FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 11

"I value your company" Coriza stated, walking in line with Cynder through the corridors leading to the Training Grounds, her gold eyes aimed forward.

In front of the two of them swayed tauntingly tail and hips of a proudly sauntering satin blue dragoness. The arrogantly erotic twist of the rump not possible to ignore, no matter the sexual preferences.

Past her, at the front, side to side walked Spyro and Ignus, discussing something in muffled tones. Sparx glowed in between them.

"I'm afraid however that no matter how enjoyable the companionship is, the strength of my aversion for fighting, or whatever else form of violence, is still nearly paralyzing"

Cynder's green eyes observed the cleric and her rather tense walk on stiff legs. Emerald orbs shone with gratitude and support.

"It means a lot to us that you decided to come with us" she looked at the ground, embarrassed "I feel kinda stupid that you dropped your duties in the temple for us"

The cleric rested her small wing on the black back comfortingly, making the owner smile thankfully when she looked at her kind smile.

"Don't be. I planned to take a day off anyway. I love the temple, but lastly..." her golden gaze dropped sadly on the floor

Coriza shrugged.

"...lastly it makes me feel uncomfortable. I no longer sense the heartwarming aura of peace"

Hearing the pretty, silvery voice waver and crack filled Cynder's heart with sorrow.

"How so? Last time I've been there, everything was in the right order"

"For someone who rarely visits the temple it might seem that way, but for someone like me, with priesthood being my whole life, it's far more palpable. I feel like a child, putting up a forced smile, while at the same time sensing that my parents don't get along very well, the spark of love they shared, extinguished"

Her gold eyes sparkled in what seemed to be awe.

"It was you and Spyro that made me realize this"

Cynder's brow raised in reaction to this revelation.

"Oh?"

Coriza smiled, it was the most assuring, heartwarming and convincing smile she ever saw on a cleric's face or snout. Cynder felt like she was the most important dragoness in the entire world, the priestess adored her and in turn she worshipped her new friend. Some people have a special charismatic aura around them, making other people want to bask in its glory. Who needs literal divine presence when in a temple you can find the nearly godlike force of honest concern that seemed to be directed entirely at you?

Conviction that you are special is a powerful tool.

Sincerity was even more so and Coriza truly cared and loved, without her own agenda. If Good had a diplomat, then Coriza would fill that spot, it was enough for Cynder to consider the priestess her friend.

"Yes" the cleric continued "You two are real, there is nothing fake about you. You are sincere to everyone and yourself, especially yourself" she sighed with a chuckle "It is difficult to explain"

Cynder winced, a pin named emotion jabbed her heart.

"Thank you and I'd like to say you're welcome, but..."

"I don't look the type?" the cleric replied with a knowing, small smile

Cynder nodded shyly.

"We dine together, all the temple personnel gathers in the dinning room. Lastly however our numbers began to dwindle, no one was surprised that the Seeker stopped coming one day. He has many duties and is in an advanced stage of his life. Some time later more people resigned from our shared meals, for one reason or another. The resignations were sad, but what really struck me as odd one day that there was only a handful of us that seemed to be shocked by the events. Now when I go back and think of the people that stood up from the table and my conversation with them on a later date I remember you and your sincerity"

She made a pause, a deep frown wrinkled her snout, trying to mask the visible fear behind a thoughtful look.

"Those people, my friends, brothers and sisters, were fake. They seemed to talk to me because it was appropriate, yet I felt like they were not quite there, as if they were constantly listening to some unheard by me music"

"What do you think is going on?" Cynder inquired worriedly

Coriza looked ahead, her gaze distant and lost in thought.

"Mayhap I'm the cause of this distress. My perspective shifted after spending so much time with Sparx" she chuckled "His lively personality poisoned me and now perhaps I see the ways of living as devoted priests as stiff and tedious"

The black dragoness observed the joyous sparks flickering within the golden eyes of the priestess with a warm feeling coating her heart.

"Coriza?"

Tiny suns blinked.

"Yes? I'm listening"

"May I...uh...ask you a question?"

The cleric giggled.

"From the hesitation in your voice I can presume what manner of question it is going to be" eyes shifted at the black figure who started to slowly back away from the original nudge of curiosity

"Go on" pleasant voice encouraged

Cynder wouldn't be able to shake off such palpable kindness even if she wanted to.

"Sparx can be somewhat problematic, like a joke you didn't get right. How did you become so close? You have a way of carrying yourself with dignity, Sparx...well...is very fond of stealing that from you. Seriousness is not really his thing"

Coriza looked at her companion. Behind the gold glow Cynder could spot a hint of gratefulness.

"Circumstances connected us" stated the modulated voice, using its natural charm, yet the subtle ringing of praise and gratitude could be heard within its tone, hanging on its edges like inconspicuous thieves keeping to the last specks of shadow

"Truly faithful aside, there are only two more types of people who visit the temple. Those in need of help and those lost"

Cynder's brows raised in surprise.

"Sparx went to the temple? Why? It's really not his style"

The priestess smiled those type of mysterious smiles that people offer whenever someone stumbled upon the exit from the maze of confusion they led their victim into.

"You know answer for that question Cynder"

The black dragoness frowned, even if she did know anything about that, her mind was doing a great job of not reminding her of that.

