FSE

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Chapter 6

"I'm sorry for being such a burden" Coriza said faintly, her eyes remaining locked on the ground, head aching from all the stress eating away at her each time she made a step

She really didn't want to trip, even though she was wearing an eye patch as Amela recommended, she was still careful, despite the fact that with the covered up wounded eye the terrain ahead of her was sharp and certain. Her sight was limited naturally, and it was probably that shade that kept her from walking normally.

At least that is what logic would demand, after one of your eyes stops working, by whatever means, you need some time to get used to the feeling of the constant irrational pressure, each second of it telling you that there was a thick wall behind the veil, ready to break your nose at the first possibility it gets.

In her case though, who knew, the most probable of dangers weren't always the one responsible for the clumsiness.

Speaking of dangers.

All this awkward walk might be the consequence of her constantly working mind and building up cowardice. She was hoping to visit Brill, who in his tantrum from what she heard demanded to be left in the temple, the same temple that was closed to visitors, being closely studied and decontaminated from any traces of evil magic.

The beast might be dead, but its gaping maw still possessed sharp teeth.

And this time she had no ancestral light protecting her.

"Come on Cor, you don't have to apologize" Sparx pet her recently combed hair, her usually smooth hair was getting tangled in between his fingers, losing its silky feeling, making it feel as he would be touching rough paper

Coriza didn't pay much attention to her looks, something he didn't see her doing for a very long time. She just briefly combed her hair to make the tattered strands resemble any sort of mane at all instead of being thrown about like sticky spider web on old wine barrels.

She didn't even get dressed, whenever she got out into the city she always put her robe on, working hours or not, she always said that duty to the Ancestors doesn't end after leaving the temple's walls. As a cleric you represented the divine each day and night.

Seeing her ignoring that was more painful to him than watching her clumsy steps.

"I should be the one crying my heart out" he lowered himself down, keeping his hand pressed against her gently swaying scaly side, intensifying his natural glow to shine more light onto the floor, anything to make her path more safer

"I dragged you into this mess. I love Spyro, but my brother has the unfortunate talent to get the attention of Misery. He somehow pushes forward, but the splashes, they eventually get everyone following him"

"I'm so sorry dove, you're too fragile for all this stuff" he shook his head sadly "It will only get worse"

"It was not only your decision Sparx" she comforted her companion, planting a soft kiss on the top of his head

The illumination he radiated pulsed a little brighter for a moment.

"I walked with you willingly, my condition is not your fault. I was born with limitations that render heroic paths too extreme for me. No matter how well embroidered and cared for, glass thrown onto the ground will break still"

He sighed, curling his fingers on the scales, offering all of his, he felt it deep down, very limited support.

"I hate all this drama stuff, but from the two of us, I should be the one begging for your forgiveness" yellow head made a sad shake "That one day was everything, big dragonfly hero my wings, single rumor that Spyro was gone was enough to mess it all up. You could be so safe if not for me"

"Would you prefer that we never met?" her voice was calm, priestly like usually, yet the gentle lean she made towards his hand, pressing tenderly a bit harder against the palm and crunched fingers, undeniable regret was warming her scales

He smiled weakly, sliding his hand across her flank, caressing it gently, one finger was left by the time he reached her smooth chest. It touched the unhealed wound made by the Seeker, he trailed it with all tenderness to the neck where the bloody line ended.

She swallowed deeply, the nervous bulge pushed his finger away, he rose a bit up, looking straight into her beautiful eye.

Depressed by the sight of her wounds, even more because of the damned eye patch on the other one.

"Would you Cor?"

The cleric stopped, trailing the same line he did just a moment ago, her nose crunched itself and a soft whine whizzed through her mouth when she felt her claw falling from the natural surface of scales as if there would be a delicate ravine running across her chest.

The cut the spear made.

Such an ugly wound.

The feeling of it and the past horrific experience should be enough to scare her away, she could imagine herself saying that she regretted their meeting all this time ago, not directly of course, but she would find a way to tell Sparx to stay away.

But now? That scenario felt as if it belonged to an entirely different dragon.

"I would not change the slightest detail" she offered him a warm, toothless smile, the words she just spoke never sounded more honest in her life

Sparx frowned, tilting his head, heart began thudding against the ribcage.

"You sure you didn't get hit in the head too much?"

"I'm aware that I sound differently and I understand your skepticism towards the revelation, every known sign tell us that I should no longer be here. I'm scared, but for the first time I don't feel like escaping"

Her claw picked at the wound, the gentle shocks of pain making her hiss quietly

"I am more curious than I am afraid"

Sparx playfully smacked the scratching paw away.

