FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2

She took a deep breath, it was relatively easy despite the previous sad and really disgusting experience, perhaps the minty fruits she took early before returning here not only freshened her breath, but also the stomach.

She was quite the distance from the door, staring at the opened entrance of the temple as if it would be one of the portals Sparx told her about, expecting that soon monsters will pour from the Veil.

Only people were moving back and forth.

And she hated to admit it, but the thoughts about monsters still lingered on her mind.

"Are you sure you want to do this doll?" Sparx observed his friend worriedly, she was so stiff that even the robe she was wearing was standing on end

"No" she replied honestly, the response as raw as the fear gripping her heart

She had no idea what was going on, she had a strange feeling however that if she continues on this path something will change. What exactly she couldn't tell, it was just her instinct speaking.

It might just as well be mistaken, after all for someone who is threatened by even a simple gust of wind, even the tiniest swing from learnt mannerism can be disastrous.

Sparx bit his lip, he didn't know what was going on either, Coriza was a delicate, sensitive creature, but even she had limits, this here is extreme even for her. She never acted so weird, she had her moments of depression, true, but the temple, as much as he hated to admit it, always breathed new life inti her.

Never was the clog for it.

Until now.

A stupid, horrendous thought ran through his mind that he will never tell Coriza about, a thought that suggested that all the Brill's talk about being succumbed to Taint was true.

"Look, I'll go inside for a run and tell you if everything is good all right?" he proposed, he wasn't keen on going into that pit of zealotry, but this would at least give him an opportunity to observe Coriza for a moment from a distance, perhaps he is the reason why she is so unwell

"You don't have to"

"I insist" he dashed in front of her, giving the dragoness a comforting smile "I'll be real quick and tell you everything later"

"Two minutes, please or else I'll start screaming"

It was a joke, it perhaps even sounded like one, yet as he gazed back at her gold eyes he could see tears of plea and seriousness shimmering in their corners.

He gulped, scratching his throat to hide his nervousness.

"Two minutes it is" he pointed at the sky, finger touching a small branch of a tree that the round form of the sun almost devoured "I'll be back before the branch will be in the middle of the sun"

With those words he dashed towards the temple, giving his friend a friendly wave.

She watched him fly away with a held breath, expecting the door to slam close the moment he passes the doorstep, devouring him and crushing every single person on the way that had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She wasn't the best when it came to holding breath, lungs stinging already after just a few seconds, throat itching and world blurring at the corners of her vision.

Tail stretched out to the limit and frozen in place, so stiff that her spine hurt from supporting its dead weight.

Sparx disappeared inside.

The door remained open.

A whimpering, deep breath of relief wafted from her mouth and nose. Eyes anxiously glancing at the branch, soul already desiring for Sparx to return, even if he just entered the temple. Heart blaming her for agreeing to such a reckless and stupid plan.

Minute was already gone.

She felt that with it died also half of her heart.

Breath started to whizz from her mouth, half of her throat supporting her life, the other accumulating the necessary strength for the upcoming screaming.

Minute and a half.

A glowing ball appeared in the distance, growing with each next second as it made itself to her.

She let out a prolonged breath of relief, heart nearly jumping out from her mouth from all taxing wave of happiness that overwhelmed her all of a sudden.

Sparx approached the dragoness with a bewildered look, giving her a shrug.

"I didn't find anything weird"

The tail that was frozen all this time moved, gently and inconspicuously, as if it would dig itself out from invisible layers of snow.

"Really?"

"Yup. Lots of candles and drooling people muttering to the voices in their heads. Day like any other in that place"

She gave him a toothless smile.

"A false conception of prayer my friend"

"Right" he huffed deeply "Forgot it's the stick time now"

"Let's go then" he shook off the stiffness, bones creaked like rusted hinges "I believe there is nothing else left in my stomach"

They approached the temple once more, the path to it felt like a trip down a page of a book that was already read. Nods of heads, smell of grass, greetings, everything was the same.

The stench as well.

