Hey all, Arratra reporting in for the latest chapter of The Legend of Spyro; Soulfire Legacy.
Spyro is not mine, although Jaxamar and Maya are.
Chapter 2Spyro yawned, opening his eyes. The cave he found himself in was surprisingly familiar, and Spyro blinked.
"This is… Hello? Chronicler? Are you there?"
"Spyro! I wasn't expecting a visit so soon!" a familiar voice said… but it wasn't the Chronicler.
"I-Ignitus!" Spyro stammered, as the dragon stepped into view. Ignitus, now the greyish-blue that denoted the Chronicler, plus the cloak and neckpiece, nodded slowly.
"Yes,Spyro.It'sme," theformerFireGuardianreplied, "Beforeyouask… Ididdie.Butwhendragonsdiewedon'tleavetheworld.Welingerontogivehopeandguidancetoourdescendants… whyelsewouldtheAncestorsbeabletoguideusintheancientways?"
"What happened to the old Chronicler?" Spyro asked.
"Eventually, a dragon's spirit moves on from the world… you do not have to worry about me, Spyro; I'm not moving on any time soon. It is only at the end of each Age that the previous Chronicler moves on and a new Chronicler is selected. You see, Spyro, you have moved this world beyond Malefor's Dark Age and into a new era… I have not yet had a chance to read all of the books, but seeing you here lets me know you are alive and well. You have done incredibly well, young dragon," he added, "And Spyro… I want you to search for my nephew, if at all possible. You will know him by raven scales, emerald eyes, and vivid blue hair."
"I'll try, Ignitus," Spyro replied, "Um… what do I do when I find him?"
"I believe he might be heading for Warfang," Ignitus explained, "I want you to accompany him there. However much the Temple was your home, it was only by necessity that we were there. It is not intended to accommodate more than a few dragons at a time. The Guardians are the only ones permitted there normally."
"Your nephew's name, Ignitus? What is it?" Spyro asked.
"His name is Jaxamar," Ignitus replied, "a dragoness accompanies him; her name is Maya, and she is a white dragoness with purple hair and markings. Her eyes are lavender."
"Ignitus… I'm sorry," Spyro mumbled.
"No need to apologize, young dragon!" Ignitus said, smiling gently, "If there was any dragon I would sacrifice myself for, it would be you."
Spyro smiled wanly, before realising that the image was fading.
"Uh, Ignitus?" he asked. There was the smell of roasting meat in his nostrils.
"Nothing to worry about," Ignitus explained, "You're waking up. I'll speak to you another time, young dragon."
Spyro worked his neck and sat up slowly. Although he was stiff and a little sore, the rest had done him good. He wasn't feeling anywhere near as drained… just hungry.
"Ah, welcome back to the land of the living, Spyro," Cynder said, stepping around the fire, over which was roasting a deer carcass.
Turning the spit was a dragoness; white with purple markings and hair, and lavender eyes that looked at the purple dragon curiously.
"I'm feeling much better now," he admitted, before his stomach gave a complaining gurgle, "But a lot hungrier," he said with a wry grin. Cynder and the dragoness (who could only be Maya, with such distinctive features, even if she had an exotic feel) laughed, and were joined by a third, much deeper voice. Spyro turned, and found himself facing a dragon whose scales were ebony-black in the firelight, but he had vivid (or perhaps violently) blue hair, with bright, intelligent emerald green eyes. He was about Spyro's size, surprisingly; given his bass voice, Spyro had been expecting a larger dragon.
"Spyro, these are Jaxamar and Maya," Cynder introduced, "We went after the same deer herd and happened to strike at the same time."
"Well, this is ironic," Spyro murmured, "I just spoke to Ignitus, and he wanted me to find you two," he said, addressing Jaxamar and Maya, before adding to Cynder, "He's the new Chronicler, Cynder. I spoke to him in my sleep."
"I see," Cynder murmured, "But why did he want-?"
"I'm his nephew," Jax said, shrugging, "He probably didn't mention me because the security of Northlance meant my safety… it didn't work as planned, unfortunately. A year after you disappeared, Spyro, Cynder, Northlance was attacked. By this time the siege of Warfang was fully secured, so they could spare the forces. I don't know for certain, but I think Malefor led the attack on Northlance personally. After a lengthy battle… Northlance was hit by something. An entire mountain-city, levelled, right to the ground. My mentor in using Ice, Shirranna barely got out alive; she lost her wings. Mum and Dad escaped with scratches; they were lucky, evacuating the civilians at the time. I was in the centre of the blast… but… I came out with only this scar. Maya, who was behind me, didn't even get a scratch."
Jaxamar motioned to the long, whitish line on his chest.
"Maya explained it for me," Cynder told Spyro, "Jax apparently unlocked his Soulfire at that point… thing is, not only is his Soulfire the strongest in recorded history… it's his Fury Element."
Spyro, who knew just a little from old legends among the Dragonflies, gaped. Jax looked between them, confused.
"And not only that, it's condensed to the point where it's sapphire in colouration," Cynder added, and Spyro whistled softly.
"That puts you up on the same level as Cynder and me; our Fury Element, Convexity, is extremely powerful. I didn't think there would be anyone who could match it."
Jax looked uncomfortable.
"And Maya's as well," Cynder added, "Her Fury Element seems to be pure positive energy."
Spyro fell silent, before nodding slowly and sitting up.
"We need to head for Warfang. That's about the safest place we can be right now…"
"Yeah, we were heading there anyway," Jax said, "If we got separated, we were supposed to meet my parents there. Considering… they're probably there by now."
Spyro nodded, before being interrupted by another growl from his stomach.
"But before we go anywhere," Jax said, "Let's eat and rest for the night. You look like you need it, friend."
Spyro nodded.
The deer came off the spit and Jax tore off a leg, which he placed in front of Spyro.
As they began to eat, Spyro decided to ask a question.
"Jax?" he asked.
"Yeah? What is it, Spyro?" Jax replied, looking up from his meal.
"You don't like having all that power, do you?" Spyro murmured.
Jax was silent for a moment, contemplating the venison in front of him.
"Your right, Spyro," he said eventually, "I don't like it. Being the Purple Dragon, I think you know how it feels. So much power, and yours to command… to many people, it would be a rush, but to me… I never wanted it."
He looked Spyro in the eye, "All this power, and I've never wanted it. If I could, I would get rid of it. I've wishes so many times I was just a normal dragon, but it's not possible."
He fell silent, before sighing; "I've had no choice but to accept that I have this power. And because I have this power, I have a responsibility to tame it, control it. Use it for what good I can…"
"Just like me," Spyro murmured, looking down at his own leg of venison.
"I'm glad you understand, Spyro," Jax said, quietly. Cynder looked down for a moment, before looking at Spyro.
"Friends?" Spyro asked after a long pause, holding out his paw. Across the way, Jax smiled, and placed his own paw on top of Spyro's.
"Friends," he agreed, and Cynder and Maya added their paws to the stack.