup, I did finish last year the way this book started lol, that's actually kinda funny. Very full circle XD
Regarding Spyro's inner voices, you're on the right track with one of them lol (not telling which one though, don't wanna give too much away hehe). And on Volteer, we'll see him again very soon! Very excited to write him again.
Dragon of Mystery: Yeah there's a lot more going on internally with Spyro and his inner voices. Things are gonna start getting a lot more intense and action packed now that things will start shifting from the school scenes being the primary focus for a short time. The Dryovell chapters will properly begin starting next chapter, so you'll start seeing the outcomes of that quite soon.
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Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, looking forward to seeing what you guys thought of it! I'll see you with the next chapter soon!