"I'm to blame for our relationship" silvery voice continued, drawing back all rampaging thoughts to a single point of focus "As a girl that is not the hero material, who had a normal childhood with loving parents as support and a tendency to run away at first sight of danger, I approached Sparx with insufferable craving of hearing beautiful tales from such a famous adventurer. That a coward like me achieved something like that surprises me to this day"

"You are not a coward Coriza. Not many would be able to deal with the information about former nemesis and current hero connected by a romantic relationship. Even less would be able to keep the information to themselves"

The cleric bowed "I thank you kindly for your words, alas that doesn't change the fact that I'm a coward. I'm the most undraconic dragon in the universe. I can't hunt, I'm as short as dragons get, mercenaries scare me, I can only breathe the most basic elemental strike and the sight of blood and overall carnage makes me ill"

She tapped a claw against her mouth.

"Even my regeneration is defective. I dislocated my jaw in my youth during a rather awkward trip over a rock hidden underneath the sand. My teeth never healed properly, as you surely noticed my smile is appropriate for an aging pirate, not a world class predator"

"Don't sell yourself short Coriza" Cynder said, adorning her voice in as much strictness as friendly bounds allowed to "You are a fantastic character and a dragon. I liked you from the moment I met you, something like that coming from someone like me, who faced nothing but hostility from strangers, means a lot. I don't trust easily and here we are, we don't know each other well enough and I already consider you a friend. There's a certain irresistible magnetism to you, you made Sparx listen to you and that's something. You're special and beautiful, anyone who thinks otherwise is stupid"

The priestess bowed deeply in respect.

"I thank you, if it means anything, I too value you as my friend"

Cynder smiled lovingly and chuckled softly, dispersing the building up sob.

"When this is over we gotta cement our friendship, nothing works better than making a fool out of me when trying to make me look like a girl" she poked the priestess shoulder teasingly "We're also going to have to work on that formal speech of yours"

Coriza smiled, offering a practiced, kind and thankful smile that mostly obscured the flaws in her teeth.

"I will gladly allow our friendship to preoccupy my concentration"

The black dragoness giggled.

"Exactly what I was talking about"

The cleric chuckled.

"Speaking of friendship, do you not see the possibility of its roots expanding towards others?" she subtly nodded forward

Cynder's eyes immediately followed the unspoken direction. A single look at that swaying blue ass was enough to shatter her good humor. Memories of hurt friends and possible, well probable scenarios of future pain for many more, effectively trampled whatever hints of sympathy and good will she felt for the satin blue dragoness.

"I would never consider someone like her a friend. Someone who doesn't blink when hurting people is worthless piece of crap in my eyes. If you knew her, you would never suggest such a thing"

"I understand your dislike, the time you endured with Evil made you sensitive. Trauma is, I believe, your victory, it depicts how strong you are. Many wouldn't survive the trials you fought through"

I'm not traumatized.

This was the sentence Cynder wanted to use to support her building protest, but instead she lowered her head, thinking deeply. If it wasn't Coriza, her enchanting voice and charming personality, she wouldn't even think about it.

"Before the two types of people I mentioned find their way to the halls of a temple" the priestess continued "they wander around the world. We aren't born evil, we become such by losing our way, without proper guidance, some never find their way back. Usually it's the smallest things that matter, hate stirs aggression, peace stirs hope. Which path we choose to walk it's entirely up to us. The road to ending every war begins with compassion shown to those around us"

"It's impossible to like her, you will see soon enough, but if you wish, I'll try to tone down my temper a bit"

Coriza bowed gratefully.

"The smallest of intentions count"

They walked in silence for a while, green eyes stared ahead, tongue kept running over lips thoughtfully.

"Don't get mad Coriza, but I need to ask" she looked at the petite dragoness "Why do you care?"

"I strive to nurse beauty" the cleric replied with no hesitation "What I seek can be found in masses in peace. Do you know that there are only three dragons serving the temple which purpose is dedicated to us and our Ancestors?"

"I didn't know that"

"Do you know that for every ten citizens, one of draconic origins can be found? This proportion becomes even more divided in smaller towns"

"I didn't know that either"

"Do you know that the Guardians are the only accountable dragons for a city? That they are the only ones that live long enough to be considered old even by our kind's standards?"

Cynder narrowed her eyes on the cleric, her new friend had a dreamy look in her eyes, expression nearly blissful. Like the face of a sighing, devoted teenager who is mere meters away from her idol.

All those questions combined with the dreamy look dispersed her original thoughts about it all being just part of a small talk. It became clear for her that whatever Coriza is doing, she is doing it with a goal in mind.

Her brain immediately made the connections and answered the unsaid question regarding the type of the goal. She was instantly reminded of Cyril and their fatalistic conversation, or rather the Ice Guardian's personal favorite path for dragonkind.

"You're trying to stir our kind from its warlike path" Cynder mused loudly

Coriza dropped her head down, silvery mane covered one of her eyes. She felt ashamed, dragons are born predators, turning them into prey was a move against the very natural order of things.

"That's a very noble cause" soothing voice comforted the priestess

Coriza looked up and smiled, with the mane covering her right eye she looked even more cuter and interesting.