Her claws curled tightly on the ground, scratching sound filling the air, it was a paw that she really wanted to slam against her nose and basically crush the nostrils under its grip, anything just to cut off the smell.

She couldn't do it however, it was inappropriate, what would people think if they caught one of the clerics protecting herself from the scent of the temple. Priests are the real bridges between mortals and divine, the connection they represent has to have solid foundations, every soul that ventures into the temple, among them even those that never lit a candle in their lives, is on that bridge, walking through it.

If she breaks, the bridge falls together with her, it all starts from a single crack.

Faith has its flaws, but in her opinion people need to believe in something, or at least aspire to something, there is no better beacon than the Ancestors and the values they represent.

She pushed forward, paw touching the doorstep, snout becoming gently green from all the disgusting smell she had to deal with.

The bridge shook in its foundations.

She hast to do it, it's just a small step for a dragoness, but a big step for the people.

She moved ahead, Sparx assisting her with his presence, claws clicked on the marble floor of the temple, the sound seemed to echo through the whole world. For a second she could swear every eye turned in her direction, giving her a glance similar to the one a family gives to an invited member to a dinner table that they are not much fond of.

However the moment she blinked, clearing her throat into her closed into a fist paw, the stares were gone, if they even were there in the first place that is, returning to their natural areas.

The temple was exactly the same, there was nothing strange about it, every candle and statue was on its place, every window cleaned, every canal filled with fresh, pristine water. As beautiful as ever.

The air however, there was something in the air however, murmurs, echoes, strange, silent sounds, a presence. A feeling so much similar to the one she felt when she slept in the temple or spent her times here on chores all alone, locked in prayers. She could also hear the murmuring then, the silent presence lingering in the air.

Ancestors watched this place after all, while she was religious she didn't believe that gods can walk this earth, dead people are dead. This world however is full of magic, there is a possibility that some essence can still linger here, only noticeable in deep focus or complete freedom.

Especially sensitive people might find the connection stronger than anyone else, maybe even read it, it isn't impossible. The Seeker could hear the Ancestors, she didn't doubt that it was possible, what she doubted was his understanding of the words.

The feeling she felt however was different than the one that usually accompanied her here, it was louder, not the respectful whispering she got used to. It also seemed to vibrate throughout the whole temple, resonating not from the probable magical essence, but something else, something real and palpable, something...

People.

Her eyes ran over the ground floor of the temple, once again taking it under their scrutinizing gaze. People were all around, feeling the temple in great numbers, far more than usually visits. Most of the caretakers were here too.

Crowds happened sometimes, usually just before more important sermons or special events, people never flocked to the temple in the standard days.

But then again, the temple door were never opened before so widely, its gate never so inviting before.

Nevertheless the crowds scared her for some reason, as a priest she saw all shades of faith, from the calm and modest, to the greatly devoted and almost psychotic, one could say that nothing has changed in this regard. The temple was full of people from both spectrums.

Almost all were resonating this strange feeling, a feeling the longer she dwelled upon the more she realized that it had nothing to do with calmness and serenity, it was filling her entire being with a sense of immense anxiety, one that people feel when they usually do something scary for the first time in their lives.

The temple felt crowded, but not because of the people made out from flesh and bone, but because of the weird energy they were resonating.

"Remember two things child. Darkness is in you and it won't let go. It will surround you, pretend to be your friend, protect you. It is up to you to see through the ruse, as an Ancestors conduit you must expel the Taint alone. The other thing to never forget is that Ancestors are always watching" The Seeker placed a warm kiss on her nose

"I'm always watching"

The words of the Seeker echoed inside her head, due to this thick, choking atmosphere she couldn't tell at first if it was just her imagination, or it was really the head of the temple whispering in her earholes.

She jumped back startled, frightened eyes darting from side to side as they looked around for the culprit that read the message on her soul aloud.

"You are really freaking me out Cor" Sparx whimpered, thrusting hands under the armpits, squeezing them to prevent them from moving, he didn't really want to draw more attention than necessary, and comforting a priestess by petting her would surely lead to exactly that

His hands didn't care though, demanding to be freed and thrown into that mane.