"Don't touch it!"

She giggled.

He frowned, poking her forehead with his finger.

"Besides the obvious damage here, you want to make your chest bleed the heart out? I'm not going to feed you when you land in the hospital"

She adored him for this lighthearted humor, she wasn't the one that knew how to connect with it however, nevertheless, the little trickle of tease was a welcoming touch that simply lightened up the atmosphere.

Something they all need in this trying times.

"I appreciate your concern Sparx" she smiled warmly, keeping the lips pressed together "I will keep it close to my heart, but do not wish to stop. I must press forward"

"But why Cor?" he whimpered tenderly, gently touching the tongue of the visible, fresh scar above her covered eyeball "You heal so badly lamb, you are not meant to fight. Leave it to my bro please, he's good at it"

"It's not about fighting Sparx. It's about peace, I finally see that there is a chance for me to do something, to show the world that there is another way leading to divinity than struggle, pain and sacrifice"

"This is too idealistic Coriza!" he threw his arms in the air, groaning in built up depressed irritation "It's impossible to make it happen. You won't avoid confrontation, even when trying to sort all problems with diplomacy. Every protest, ideology, mission" he waved his hand around "Whatever you want to call it. All of this eventually clashes with opposition, because as sweet and great as peace with rainbows all around sounds, there are people out there who like fighting and they won't stop just because you'll bat your pretty eyes at them and charm them with your voice"

He cupped her snout in his hands.

"The world is ugly and unsafe and stubborn. You will be used and taken advantage of, believe me, I've seen my share of crap. You're too pure for all of this, just stay where you are, please"

His arguments were fair, there was no denying that he was right, his experience was enough of an evidence to form a theory, some people are simply bad, but she wouldn't be a priestess if logic would be everything that guided her in life.

There was still Faith.

"I understand Sparx" she rubbed her nose against his arm lovingly "But ignoring it would feel like betrayal, I disappointed the Ancestors so many times already, I cannot ignore the signs to make amends. Ancestors were there with me in the temple, it's my duty to repay them for this gift"

He sighed deeply, smacking his forehead against her nose, rubbing it into the scales as he shook his head.

"No Cor, no, no, no" he rubbed his forehead, his glow intensifying, the feeling of his fingers managed to somehow to stop the boiling annoyance building up inside him.

"You can't be certain that it was Ancestral magic! It could have been anything, the magic could, I dunno, infest Hunter, only pretending to be nice. It can be a parasite that luckily for us feeds on the bad goo. It could be some lucky coincidence, it could have been anything really! It's all about your faith Cor, you're a believer and it messes your head"

"Possibly" Coriza admitted without hesitation, her voice stoic and calm "Even when this magic I felt is far from being divine, it doesn't change anything. It is still about Faith as you said and when I met Brill in that tower, I could see it doing wonders without the assistance of external forces, whatever they could have been"

Sparx clapped his hands with a mocking snicker.

"A crazy sack of old fur a role model! Perfect! I thought you wanted to convince me here?"

She curled a lock around her toe, huffing thoughtfully..

"I'm aware that the Seeker's condition might be questionable-"

"Might be?" Sparx snorted, interjecting into the cleric's words "Yeah, it's pretty cool, who of us didn't want to run a spear through someone's throat right?"

"IS questionable" Coriza sighed, tugging at the tuft of hair "Nevertheless Sparx, we must remember that Brill most likely struggled with the Taint from the very beginning when nobody else was aware of its existence. His mind got clouded, yes, but the Faith by which he lived made him break through with moments of clarity. It is commendable"

"I get it Cor" he combed her hair with his fingers "It's important for you to know that you can hold your ground without magic, that Faith gives you that final push. It's nice and all and I'm happy you found some motivation, but..." he dropped to the level of her eyes, his aura dimming pleadingly "Can't you leave it at that? You got your push, you don't need the dangerous, old zombie anymore"

She looked away, her eyes scanning the ground in shame.

"To have hope that I'm not worthless is sweet, but there is something else I need from the Seeker"

Sparx folded his arms, he didn't have to think hard to see what this was about. She was thinking, questioning every detail of the event she was a part of, just like he did together with Spyro during all those adventures, facing impossible odds. It was always about knowing, clarification, that what you committed to is a good thing.

The problem with that was that you never found the answer, it took him years to learn this lesson.