"I'm glad you believe so. Ancestors look after us and I believe they looked more intensely after me when I was still an egg. It sounds like blasphemy, but there had to be some kind of force that forced me to hatch quicker than it usually takes for a baby dragon to crack the shards of its egg. My egg never reached the temple on that fateful day when the apes attacked, I was spared the gruesome death of an unhatched child being stomped by a plate boot"

"I admire your dedication" Cynder smiled warmly "This is going to be a very difficult task"

The cleric nodded slowly.

"Perhaps even impossible, but..."

"The smallest of intentions count"

Green and gold eyes met, gratitude shining in both of them. If love at first sight exists, bonding you as soulmates, than a power that connects two characters with platonic soulmating shackles has to exist as well. The invisible spark jumping between the two females, the electrical impulse they both fell, was simply the solidification of that theory.

Dodac do notatek od warlike path do intentions count

"I thank you" Coriza bowed gratefully

Cynder shook her head with a chuckle.

"Don't. I have exactly the kind of temper you want to heal, with Iris with us, I think I'm going to disappoint you more than once" she smiled encouragingly "But I'm going to try"

"I wouldn't ask for anything else"

"This is where I must depart" a hoarse voice resounded from up ahead

The group stopped, reaching the big door leading to the training grounds.

"Oh boy!" Sparx exclaimed lively, making a circle in the air "The plot thickens!" he began flying around a blue, feminine head "All alone..." he rumbled, sounding like a narrator to some scary fairytale

Diamond eyes kept staring ahead as if they couldn't see the spinning all around dragonfly.

"...surrounded from all sides, last allies already gone..."

"What is he doing?" Ignus whispered, not getting his rather affronted gaze from the running in circles glowing ball

"Sparx!" Spyro admonished his brother "Cut it out!"

He ignored the shout, unrelentingly making circle after circle around the blue head.

"What our heroine is going to do?" he asked dramatically, his narrative, rumbling voice filled with tension "Will she finally get her ass kicked by the awesome party of Sparx the Magnificent?"

"Stop it Sparx!"

"Or will she run away? What other choice does she have? Wha-" his tirade ended abruptly when suddenly he felt his small wings flapping slower

"Whaaaat?" he slurped, noticing tiny, cold particles forming in the air right in front of him

He immediately felt cold and heavy, it was exactly like as if he would be trying to push against a powerful wind current that did everything it could to hold him back.

And then the barrier faded away, replaced by a pressure all around his body. The cage that held him was scaly, soft and so, so tight that it nearly squeezed his eyes out of their sockets.

He wasn't certain what made him realize that it was actually a draconic paw that swiped him from the air. It was either the dying neurons sending pulses of enlightenment to his brain or it was the sight of a feminine, blue draconic snout with white eyes appearing in front of him.

Her breath was freezing, cracking with fading elemental energy and somewhat heavy, like a pile of snow. At least the mystery behind the unexpected slowing aura was solved.

"I'll write my own legend" she stated coldly

"Iris!" Ignus roared

"Let him go Iris!" Spyro shouted, muscles tensed, body adopted a fighting position "Don't do anything you'll regret"

From behind Cynder already started to bend the shadows to her will.

Iris inconspicuously tightened her grip, forcing a rasping gurgle from the now turning purple yellow face, before she opened her paw.

Sparx twirled in the air as he fell down, coughing terribly all the time, he regained some pitiful balance just before he hit the floor.

"I won't be having your stench polluting me, worthless bug, you don't deserve to be stomped by someone like me"

With those words she moved forward, shoving her way through, making sure to kick the coughing, glowing ball near the ground.

"He-" Sparx yelled, his shout however was interrupted by a series of fierce coughs when the kick sent him flying at the wall

"She ki-" he coughed "me!"

Ignus narrowed his flared up with contempt ruby eyes on the walking ice dragoness.

"Listen to me girl! You WILL behave, the damage you inflict gets harder and harder to fix. Here you were just seconds from causing ruin! Do you understand you are a guest here?"

"Whatever" Iris responded uncaringly, entering the sandy stadium without granting her raving uncle even a glance of attention

The fire dragon sighed loudly when the big door closed. His head dropped down, he shook it slightly, paw pressed itself to his forehead, trying to rub off the headache poking at it.

"I apologize for my niece from the bottom of my heart, she is an unstable spirit"

"Unstable?!" Sparx blurt out, dashing towards the red dragon, spreading his arms wide "She nearly crushed me! She's not unstable! She's completely mad!"

"I understand your anger" Ignus replied humbly "I'm sorry for what happened, however provoking her was very unwise of you. Iris is not known for her patience"

"Like I care" he cracked his knuckles, dashing next to Spyro

"Come on bro, time for the hero card. She isn't the first nutjob who crossed us"

"Are you really sure it is a good idea for you to leave?" Spyro asked, covering his angry brother behind his snout

"You can go" Sparx sprang up above the purple head, rolling up invisible sleeves "We're going to take care of your niece"

Ruby orbs only for a moment shifted at the dragonfly, polite or not, Ignus was still royalty in his time. Even if he nearly perfectly bottles up the highborn pride, in this very moment Spyro noticed that shield cracking. The red eyes simply wanted to murder his brother, preferably after tearing off his wings.

The fire dragon blinked, his gaze shifted back towards him. Eyes were again shimmering with tolerance and repentance.