He glanced longingly at the open door, they were so close, they had still time to throw it all away and forget about everything. If Spyro would be here, the idea of running away would be nothing else but a joke dipped slightly in the sauce of seriousness, despite all he says all this adventuring hardened his heart, he doesn't get frightened so easily anymore.

People might even consider him brave out of choice instead of just emotion.

Coriza though...she isn't Spyro, she isn't capable of dealing with danger. Defending someone like her, while being just a small dragonfly...will be hard, but he has to do it. With enough pleas and begging it would probably be possible to sway her to listen to him and leave, but then he was sure he would kill the joy in her once and for all.

The temple is important for her, making her abandon it might save her today, but in the long run the regret would kill her.

Fucking shit.

"My reaction frightens me as well" Coriza admitted sadly, paw gently scratching the chest through the robe "Hurts just as much"

"What do you want to do?"

"Run away"

Yellow eyebrow raised in surprise, eyes darted in her direction, heart sped up its pace, filling the bloodstream with hope that maybe it will all end well, they won't need to deal with all this crap. Heroes can run as well right? They are still heroes.

No they aren't.

The gold stare of his friend spoke volumes, she was afraid and didn't want to continue, her cowardly nature pushing forward, however despite what she might think, her gaze wasn't merely full of dread, he could catch that delicate glint of someone who accepted his fate, accepted the fact that there is no turning back now.

Accepted that he either pulls through or dies trying, the glint spoke that retreat was not an option, it might seem as a relief, but it would be only a temporary one. The temple is her sense of life, abandoning it would mean certain demise for Coriza.

Pushing forward?

That at least gave them a tiny percent for survival.

And she clearly put her fate into his hands, she was a wonderful girl in every aspect, like everyone she was not without flaws though, yet she probably possessed the most annoying of them all.

And that he says himself, the expert when it comes to being a pain in the ass.

Dependability.

"We are already here Cor, we might just as well take a look around" the words came from his mouth naturally, logically and without stress

She didn't have to know that his heart was a brick of ice, trapped in a prison of worry.

She nodded, eyes running over the resonating people again.

"I'm always watching"

She directed her steps towards the statues, pretending that her interest lies elsewhere, the sensation that something was with them here just didn't want to go, whatever it was it was always watching.

Together with the Seeker.

The candles were burning, thanks to her experience however she could tell which ones won't survive for long, it was not about the size, but the placement, with all these people around it was essential to find that ideal sweet spot that won't put the flames at risk, constant, even if gentle, puffs of wind created by clothes aren't the best friends of flames.

Exchanging candles always brought her great comfort, she was surprised that it didn't change even now, her stiffed bones relaxed immediately. No longer she had to pretend, her entire body language sending signals of normality, she always loved candles, the scent of burning wax was so nice, like a loving touch of a mother's paw against the head.

There was something sacred about lighting candles, while the action itself isn't anything special and anyone can do it, it pulsed with that inviting connection she always so gladly accepted, the brief moment of serenity was breathtaking.

For someone like her it even bordered on miracle land, that in this developed, full of magic world, she can find something that severs the chain that ties society to the self proclaimed rules of life. A miracle where nothing existed but peace.

Why need wars, pressure and power when everything you need is just around you? Why not enjoy life for what it offers, especially when you realize that life burns away as quickly as the candles in front of her.

Why put yourself on the way of the wind willingly?

She put the candle back in its place, paws moved automatically that she didn't even realize that she actually done something until it was over, candles burning safe and calmly. A toothless smile stretched her lips after she examined her work.

She wasn't good in many things, but she was good at placing candles, back in the days when she was a little girl there was this silly game played here, an unending birthday party where children like her tried to blow out the candles.

For some reason her flames always burned the longest.

A shadow stretched over the rows of the waxy army, too big to belong to Sparx.

She turned her head and came snout to snout with a young boy, a priest just like her, their noses just inches from each other, she could feel his breath on her lips.

She pushed back momentarily, startled and uncomfortable, bumping her hock against the pedestal, with a hiss she kicked her injured paw up, standing on three legs as she faced the cleric.