Coriza however was not a heroic material, her faith was as much of a blessing as it was a curse. Forcing her too much to live according to a dogma, it might be helpful at the beginning, determination is an addicting flavor, but the unending pressure, if you don't know how to cut yourself from it, leads to depression.

In the end making all your strife for good a gruesome defeat.

To avoid it, you simply have to accept that you won't be able to save everyone.

Something that Coriza's innocent heart was incapable of understanding.

"Listen Cor, the old mole won't help you, you will hear things you won't like to hear, even if you might like the sound of it. It sucks, but if you don't turn away now, you will have to make the decisions on your own. Brill is a perfect example to where whispers of determination lead to"

"I just want to know if I'm not making the same mistake Sparx. I must know if I'm guided or being used. I must know that I'm still acting according to the will of the Ancestors" she touched the eye patch, feeling a burn of doubt from underneath the material "I must know, anything, even the tiniest hint. I must know that all that happened to me, that it can be used to do good"

He still believed that going to the mole was a bad idea, but he also knew that Coriza wasn't really looking for his words of appeal, she was going there to make a comparison, her logical mind was cautious, looking for signs of corruption.

She told him about Danox, about the eye, the temple and the crystal, the same crystal she believed that expected her to come and destroy it. All of it sounded bad, really bad and almost every bit of his body wanted to tell her to stay away from it all, to avoid Danox and forget about the whole stuff, dealing with black dragons never led to anything good

Or at least that is what the people said.

Damn Cynder.

If not for her it would be so simple to just kick that idea out of Coriza's mind.

He stayed silent because of that, he did not trust Danox one bit, but unfortunately he had no evidence to support this claim and making judgment based only on his instinct would only provoke Coriza. Not only that, but this same judgment was wrong about Cynder all those years ago.

It could be wrong about Danox too.

Of course the creep had to help her, in fact if Coriza wouldn't mention his name he would never guess that she met Danox, the way she described his actions stood far away from the image of a cocky, narcissistic bastard the black dragon claims to be.

Besides all of this, there was something else about him that he couldn't put his finger on, for some reason he simply couldn't discard him like a lost cause.

It would feel like betrayal.

He sighed deeply, shaking his head.

"Look doll, I understand you need to go and there, you're stubborn like that, but as we go there I simply ask you to remember what I said and before knock at the door, you must be certain that you are willing to continue, because there will be no turning back"

Her uncovered eye widened in fear.

"This sounds very ominous"

Sparx nodded with a shrug.

"You can't force change without getting your hands dirty, happy endings are only in stories, you might win it for the people, but the consequence of your actions will follow you forever. Not much of a sweet ending if the hero has no peace right?"

Coriza's head dropped, his words affected her, he could see her thinking, which was a good sign, yet second after second the frown was changing its shape, becoming less logical and more emotional. Regret and sadness was pushing onto the draconic face, the spark of determination extinguished, letting depression through.

And all he could read there were three words that made his heart bleed.

I am worthless.

"I didn't want to scare you Cor!" he yelped in shame, lifting her head by the cheeks "The consequences aren't all bad, just can get annoying, Spyro's life changed after Malefor, mostly for good but the annoying part of having practically no privacy gets tiring since it will take the majority of your life. It will be moments that will truly matter for you and you gotta decide if it will be enough for you. If you go with this path, you won't stay invisible for long, not you, not with that heart of yours and those eyes"

He planted a soft kiss on the top of her nose, for a brief second he could see images of a script titled with the cleric's name flashing before his eyes, once again feeling as if he would be cast into a time machine.

"Whatever you decide though, I will be by your side"

He made a similar promise to Spyro all those years ago when they left the Swamps for the first time in their lives.

Nothing was the same after that, for either of them.

The draconic head titled delicately, grateful smile spreading the lips, unafraid of showing the uneven bite.

"Thank you"

He winked at her, ruffling her hair playfully, the rather greased strands thrust out in every direction like arms of a star. He laughed at the sight, with a wince immediately beginning to pat the hair back in place.

"We're even the moment you take a bath and do something with this bush on the top of your head"

She blushed, hiding her snout behind her paw.

"Promise" she whimpered quietly

"You're lucky that you're cute doll, I can't get angry with you" he clapped his hands, returning back to her flank and giving her rump a tender smack "Now let's go, show the old mole who's boss"

She giggled, dropping her gaze back onto the street to observe the steps, this time however her paws weren't as heavy and her sight not as treacherous.