"Believe me when I tell you that it is. Iris can only listen to me for so long, forcing my control on her antagonizes her. I know my niece, I know what's best for her and currently it isn't my attention"

Sparx snorted "Seems to me that everything antagonizes her. She's even worse than some chick that I know and she's annoying as hell"

"Awww" Cynder huffed, tilting her head and gently knocking at her heart "That's the sweetest thing he ever said about me"

"We can give it a shot" Spyro replied friendly, turning down a plea for help, no matter how bad it looked, wasn't his style "It never hurts to try"

"Never hurts to try?" Sparx muttered, cocking his head in disbelief "Dude, you are going to play with Snowchick. Just looking at her is painful enough and you are going to dance with her"

"I know that Iris can be a burden, an overweight even, mental and physical, I just ask that you give her a chance. A legendary dragon such as you won't have troubles handling her excesses. Please, give her a chance, I'm sure there is a benefit here for all of us"

"Pssst bro" Sparx whispered, hiding his mouth behind his palm "You better stick that tail between your legs. That guy is sweeting you more than our parents ever did"

The purple drake frowned, scolding his brother with a quick glance before shifting his attention back at the fire dragon.

"We will do our best to make it work"

Purple orbs impulsively docked at their favorite green port, expecting to meet a crowd of drunk sailors, shoving their way through everything and everyone, offended at the whole world. What he didn't expect to see was an organized harbor of a peaceful yet dangerous governor, where people welcomed all and treated none as enemies.

"I am grateful"

Spyro blinked startled, he turned, noticing the fire dragon bowing deeply and respectfully.

Sparx poked his purple shoulder with his elbow, brows wiggling and a grin stretching his mouth.

"This is what I'm talking about"

"Before I leave however, there is one more thing I need to ask of you. Where can I find the boy Iris so badly mistreated? I need to make amends and he seems to be my last stop"

"Check with Volteer" Cynder unexpectedly chimed in

Ignus looked at the girl without much interest, as if examining some piece of furniture that suddenly rattled. His head returned to the original position a moment later, looking for confirmation in the only dragon he seemed to be worthy of his attention.

Spyro was nodding slowly.

"I will mend this wound, thank you for the information and understanding" Ignus bowed deeply "Be well and farewell Spyro. Your willingness changes everything" with another bow the fire dragon walked back the same path he used to get here

"Isn't that guy forgetting about someone?" Sparx mumbled, shaking his head indignantly "Did you see this?" he threw his hands up, pointing at the disappearing dragon, eyeing the approaching girls "It's like we didn't even existed! What a fanboy that guy is"

Cynder shrugged.

"I don't mind, it's good to feel invisible for a change"

"If I looked like you I would want to stay invisible too"

She smirked.

"You're an expert at staying invisible, your powers are so great that it is actually hard for people to notice you"

"In higher circles addressing the one holding the mantle of leadership is a sign of utmost respect" Coriza added "Only leaders matter, everyone else is background, or support more likely, that shouldn't speak if his or hers opinion wasn't requested"

Sparx shook his hand dismissively.

"Fancy mumbo jumbo. It doesn't work like this here. Here people are sorted in two groups. Everyone equal and Cynder"

Cynder chuckled.

"Pretty much"

"We're legends guys!" Sparx dashed above the group, putting his hands proudly on his hips and puffing out his chest

"Umm" Coriza waved her paw shyly "Hello?"

"You too!" he pointed a confident finger at the cleric "You became besties, like automatically, with world's worst likeable dragon. If that's not a legendary win there than I don't know what is" the finger shifted at the black dragoness "Even Spyro hated her guts!"

"What?!" he exclaimed, shout vibrated with tones of fear "That's a lie!" startled eyes darted towards his partner, head springing left and right, silently swearing that the spoken words are true

"Dude! You promised me you'd make a sledge from her scales!"

"I never said anything like that!"

Cynder smiled comfortingly, seeing him pitifully defending himself from things he surely done warmed her heart, it only meant that he cared for her. And remembered, remembered her struggle for acceptance.

"Relax Spyro" she said softly "I don't care about the past. Now interests me the most"

"Alright team!" Sparx yelled from up above "It's time we finally order someone else around and make them do what WE want!"

"Sparx, we are just going to train" Spyro reminded his brother "Don't get too excited"

"Small steps bro! Everything has a beginning somewhere" he darted down, wrapping his arm around a gold horn, the second one he used to cover the big door in an arc "Behind this door is all you need, just put some sense into that blockhead of a reptile and you're good to go to be someone else than a pushover"

He swiftly dashed behind, hovering just above the beginning of a purple tail. He slapped the rump to which it was connected to.

"Go get her!"

Spyro impulsively jumped towards the door, he looked behind his shoulder, narrowing his eyes on the glowing form of his brother.

"And while I will be getting her what you will be doing, hero?"

"Covering your back like I always do. No sneak attacks when I'm around"

Cynder pushed the door delicately, they opened slightly.

"Let's get inside before you kill us with laughter" she nodded at the opened door, nudging Spyro with gesture

He entered the training grounds. It took him a couple of seconds to spot Iris. She wasn't in the arena, but was sitting on the lowest level of the spectator podium. Wings folded neatly on the back, head held high, legs and body presented arrogantly for display. Pride radiating from every luscious feminine curve, intimidatingly displaying assets those below would never get to feel.