The young yellow dragon was looking at her with lifeless eyes as if he wouldn't sleep for weeks, it is said that a draconic body can withstand two weeks without sleep and still function properly. While resting through a night is preferable, as a race that has a history of war and slow breeding speed, they had to be able to withstand longer campaigns.

The dragon in front of her looked like he was way past the two week limit.

"Zapir?" Coriza gasped, slamming her paw against the chest, robe echoing a shallow thud, heart pounded against her draconic palm with the force of a sprinting messenger "You scared me to death"

Sparx watched the dragon carefully, Spyro draws all sort of people to him, crazy orbits him just as naturally as sun and moons the planet, the range where he considered someone creepy and insane was raised to the very sky. It is very hard to beat a brainwashed walking genocide having her own shadow as a friend and farting dark magic on daily basis after all.

Yet the dragon there sent those special vibes, as bad as it may sound he was very glad that Spyro wasn't with him this time around, otherwise there would be a great probability that another special case would get stuck to them, enriching the already big circle of madness.

If this guy makes even a step towards Coriza he will break the oath of relative silence that should be respected in this place and make sure that everyone here will stare at them. Crowds have that one big perk, they are intimidating and you don't want everyone to know just what kind of a dragon you are.

"Darkness seeks death, we merely strike back" the dragon craned his neck forward, staring blankly at the priestess as he cocked his head from side to side, like a blind, old predator looking for prey, relaying on the senses that he had left

"Where are you sister?"

Coriza frowned, jerking her head back as her confused eyes jumped between the dragon and her flying friend, the bewilderment shut off her brain entirely

"Who...who are you l-looking for Zapir?"

The heavy eyes of the dragon moved to focus at her, squinted, the eyelids shaking and pressing down the eyeballs, the whole head of the drake lowering a tiny millimeter each second as if the eyelids would be weighting the entire neck down.

"My sister" he whispered, due to the lack of any strength in his voice it was hard to tell if he was actually responding or was just mumbling to himself

"You might want to lie down for a moment dude" Sparx noted, his eyes focused on the dragon intensely "You wouldn't want to break that nose of yours when you hit the ground, trust me, it hurts"

The young dragon twirled his neck in his direction, the move was so swift and unnaturally dexterous, as if he had no spine. If his mind wouldn't record that in front of him was an actual dragon, he would take him for a snake with a weird, giant head.

"Taint bearer" the yellow mouth twitched, jumping between a snarl and a depressed smile "The Light welcomes all"

Coriza gulped.

This was not the Zapir she knew.

There is only a small percentage of people joining the temple that many would call truly normal, who easily breathe around crowds, have interests and basically know how to interact with other sentient beings. Many though, like her for example, join the temple out of calling and somewhat as to fill a hole in their existence, a hole which is drilled by social anxiety or any other form of socially crippling discomfort.

Most of the priests are like her, withdrawn, willing to offer help, but without much small talk, basically what many would call weirdos who waste their life.

Zapir also belonged to that group. He was also shy and withdrawn, especially towards her, in a place where social interaction as well as the number of people you spend time with is limited, the palette of attractiveness shifts and latches onto places where it shouldn't really belong.

She was one such latch and she knew that Zapir liked her, but as a dragon who also joined the temple with oaths of purity he never acted on his feelings. She pitied and respected him for that, it was really difficult for her to see him completely lost and confused when she was around, yet no matter the stress he kept to his duty, most of the times without uttering a single word.

The Zapir she knew would never dare to approach her and speak so freely, especially when it was obvious that she had company.

"Cool" Sparx patted himself, hands making the glow around him shimmer in places "Problem is though that me and Light are good pals" he looked himself over with a shrug "We stick together like bees and flowers, lots of intimacy if you catch my drift" he wiggled his brows at the dragon

If there would be a moment where Zapir would muster enough courage to actually approach someone and exchange words, this sentence here would make him scuttle for shadows in a blink of an eye.

