'Why am I doing this?' Dante thought as he casually strolled into Spyros den. Said purple dragon eyeing him wearily as he followed the hooded individual that just showed up during Embers fire training. 'Because Virgil is going to far? Because of what he said? Because-
"Dante right? That's what you said your name was?" Spyro asked, drawing him back to reality.
"That's my name big guy." Dante said as casually as he could muster. He walked through the den with ease, almost as if he'd been there many times before. Not a comforting thought for Spyro.
"Why are you here?" The dragon asked. Dante let out a nervous sigh.
"In truth… I'm trying to figure that out myself… I've actually been on this island almost as long as you have. Watching you, giving you gifts and care packages… I'm glad to see you've been putting them to good use." He trailed off, looking around at some of the items Spyro had made following the instructions his scrolls have provided.
"That was you?" Embers little voice chirped from behind Spyro. "Thank you! Papa and I love your care packages! Are you here to give us something else?" She asked excitedly.
"No I-
"Ember, go to your room real quick." Spyro interrupted Dantes reply.
"What? But papa!" She whined, but was silenced by a look from Spyro. She begrudgingly did as told, muttering under her breath the whole way.
"You said you've been watching us?" Dante nodded. "For the better part of a decade?" Another nod. "why?"
"I was ordered to." Dante said plainly. "Because of them." He pointed to Spyros shadow.
"Us?" Shadow asked, getting a surprising nod from Dante. "Wait, you can hear us?"
"Yes I can because… of this." With that Dante removed his hood, revealing the swirling shadowy fog in the general shape of a head underneath.
"What the- what are you?" Spyro asked astonished.
"… A glimpse into your future big guy." The ominous warning sent both Spyro and Shadow on edge. "Okay wait, wait, wait! That came out worse than I meant…" Dante let out a sigh. "Sorry, I'm just… winging this as I go…. I honestly have no idea why I'm even doing this. My body just… moved before my mind could catch up so…"
"Perhaps you should start by telling us what you are first." Spyro helpfully suggested.
"Right I can do that. I'm something called a Revenant, a living shadow if you will… My kind has been around for… well a long time… We're… cursed beings."
"Cursed?" Shadow asked, wondering how a being like themselves could be considered cursed.
"Yeah… once my kind went by another name, Humans. We were beings of flesh and blood, just like you big guy, just less scaly. We were the most advanced species on the planet at the time… we thought ourselves infallible… untouchable… we were wrong. I don't know why or how it happened, but one day someone did something incredibly stupid and… well you can see the results for yourself." He said gesturing to his shadowy head with an equally shadowy finger.
"That's tragic… but how is it a curse?" Spyro asked.
"My kind can't… feel. Our whole existence it numb. I know that doesn't sound so bad, but after a few weeks without feeling anything… even pain is missed. Now imagine being stuck like that for well over ten thousand years… it's a special kind of hell."
Spyro couldn't help but sympathize with the robed shadow. He doesn't even want to think about how he'd feel if subjected to such torment. "I'm sorry to hear that Dante… I… is there something I can do to help?"
"I doubt it… We've tried everything over the years. The fact that we aligned ourselves with a psychopath like Malefor in the last war should tell you just how desperate we were."
"Malefor? Who is that?" Shadows question caught Dante off guard for a moment. Before understanding dawned on him.
"Right the memory loss… Okay let's stop talking about me for a minute, and start talking about you big guy." He said, glad for a change of subject.
"Me? You know about me?" Spyro asked surprised. A part of him told him that he should insist that Dante continue the previous topic, but he'd been so desperate for answers about his past, that he pushed it aside. "You know about me from before this island?"
"Big purple, everyone knows about you. Spyro the hero! The savior! World builder! You are the most famous living legend that ever lived my friend." Dante said excitedly. "Come on sit down, I've got a long story for you. Hell let's get Ember back out here. I'm sure she'll love to hear it."
"Story time?" Speak of the devil… Ember was already I'm the center of the main room by the fire pit.
"Ember... I thought I told you… never mind…" Spyro said as he joined her, pulling her close to him and draping his good wing over her. Dante followed suit, sitting on the opposite side of the pit. With a wave of his hand, Dante let out a small puff of fire, setting the pit alight.
"Ambience my friends." He said as he began his tale. "Your story actually starts before you even hatched Spyro. On that faithful night during the year of the dragon. When the dark master's forces laid siege on the dragon tower where your egg was being guarded…
Night had fallen on the city of Warfang, it's citizens slumbering peacefully in their homes. Meanwhile the noble watchmen patrolled the darkened streets. Armored dragons flew over rooftops, while cheetahs and moles walked the ground, checking every shadowy alleyway and crevice for any sign of trouble.
As one of these patrols passed by one of said alleyways, they missed the sight of four robed figures rising from the shadows. Their glowing eyes watching as the cheetah and two moles passed by without noticing them.
"The security of this place is a joke." One figure said dismissively, watching for any other patrols coming by. Their red robe a stark contrast to the darkness of the night.
"Two be fair, very few beings can actually detect us if we don't want them to." Another one in blue said besides them, their eyes on the skies, watching the winged reptiles above.