Those below were dirt not worthy of touching her scales, she was a queen overlooking the playground of fools where they jump around in a worthless attempt to impress her.

Four creatures entered the arena and all felt the same mocking energy.

Coriza chuckled suddenly.

"Sand" she grabbed a pile, watching the rough substance flowing down from between her claws like soil from slumping earth

"I would like to keep the rest of my teeth in a relatively good order. You will have to excuse me, I will watch you from the podium. A fighting pit is not my favorite environment anyway"

She spread her modest wings and leapt into the air, the three first flaps were quick and awkward, similar to a bird hatchling learning flight. She regained balance soon after, it didn't help with the landing however, it was rough and ungraceful, as if the wings were not able to hold her any longer.

Coriza waved at the group from the podium, if she knew just how undraconic her flight looked like, she made no sign of it.

"Retards stick with retards" Iris commented in abhorrence

"Man, she just started talking and I already want to punch her" Sparx fisted his opened palm "Let's kick her ass right now, we will say that our training got out of hand. Everybody knows that this chick is messed up, nobody would be suspicious"

"I agree with Sparx on this one" Cynder added "And if you Spyro will give us the go signal I might actually sleep through the night knowing what promises I broke"

"Just don't let her get to you" Spyro gently reprimanded his companions "She becomes slightly more tolerable then"

The dragonfly folded his arms, eying the purple drake suspiciously.

"And just how exactly can you know this, huh? Were you busy when I wasn't looking?" he turned gaze at the black dragoness, a hand slipped from his ribs and indignantly pointed at Spyro

"You are a pair for what? A day? And you already got him bored?" he darted down, shaking his head as his eyes ran over the black figure

"I know Cyn that you aren't a world's wonder, but make an effort will you? Wag that tail, sway your hips, anything. I prefer seeing my brother being laughed at for being with you than growing into a true guy with a cocky attitude. Make him miserable as you are for Ancestor's sake!"

"Been a while since I've heard your voice of confidence" Cynder commented distastefully "It's really inspiring, not only builds up my self-esteem, but also stirs my thoughts. Especially those carnage ones, strangely I see myself ripping apart small creatures, like flies or mosquitos" she widened her eyes in faked shock "Why is that?"

"Stop yelping down there you disgusting pigs" Iris snarled from above, the uncaring chill in her voice seemed to stick to walls and pillars, turning the room into a mild freezer

"Goldie! If you have no intention of leaving that sty behind then get the fuck out of here and stop wasting my time. Or start moving your swinish ass and come here to bask in my presence and humiliate yourself. Whatever you choose, let's just get this over with, your stench makes me sick"

Despite the ugliness of the spoken words Spyro chuckled.

"As good pep talk as any I suppose"

"Dude! What is wrong with you?" Sparx eyed his brother like a medic eyes an impossible to rescue victim, with pity and anger "She openly offends you and you laugh?"

"I want to give her a chance as I promised. I came here prepared, besides I traveled with Cynder long enough to become immune to taunts. She might be a class below in comparison to Iris when it comes to ruthless verbal assaults, but she can still throw a punch"

"Does bathing in your blood and innards counts as basking in your presence?" Cynder yelled at the blue dragoness above

"I'm coming!" Spyro roared automatically after his friend, deafening the shout of his friend as best as possible, leaving the two unattended would definitely lead to a fight that would escalate beyond every bounds of a training session

He wiggled his brows at his brother.

"See?"

Without wasting any more valuable seconds he sprang forward, stopping right below the dais the ice dragoness was sitting on. She made no intention of moving. As he looked into her full of contempt white eyes he became more and more certain that soon a rain of spit will fall down on him.

"You must get down here Iris if this training sessions is to work"

"Watch your tongue Goldie" the dragoness snapped back at him

Even from up there her aura of cold arrogance reached him and stung his snout. He could only wonder how someone so beautiful can be so ugly from the inside. The aura ruined even her accent that was undoubtedly charming

"You may have the ear of those worms you call friends, but you will never get heed of someone like me. You may be the legend of all those rodents inhabiting this hive of repugnance you call world, but to me you are the same rat like every single one of them. Don't try to force your imagined will of a leader onto me, your stinky tail may impress all those putrid fucks. Here we will do as I say"

"Pull your head out of your ass finally!" Cynder roared irritated and then sighed deeply "Ancestors only know just for how long I wanted to say this" she cleared her throat "You are just like the rest of us!"

Iris looked in the direction of his yelling partner. Spyro noticed a trail of frost stretching down the spectator podium like a droplet of rain sliding down a curved leaf.

"You better keep your mouth shut Tat if you don't want to lick the entrails of your friends from between the grains of sand"

"Let's all focus here!" Spyro interrupted "Let's make this quick, the sooner we start, the sooner we all can go our separate ways. Come down Iris, please"

"Hey guys" Sparx rose up in the air, raising his arms defensively "How about this, we do nothing, leave right now and just tell everyone that asks that we did everything we had to do"

"I won't be taking advice from a shit eating, glowing fly" Iris stated

With a growl Sparx pointed an indignant finger at the dragoness.