Today's Zapir however remained where he was, not only that, but he also seemed uninterested in what Sparx had to say, if she would forget about his personality, she could even say that he seemed irritated by her friend.

Like a leader of some nation that knows he can't crush his annoying, small neighbor because he risks a premature world conflict.

"No hope" the yellow dragon snapped his head away from the dragonfly, burying his blank stare into the golden eyed cleric, neck making the same swift, unnatural move like before

Coriza winced at the sight, rubbing the back of her neck, it was hurting from the sole fact of looking at the dragon and his unnatural movements.

There was another thing most of the priests had in common.

Lack of any dexterity or any sort of physical prowess.

Today's Zapir seemed to forget about that, even if his frail frame remained the same.

"I can't see you sister, appear to me please, we need you"

"I'm right here Zapir" Coriza mumbled, licking her extremely dry lips

The yellow dragon shook his head "No, no" he stopped, cocking his head, eyelids creaking open

He jumped back with a startled gasp suddenly, making both Sparx and Coriza recoil back, one raised his hand while the other kicked her foreleg up. The dragon looked around fervently as if he would wake up in a different place than he fell asleep in.

"Or yes?" he scratched his head, very strongly that both his companions could hear the claws bending the scale

"Capro will know, he always knows"

Sparx looked at his friend, who automatically looked back at him, from her look he could tell that she doesn't know who he means. Despite that though, there was that hint of suspicion glimmering in the eyes, while she might not know the name, both of them sensed in their souls that they knew the one the young dragon is talking about.

Both desired their instincts to be silent.

"Does this Capro has bright, green scales maybe?" Sparx gently pressured the drake, fiddling with his fingers

Zapir scratched his robe, glancing back at the dragonfly, his eyes more alive than usual, in fact they seemed almost happy.

"You know, this is good, very good" even though his voice had the tune of eagerness and acceptance of the situation, his head was shaking

Both of them noticed that, the dragon's strange behavior stirring more and more rump to the ground

Yellow head followed soon after, dropping without any resistance like the butt chin hitting the chest, the force of the impact made them think that the chin made a hole in the drake's neck.

He went numb, as if there would be a switch in his mind and someone just now turned it off.

Sparx raised his brows, offering his companion a dumbfounded glance.

"Let's go, leave him to his prayers" Coriza suggested, legs already moving before her mouth managed to voice every word, prayer was something she always looked forward to, but this one, in Zapir's case, was nothing else but terrifying

She wanted to be as far away as possible from the dragon.

"You know who he was talking about right?" Sparx whispered hovering next to his friend's earhole by clutching a small strand of hair in his grasp "You remember Cor?"

"I do, however as I said, I never spoke with Capro myself. I avoided him, didn't have, nor do I have now, the courage to approach him. He is just so big and intimidating"

"Sometimes I thank the stars that you are a coward Cor"

"Perhaps it would be worth to change that priestess"

They both balked at the sound of the low voice, in a temple where most of the time no other sound rules the air than that of a whisper, the voice boomed like a thunder.

Capro appeared from the entrance to the caretaker quarters, which was quite a distance away from them, not to mention a higher level also, only a handful of people besides the two of them seemed to be surprised by the noise.

Sparx stared wide eyed at the dragon, fingers working on the hair, clutching and testing it from every direction, making sure that he was really holding the hair.

"What's wrong with this place?" he mumbled, licking his lips "We were whispering! How did he hear us from up there?"

Coriza didn't seem to hear him, she was stiff as a board, eyes locked on the descending dragon as if he would be an executor wielding the axe that will soon sever her neck.

All he could hear was the wild beating of her heart.

Capro approached the duo, his big frame and the natural high that comes with age in his period of life made them feel as if a mountain would stop in front of them.

He had seen many dragons in his life, big and small, young and old, but this guy was huge with all these muscles bulging from underneath his scales. This guy was just one big son of a bitch.

He fit among the shy, withdrawn priests like a rabbit among a pack of foxes.