"Quiet both of you!" A third, black robed figure ordered as they set an ominously glowing crystal into a hole they dug, a fourth figure, cloaked in green standing over him as he did so. "Do you want us to he caught? Especially when this is the last crystal?"
"No sir Mundus." Both red and blue said simultaneously, their attentions never deviating from their lookouts.
"No matter… we're done here." Mundus said as he stood up. "Let's go." With that the four figures vanished into the shadows from once they came, leaving no trace of their presence. When they reappeared it was on a hill south of the city's walls, where twelve other revenants waited. "Squad leaders report!"
"Northern sectors secured sir." One of them said as they stood at attention.
"My team got the eastern sectors completed in record time." Came the next, bragging reply.
"Done…" Came the simple and short reply from the third leader.
"And we just finished with the south." Mundus said, a pleased tone in his voice. "It really is a good thing Cynder left this morning. With the amount of dark Crystals we planted, she would have sniffed us out long ago." He said as he held out a dark, light absorbing sphere. "Remember, grab only the dragons. Anybody else will be of no use to us." Mundus ordered before lifting the orb above his head, and channeling his magic into it.
Meanwhile back in the city, Hunter walked through the streets, his eyes and ears alert. Hovering by his side, lighting the way was an old… acquaintance of his. "I mean, I can't believe this! We get news that he might be alive, but does anybody think to tell me? No they do not! Instead they just send tall dark and scary out there first and then think to inform me! I'm the big lugs brother for fucks sakes, and I'm the last to know?!" Sparx, the dragonfly ranted out, waving his small arms in the air in exasperation.
"In all fairness Sparx, you were all the way back in your birth swamp. It took a while to get a messenger hawk to you." Hunter said, trying to placate the angry bug.
"Yeah thanks for that. Sending a bug eating hawk to a village of dragonflies. Definitely didn't cause a major panic." The sarcasm in Sparxs tone caused the cheetah to give off a bashful chuckle. "But seriously, you guys couldn't have waited a few more hours? I get that Cynder was… eager to see him again…" Sparx said with a knowing smirk that quickly turned into a scowl. "But she could've at least waited until I was here. No 'hi Sparx, long time no see. I'm about to fly off to an island in the middle of the ocean because Spyro might be there, want to come?' No… she just left me behind… again…"
Hunter heard the disheartened tone in his companions voice. It's no secret that Sparx lamented not joining Spyro and Cynder on their last adventure. Believing that if he'd been there he'd have somehow been able to make sure Spyro came back. Hunter was about to comfort the bug, but something in a nearby alley caught his attention.
"Hey spots where you going?" Sparx asked as the cheetah moved into the alleyway. "I'm trying to rant here! Come on man, give a guy the common courtesy of… oh shit…" Sparx swore as he and Hunter both caught sight of the pulsing dark crystal half dug in the earth.
The pulses quickened, becoming more rapid. Sensing something amiss, Hunter quickly grabbed Sparx in one hand and made to dash out of the alley. But it was to no avail as the crystal let out a large eerie wave of darkness. Both cheetah and bug were rendered unconscious the moment the wave passed over them. All across the city more and more dark waves surged forth, rendering everyone caught in their wake comatose. Even those in the air were affected, their bodies falling onto the hard ground below and crashing into stone walls and buildings.
Once the chaos subsided, Mundus and his followers reemerged into the city, not even bothering to hide their presence this time. "The pulse worked… good. Begin gathering up the dragons." He ordered causing the rest of the revenants to scatter. "I take it your mission to Avalar was also a success?" Mundus asked as another group of four revenants emerged behind him.
"Yes sir. The cheetahs will be of no help to their dragon allies." Came the reply of the squads commander.
"Good. Join the others in-
"Sir Mundus! We got a problem!" A yellow robed revenant exclaimed as they appeared before their commander. A young squirming ice dragon in their grasp that looked no older than five. "The younglings… Their not affected."
Mundus looked down at the scared little dragon in their subordinates grasp. He moved to touch them, only to have a set of sharp serrated fangs bight down on his shadowy hand. "You little shit!" He cursed, more out of anger than pain, as he waved his arm and flung the little reptile away.
They flew through the air, until they were stopped with a sickening crunch as they collided with the stone wall of a nearby building and falling to the ground unmoving. "They are of little consequence. Unless they impede our mission ignore them." Mundus said as he and three of the new squad melted into the shadows, leaving only the yellow robed revenant and a blue robed one that came with the new squad.
They looked to each other, than to the unmoving youngling. They both bolted to their side to check on them. Both revenants breathing a sigh of relief at seeing that the youngling still lives. "Go, I will deal with their injuries." The blue robes figure said as they began to administer first aid.
"He didn't hesitate… he didn't bat an eye. I could understand if they were an adult, but…" Yellow was at a loss for words.
"I know…" Blue said as they continued to administer aid. "Look I got this. Just… go before Mundus finds us." Yellow hesitated, but gave a small nod before sinking into the ground vanishing from sight. Come morning things in the city would be vastly different… for a lot of people.