"Listen here missy-"

"Perhaps" modulated pleasant, nearly melodic voice filled the room, interrupting and gaining attention of everyone inside

"Why we all won't take a step back and allow the influence of this place envelop us? This stadium is a temple of a different kind, where normally we have clerics and believers, here we have fighters and spectators. While a religious temple is a meeting place of peace, this arena is surrounded by waves of fairness. Aura that is tarnished by our own actions, we disrupt the currents that circulate in this place so we will never achieve consensus"

"I see you established some wireless mental connection with those morons here Bluetooth, you're full of shit like the rest of them. Shut up whore, your preaching makes me sick" Iris' cold voice cut like freezing wind

Both Sparx and Cynder shouted at the ice dragoness, their combined yelling made whatever they were trying to blare out intelligible mess.

Spyro shook his head, rubbing his forehead, already knowing that his advice was buried and forgotten as the first droplet of blood that sunk into this sand.

"I cannot be the one you accuse me of" Coriza politely reprimanded the boorish dragoness "I'm a servant of a temple"

"You don't have to raise your tail to sell yourself away"

"That's ENOUGH!"

Spyro roared, just in time to silence another building up shouts from his two companions.

"For all your talk about rats and stuff you sure are giving my friends much attention. Where is your dignity?"

Iris looked down on him, the cold fury in her eyes seemed to sting his very heart.

"Don't you dare chastise me worm"

"It's between the two of us, like Ignus s-"

"Fuck Ignus!" she blared, the podium below her paws turned to ice momentarily with a rough cracking sound. Waves of ice, looking like first bulges of an snowy avalanche crashing against rocks shot in the air

Spyro squinted, the cold was lashing fiercely at his scales.

"But you agreed, he-"

"Fuck him! I don't give a shit about anything that motherfucker has to say! If you mention that dipshit's name again pig, I will render your dick to the size of a dart. The only way you will be able to fuck that black tramp of yours then will be with a peg leg"

He gulped, out of male instinct than actual fear, thighs impulsively pressed themselves together.

"Well..." Sparx muttered "She knows how to work on imagination I give her that"

"I don't know how Spyro can take this" Cynder hissed, claws dug into the sand so deeply that they nearly unearthed water "I would rip her throat out with my teeth already"

"Then what do you want Iris?" Spyro addressed the dragoness "Pretend that we trained? How long do you think that secret will hold? You're intelligent, consider every possibility and do the math yourself"

"I won't be ordered around" she replied coldly, piercing white eyes drilled into his soul

"Fine, do we train or not?"

"I won't waste my time on weaklings"

"Perfect!" Cynder exclaimed with forced joy "That means you are going to rot in a cell! Happy swimming in your own piss bitch. I'll call the guards right away"

Iris growled, the very foundations of the podium she was sitting on shook in perfect accordance to the vibrations running through her throat.

"Prove yourself"

"What?" Spyro asked surprised

"Prove to me that you are worthy of my time"

"You do remember the prophecy right?"

"I don't care about some ancient scribbles done by some bums, like I don't care about the all your deeds done in this shithole. I want to see with my own eyes what is this hype all about"

"I don't want to sound rude, but didn't I already prove my worth to you?"

"Mercy is the domain of a fool" she leaned forward, stretching beyond the edge of the dais "A mistake you will learn to regret. Weakness that will be exploited you dumb moron"

Spyro looked straight into the callous, full of hate eyes. He didn't waver.

"You were given a chance, you decide if you want to waste it"

"What did I say about chastising?"

"Just think Iris, only for a moment. Look how special you are, how many times you tricked fate? Is it really worth to claw and spit on the chance you got?"

She blinked, there was a drastic change in her demeanor, something that he noticed for the first time and was completely stunned by it. Her paw tightly clenched the medallion hanging from her neckline, eyes sparkled with such pristine light that he could swear that her eyes turned into literal diamonds. She spread her feathery wings, neatly groomed by careful tongue, blue feathers looking young, healthy, beautiful and nearly divine.

If Ancestors are divine, magnificent beings then this is how he imagined a young one would look like if she stepped down from the stars.

"Prove yourself. Show me your ice skills" Iris said and when he winked the spell was gone, the only thing that remained of it was the fading soft notes in her voice

She pulled back, observing him carefully, if he wouldn't meet and know her he would say that she watches him with interest.

Spyro began instantly, starting with the freezing of his tail tip, sparks of ice shot in an arc as he swung his tail. He then opened his mouth, going through all the repertoire of the ice attacks his throat provided. Basic breath, ice spike and polar bomb. He then swiftly leapt vertically in the air, spinning around as he did so, a freezing cyclone started to wake up all around him.

He stopped, dropping gently on the ground.

"And Fury, but I won't show that"

"That's it?" Iris asked disgusted

He was expecting something like that, it was rather obvious that no matter what he would have done, it would still be not enough.

"If it comes to Ice, yeah"

"You are the savior people prayed for? Hatchlings learn the things you know. What sort of miserable enemies have you fought? The fact that you struggled to defeat them doesn't help your cause. You are a joke, I knew that all along"

"My strength lies in variety"

"I don't give a fuck where your imagined strength is. Ice interests me and you showed nothing to warrant my attention. Be gone loser" she waved him off with a flick of her paw, like a lady dismisses a servant

"That's it then? You're giving up?"

She growled.

"Don't pretend that you know my intentions, you overestimate your value Goldie. I never had high hopes for you from the start you dumb little shit"

Spyro stared at her, every fiber of his body urged him to move and leave the rude dragoness alone. His heart however didn't allow something like that to happen, sensitive to all kinds of distress and hurt, it cared for everyone, even those that cause nothing but harm.