Capro smiled at them, despite his rather breathtaking posture his smile was warm, grey eyes despite their natural tendency to be rather unwelcoming shared the same aura as the grin

"Supposedly in one place and yet so far away. The Ancestors in their wisdom are so unpredictable, how else to describe the fact that paths of two people can be so different when both roads traverse through the same area. We are like wolves patrolling our own grounds but never trespassing into the territory of another"

"I-I-I-I'm afraid t-t-t-that the problem is me alone. I-I-I-I never began m-m-marking my t-territory" Coriza stammered, her rich voice quieter than usual, eyes that usually kept contact out of respect, this particular time they were focused on admiring the marble below her paws

The big dragon clicked his tongue, rising a single claw in the air, grinning down on her.

"And this is where you are wrong my sister. Your touch is a graceful one, yes, but quite formidable for anyone that gets to make contact with it. Surely, there must be someone that you had charmed and even despite your inherited modesty you noticed the very same thing I talk about"

Grey eyes shifted at the dragonfly, they seemed kind but Sparx couldn't shake off the feeling that if he would stick his fingers in them they would be as solid as a rock.

"What say you my friend? Can my words ring true?"

"I don't know what you are talking about"

Capro snickered, giving the dragonfly a wink.

"The word on the street is different"

"Oh yeah? What exactly does this word say?"

"Rumors are unbecoming for a priest, moral and political policy of this profession, you understand I'm sure"

Okay, thanks to Coriza he has a soft spot for priests, he could really tolerate their withdrawn personalities and perhaps even creepiness. Among them there was a type though that he didn't like very much, a type that believed he is better than anyone else and has the moral right to judge and act as If he is on the top of the moral world.

Like Brill.

He didn't know until now that there is another type of priests he didn't like, a type that he would never believe to exist if he would never meet this big dude right here. This guy was a provoking motherfucker, treating his duty as a joke and a shield he can use to bash people around, knowing damn well that no one will retaliate back.

A fake.

"But I didn't come here to bicker, I'm here to offer assistance" he smiled at the young cleric "Are you feeling well sister? I couldn't help but notice that you seem lost"

"She's fine" Sparx noted staunchly

The big dragon didn't look his way, yet even despite that he could see a glint of triumphant amusement in the corners of the eyes.

"Direct questions are like a confession, you cannot go through them by someone else, you need to do it alone. It takes a certain sensitivity to appreciate this rule"

He leaned closer towards the dragoness, Coriza recoiled back, pushing away from his snout gently as to not to be seen as rude. Her nose was twitching fervently as if smell itself would crash against her locked nostrils.

"We worry about you"

"T-There's n-no need" she stammered, avoiding eye contact like the plague, well aware that without it she strips her words of confidence and yet not having the courage to change that

"Ancestors are watching my dear sister and no matter what you might say, our duty towards them demands that we cannot go indifferent to your plight. Today is the day when everyone can sip from the Grace"

Capro took a deep breath, inhaling the scent that hung in the air.

Coriza observed this action with disgust clearly painting her snout, he most likely smelled nothing else but grass coming from the outside, just like Sparx and probably everyone else for that matter. She however wasn't so lucky and all she could think of because of that was that the dragon absorbed all this disgusting scent with every possible speck of trash that could be responsible for it deep inside his nostrils.

The breath that he exhaled soon after was almost orgasmic.

She covered her mouth, hiding the gag that filled up her cheeks, she could swear that her snout turned green by now from the sickness that was flipping her stomach.

"Wait a moment there Green Lantern" Sparx raised up in the air, hovering right at the level of the dragon's sight "Did you just say that you opened the temple for everyone?"

"Why yes" the drake grinned, eyes sparkling with pride "Why are you so surprised?"

"Oh I dunno, I must have misheard your boss' rant about Darkness consuming us and all that" he tapped his temple "Dragonflies have vivid imagination"

"During this wonderful day the Seeker decided that it would be best for people to know what Light is about. We were secluded for all this time, while the Taint roamed free outside this halls, freely corrupting and whispering to ears. While I value the Seeker's wisdom to keep people in blissful ignorance, safe, so that we can fight the Darkness, it was decided to, at least for today, adopt the tactic of our enemy. In this marvelous day people can see for themselves just how wonderful the Light can be, graze the importance of this fight. See what is to win, after all many people give their best only when they have a palpable, solid goal in front of them"

The dragon leaned back onto his hind legs, spreading the forelegs invitingly as if trying to welcome all of the world in his embrace.