He doubted his heart would triumph if the girl above was nothing more than a dragoness that nearly killed his best friend and caused all other sorts of mischief. The girl above was something else however, that brief change, that made her look like someone completely else, left a mark.

He wanted to see that other girl again, he had a feeling that deep down, beyond the ugly blackness of her soul, Iris wanted to do the same.

Spyro sat down, rump kicked sand challengingly in the air.

"I think I'll stay right here"

Both Sparx and Cynder wanted to dissuade him from this idea, yet before speaking they both turned to Coriza, her sunny eyes were enough to remind them of the aura she spoke. Out of respect for their new friend they both remained silent.

Feathery wings fluttered.

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm staying. Perhaps I'm invading your personal space here, but I don't care, it's only fair that I do it after your interference into mine. I can't let you waste the chance you were given, it's not my style"

"You dare to disobey me worm?"

"I'm not sure Iris, but I have a feeling that I do right be you"

Her claws curled against the edge of the podium like talons of a bird sitting on a branch.

"Who, you imbecile, told you what is right for me?"

"You did"

She recoiled back at hearing his blunt and straightforward response. Shock was clearly visible on her snout, yet it was not due to becoming aware of something so obvious that always eluded one's eyes, but due to slander. Just like a priggish noble lady would get smacked in the face by a peasant.

The quickly painting fury on the girl's snout made Spyro wonder if the shift in the demeanor he noticed earlier wasn't just a trick of the mind.

"You made your last mistake fool, I don't respond well to mockery"

"And what will you do Iris?" he shouted at her, trying to sound more confident "Attack me?" What will that achieve besides giving me what I want and leaving you with nothing? To actually hurt me you need your magic and I can tap into it, learn the things you know whether you like it or not"

The look of interest returned, this time it was more intense and more unfriendly, like the look of a card player trying to read if his opponents intentions are a bluff or not.

"What nonsense is this? Do you take me for an idiot? You will say anything to save your precious hide"

Spyro shook his head.

"This is not a lie, this is what purple dragons do. How many of my kind did you actually meet to question my sincerity?"

With an angry growl she jumped down from the dais, in the distance Cynder's muscles tensed and shadow filled the piece of earth below her paws.

Spyro squinted, pushing himself up, fluttering eyelids fighting against the flying grains of sand. When he opened his eyes he came eye to eye with a pair of white orbs, as cold and raw as real diamonds. The feminine softness of her scales was nearly palpable, a faint scent of grime and blood wafted from her. The wounds that covered her cheeks were now practically gone, small cuts the size of a shallow dagger slice remained.

Her breath was as cold as wind in the highest of mountains.

"Why would you betray your secret fool?"

"This might not be the best time..." Sparx mumbled, darting next to Cynder's right cheek "...I can't help myself but notice that she" he nodded in the direction of the black dragoness "got closer to my bro in those couple of minutes they were talking than you did in years"

She turned her head slowly, veins in her neck cracked like bones in some spinning head of a skeleton in some horror story. He gulped loudly when her empty eyes looked at him, he could swear that they flared up with hot, red flames, exactly like the sockets of the skeletal head would.

"Whoa!" he threw his hands up defensively "Just a loose observation! We cool"

"Because this is supposed to be a training session with benefit for both of us. I don't want to use you" Spyro replied honestly, looking straight into the hateful white eyes

Iris made a step forward, placing her head right next to his, one white eye never ceasing its examination. She was so close that the natural heat of her body pierced the cold aura surrounding her. His body started to shake, sparkled alternately by warm and chilly touch.

From up close her scent was hinted with the pleasant smell of flowers.

"Every single one of you wants" she whispered, her alluring, accented voice filled his head

His heart skipped a beat at the sound of it, not because it was charmed, it literally avoided an alluring strike that would trap many, single hearts. His belonged to another already, grazing the impenetrable, swift barrier was everything the words managed to do.

"Not me" he whispered back, swallowing in between words "I want to help"

"Help?" Iris leaned closer, their cheeks brushed against each other

Spyro gently pushed away, guilty eyes searching for his partner.

"This is what purple dragons do?" another alluring whisper, soft paw trailed the muscles of his foreleg

In the distance Cynder's tail made long, anxious swings.

His eyes impulsively darted at his caressed leg.

"According to the prophecy, yes. I believe that one is always hatched when my kind is most needed"

"Bringers of peace and saviors of the world?"

He hesitated, Malefor was definitely not that type of purple dragon, at least the Malefor he knew, there were stories circling, rumors, that he was different once. Those were stories however, he didn't have to look far to find another argument for his doubt.

He was the argument.

Believing that purple dragons are born when needed is a rather plausible fact, Ignus believed that his kind is the way of the world of balancing itself. That would somehow explain the massive gap of thousands of years between each special egg.

As for peace and freedom, remembering all those fights and trail of bodies left behind, he wasn't sure if that has anything to do with saving the world.

"That's...what the prophecy says" his voice wavered

The paw caressing his leg stopped moving, it gripped his foreleg firmly. Blue snout pushed even more closer, he could feel her cold breath on his neck.