"We bask today in the glory of the Bloom of Ascension, today is the day where everyone can feel the whisper of the Ancestors if only they so wish" all four legs landed back onto the marble tiles "Only the deeper levels of the Catacombs are off limits, let's leave the dead in peace"

"I never heard about the Bloom of Ascension before" Coriza scratched her mane "I've always been taught that the temple is no place for boisterous celebrations"

"Once in a while even the most pure and calm need to have a bit of fun, don't you agree sister?" green mouth shifted into a smirk

"I..." Coriza gulped so loudly that the sound of her swallowed saliva echoed throughout the temple

"Look here dude" Sparx tapped his nose, giving the dragon a stern glare "I have a knack for seeing all sorts of stuff and you remind me of someone, you don't have the problem of forgetting where your ass is, at least yet, but your going dangerously close to that level. I don't really trust that guy you are familiar to, you have the same tendency of rubbing people in the wrong way and it is not the fun way, I know something about that"

The gold eyed cleric bit her lips, she could feel an argument brewing, but this time she couldn't run away.

She felt as if she's going to faint any moment now.

Capro narrowed his eyes on the hovering dragonfly.

"Is that so? I wonder who I remind you of, because I think I should feel insulted, but I don't know how much. What would I need to have to match the example you compare me to?"

"Black eyes and scales"

The dragon kept his stoic posture, one could say that the words he said left no impact on him, yet for a dragonfly like him who grew up with a naïve dragon who believed in almost anything, just to learn to withstand such suggestions later and a dragoness who was traumatized by life and learned later how to deal with the painful experience, he was able to catch the tiniest signs of stress. Stress that betrayed that someone wasn't entirely free from the shackles that weighted him down.

There was nothing in the dragon's snout or eyes, yet his pupils were as quick as his wings, for a creature that cuts the air with the speed of a loose crossbow bolt, quick eyes and solid memory is essential for survival. People usually joke about his race, calling him a mosquito or a fly, aloud he would never admit it, but despite what people might think this was actually a compliment to him.

A mosquito strikes quick and precise and a fly, a fly sees everything.

This is why when he looked down he noticed a gentle tremor running down the dragon's scales, like a shiver, or standing strands of fur of a scared animal. The delicate quake ran all the way down, to the paws, where it put the toes holding the claws into a barely noticeable shaking motion.

Motion that many would find natural, like the twitching of fingers of hands that don't know what to do with themselves.

That little quake was all that was needed to make a huge hole in the rigid mannerism which the dragon tried to keep. It was obvious to him that everything the drake was doing was a result of brutal learning, like an actor who really wants to feel his role.

Danox on the other hand was a natural.

There was no inner calling that led him to the temple.

There was no sense of duty that told him to help people.

What are you hiding behind the mask?

Besides the fact that you know Danox.

While there was nothing bad in it, after all he knows himself that any sort of rules that forbid you from doing something usually are the first thing feeding your curiosity. While not generally acceptable and possibly dangerous, he himself saw nothing bad in breaking a few rules here and there.

And a arrival of a matured black dragon is not something trivial and normal that could be ignored like another passing day. It was only natural that some couldn't help themselves but to get to know the black dragon better, after all, for all his creepiness, Danox had something in him that drew you closer towards him.

Nevertheless something smelled funny here, he would never say a word about meeting with the black dragon, there is nothing wrong in feeding your curiosity, but the big guy here adopted Danox' mannerism, acting as if he is the pinnacle of the world itself.

He would perhaps understand it if the green dragon was just a young boy, fascination is a weird thing, but not harmful, if you're smart that is. After all Spyro grew up thinking he is a dragonfly and yet he matured into a normal guy.

This guy though was a child no more, he was a big dude who mimicked Danox because he wanted to. Copycats usually are far worse than the originals, not in the quality, but in the individual pursue to be exactly like their objects of fascination. It didn't help at all that Danox' morality was as ambiguous as words of a flirty lover.

The bolt of fright this Capro guy felt wouldn't be much of an issue, it is dangerous for him, after all he is a priest with a boss who has a fetish for all that is dark and black and it isn't one of the fun ones. If a relationship between him and Danox would be common knowledge, people would not only lose trust in him, but the temple in general. He didn't really know if this is what the dragon feared, perhaps what scared him the most was Brill's reaction.

Whatever the case may be, he decided to give it a rest and leave assumptions to themselves, with time they will reveal their cards, he had a feeling it will happen sooner than later.

For the time being he will stay clear of the guy, he didn't trust him and especially he will keep Coriza away from him.

Perhaps this fakeness is what Coriza smells, if so then it is possible that he begins to smell the same thing. First this Zapir guy and now Capro, oh no, they won't get their paws on Coriza when he is around.

Leaving her with Flare was hard enough and truth be told he still didn't know exactly how did it go.

No more unknown, especially here in this den of brainwashing.

Capro chuckled, shaking his head.

"You will have to excuse me, but I think I didn't understand you, did you just compared me to Lightbane?" he looked himself over, one paw patting at the scales "My frame is slightly different don't you think?"

He smirked "It can be Cynder, sure" he clapped his hands, rubbing them together "Anyway, time's a pain, I'm really depressed to say that we have to go, we still got some people to save and all that heroic stuff, you know, family business" he winked at the drake "Coriza is my loyal sidekick, I don't go anywhere without her"

He dashed towards the dragoness, catching her robe and pulling her behind himself as he pushed forward, she followed him slowly, like a horse being led by reins.

"We're leaving doll"

"But Sparx-"

"I know you want to stay and check this place out" he whispered to her "I know it's important to you, it's your home and your foster siblings, but you know just as me that there is something fishy going on here. It's too heavy for the two of us to carry"

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Capro shouted after the duo "Festivities are about to begin!"

Sparx raised his hand, not even bothering to look at the dragon, eyes focused at the exit.

"We're good, thanks"

Coriza looked around the temple with pained eyes, she felt as if she would be betraying her family, she recognized nearly all of the priests here, none dare to look at her as if not able to bare the sight of the dagger she will undoubtedly shove in their backs.

Guilt suddenly morphed into dread when in one of the corners she spotted a mole, a cleric, he was drooling with numb arms hanging by his sides, swaying from side to side. Eyes empty and basically lifeless, there was no soul behind the orbs in the eyelids, he looked like nothing else, but an empty husk.

In this very moment she supported Sparx' determination to get out of here.

She had a weird sense that this is her home no longer.

Capro growled, eyes blinking, if there would be anyone interested in his eyes now, they would notice that there was no shred of kindness left in them.

"Enough of this ruse, I've waited long enough, fuck you Danox. It's time for me to make a move" he mumbled to himself, taking a deep breath after the monologue

"Let the Bloom begin!" he roared, sending an announcement to the entire temple

Both of them shivered at the sound of the roar, both of them sped up their pace and rushed towards the exit. Their eyes however were filled with panic when every flame in the temple flickered and dimmed, hearts skipped a beat when a wave of shadow dashed over the walls of the temple as if a huge monster would cast a shadow as it flew past the temple.

Sparx clutched his heart, something weird rattled together with it inside his ribcage, it left him breathless for a moment, but it was over when the shadow dashed past them.

The huge door of the temple shut themselves tight with a rumbling thud.

The shadow was gone, flames remained dimmed however.

They swallowed, slowly turning towards the big dragon, as they spun around every person, every single one, was staring at them, frozen in place like statues.

Coriza felt as if her legs would soon give up under her, this was not her home, this was not her home.

It was a den of worms.

A parasite.

And it brandished its fangs at them.

Capro grinned from the distance, corners of his eyes were milky white like that of Dark Spyro.

"Why won't you stay for a while? I promise you won't regret it"