"Where were you when I was murdering my mother?" Iris whispered and her voice was as chilly as wind during a blizzard

Spyro gasped, a spasm ran through his body when the paw around his leg intensified its grip. He wasn't shaken only by physical pain, but also magical one. Invisible threads of elemental energy began weaving themselves into the air.

He looked down at his leg and the bluish paw clenching it. Layers of frost started to grow from underneath it, covering his leg in a glassy, cyan layer of ice, stretching like frost across window in the harshest winter day.

"I-Iris" he stammered, teeth rattled loudly

"Where were you?" she whispered again

His body convulsed, he wasn't feeling any pain, only cold, a rather specific cold that left him hollow. He watched as icy lines started to stretch from the origin point, spreading like red lines of infection from a wound, running towards the heart.

It was an odd feeling, not really painful, yet utterly terrifying. He felt like every fiber of his body, one by one was shutting down and before nerves could react and sent warning pulses to the brain they were killed, their connections severed. Whatever alarming pulse they wanted to send out imploded, forcing the nearby muscles into shaking motion that in accordance with the encasing, freezing sensation felt like sharp stings, as if he would scratch his body against the sharp tips of daggers.

He opened his mouth, when air got inside his throat an overpowering feeling of emptiness filled him. He could feel the invisible gust traveling down his very body, he could hear it humming inside as it made its way through the freezing corridors of his veins and muscles, where once blood and water flown.

His looked at his leg, he could see it right in front of his eyes and yet he couldn't feel it. The tingles that he actually managed to sense were most likely the deafened screams of panic of his dying nerves.

"I despise you creature" Iris whispered again, her voice cracked like a whip "You are a lie"

"Spyro?"

The worried shout startled him, he was aware enough to recognize the voice and to who it belonged to.

He groaned through clenched teeth when suddenly he felt an agonizing pain in his leg. He directed his heavy, empty head to his paw. Purple eyes widened when he noticed a silver, feminine claw thrust into his leg, in the spot from where the frost started growing. Cracks sprouted on his leg all around the claw, from the cavities shy droplets of water protruded, they froze soon, taking an icy shape of a tear.

He couldn't believe his eyes, his leg was literally breaking apart.

"Tap into magic my tail" Iris commented icily, with disgust eyeing the drake's shocked expression "You're on the brink of crying for help you mewling fool. This explains your absence, pussy"

He closed his eyes, partially due to his fighter's experience that shaped his focus to deal with all kind of pain and partially because of the growing determination combined with weariness of his pressured, helpful heart.

"I'm v-v-very s-sorry I-I-Iris" he stammered, teeth rattling from cold

There was a soft crack when the blue paw clenched itself tighter, thrusting another claw into the frozen scales. He pushed his teeth together, nearly shattering them as he muffled another scream of agony.

"I don't need your pity worm" Iris said hatefully, nothing remained of her seductive whispers "You are nothing, trash, an insufferable pimple on the world's lifespan. Crawl back and die in the hole from which you poked your dick out"

Spyro bit his lip, drawing in a freezing breath, the air helped sensing the magical spike of ice slithering up to his heart like a snake through grass. Instead of nearly silent swivels of shoved strands of grass, he heard tones of a new song from the popular elemental band.

"I'm not a hero" he groaned

Iris snorted.

He could feel every drop of water from which his body was made of, the continued flow of magical energy he was being charged with, made his natural talent for translating such force into a familiar magical language reach its peak.

The ice was no longer invading him, it was still growing, but this time it felt like a shell, a protective shield. This time he felt like he was becoming ice itself and not the other way around.

"I'm not the one that disappointed you"

He grabbed the bluish paw, with one swift motion he jerked the paw away from his leg. Claws slid out from his paw with a grating sound of a fork scratching the surface of a plate.

Iris gasped faintly, staring in shock at her held paw, underside of which was glowing with a faint, blue light.

"I'm myself" Spyro continued "I mean the things I say. I'm real, I'm genuine"

The layers of frost disappeared from his leg and body, places where the cracks appeared turned into bleeding cuts. The sudden shock that shot through his nerves was too much for his mind, it responded in the only way it could, with panicked agony.

Even if raised in the air, his wounded leg still quivered, as if it would be nothing but a stump of a recently amputated limb.

"I hope when we meet here next time you will accept it" he released the paw, it remained hovering in the air, as if the shock coming from the two white eyes would keep it aloft

"There is strength to be found here" he stepped forward, limping on one leg

Spyro nearly brushed his cheek against hers, he took the same position Iris did earlier, he simply reversed the roles.

"We both need it" he whispered and momentarily limped forward before she could shake off the bewilderment

Cynder's eyes widened when she noticed blood on her partner's leg. The only thing that prevented her from throwing herself at the dragoness was Spyro's shaking head and knowing look.

"That's it?" Sparx spread his arms out, eyes jumping between his brother and Iris who seemed to freeze in place

Spyro smiled weakly "For now"

"Wow" the dragonfly sighed in disappointment "Now this is anticlimactic, people were expecting gore and carnage and you talked her out of it? Damn bro, you're boring"

"I'm not the fighting type, I look for a solution to solve things peacefully"

"Oh yeah?" Sparx folded his arms "And what exactly did you find to make her not want to bite your heart out?"

He looked behind his shoulder, aiming his gaze at the pair of white eyes looking his way with a cautious, passionate interest.

"Doubt"