It was a sort of miracle to be reminded every now and then with the same amount of intensity that a divine guidance is not everything that a priestly heart needs.

The support of your loved ones and friends can be wondrous as well.

*

All the cherishing joy vanished when they finally reached the courtyard of the temple.

Coriza's wings slunk down, tail slid between the back legs.

There was no one here.

Days passed since the Taint's grip was loosened from the city's throat, nevertheless the citizens of Warfang still didn't build up enough courage to visit the holy site. Logical mind would explain the situation by quoting one of the Guardian's orders that said that the temple will be out of service for the time being.

However her priestly heart knew that passion for guidance couldn't be stopped by decrees of mortality, people could still pay honors if they wanted to. The Guardians locked the temple, placing guards before the entrance, there were no restrictions about the courtyard.

She blinked, hoping that it was just a trick of a stressed mind.

It turned out it was not.

The sight of the empty garden sucked the colors from her scales, even the hurt eye, that she could feel blazing underneath the patch went silent. The artificial tranquility of this place was depressing, she could understand that with the advancement of technology less and less people would seek strength in the divine, after all there won't be a reason to when a machine will replace your strive for ambition for instance, running automatically on its own, being its own self sufficient totem of precise wonder.

Never in the wrong, never asking for help, always right.

A tiny Ancestor.

She did not like this vision, but could understood that comfort will eventually overpower Faith, it was simpler to see magic happening with a flick of a lever than actually trying to find a spark within yourself. This decadence of Faith would be sad, but understandable, one could even say that it would be just a natural order of things.

This emptiness?

It had nothing to do with normality, it was an anomaly, a hole that needs to be sealed.

She gazed upon the temple with sad eyes, examining its glorious shape, the towering statue of the dragon blared its holy call out into the world, calling out everyone that would listen.

She leaned in closer, staring into the statue's gaping maw, hearing a delicate ruffle in the back of her mind.

It was not the same song.

She shook her head, once again looking at the statue.

Her eye widened when instead of the golden snout of a dragon there was a swirling, crimson hole, biting the air like a round mouth of a parasitic worm. The maw retched, spilling a fountain of blood from its hungry mouth, she could feel her legs becoming slick, paws tapping nervously, instead of hitting solid ground they were giving away wet sounds as they splashed the blood everywhere.

Eyes, thousands of eyes swam in the crimson river, all staring at her.

She whined, thrashing her head wildly.

"Calm down Cor! Calm down!"

Hands clapped against her cheeks, the shout echoed hard and deep inside her skull.

She narrowed her eye.

Directly at the face of Sparx who was cupping her head, behind him the statue was once again blaring its tender sermon into the air.

"It's over doll" he said sweetly, his voice soothing, the yellow light he was illuminating reminding her of the Ancestral presence embracing her

Of all the people in this temple she was the only one with such a privilege.

"Is it true? Are all these people..." she gulped, the memory of her standing to her ankles in blood in that frightening corridor "...gone?"

Sparx looked down, he tried everything he could to keep the rumors away from her, but he was only a single dragonfly and the terror flowing across the populace was like a massive tide. It was absolutely illogical that people when frightened instead of trying to cheer themselves up come up with more depressing theories that only enlarge the hole of loss even further.

Sadly there was truth in those theories.

The Guardians conducted the investigation, filled up the missing reports with names, spoke with Danox, basically tried to get information from every source possible.

And unfortunately Danox as the messenger from the future knew every juicy detail about the events in Warfang. He didn't see the Guardian's expressions, but he spoke with Danox and he knew what he told them, he was pretty sure that the Guardians regretted ever asking him about it.

The portal was a fucking meat grinder.

Blood was all that was left of the people thrown in there.

Personally he believed that thrown was far fetched, knowing just how woozy the people were under the influence of Corruption, he was pretty sure that they walked into the portal on their own legs.

This macabre was supposed to be a secret, the lost people counted as missing instead of a casualty, of course the world had other plans, there was somewhere that one shitty pipe that heard the talks and spread the words around. Perhaps a little embellished, perhaps a little fake, like rumors go, but pair that with a shocked traumatic mind and you have a recipe for a commandment that could be sent by the Ancestors themselves.

In moments like those he chastened himself for trying to protect Coriza, thinking that maybe it would be better to set her loose and make her fight for peace.

Ancestors be damned, this world needs a bit of it in its menu.

"Do you really want me to say it out loud?" he mumbled quietly, not having enough courage to lift his eyes

She gulped, her throat had to make several crunches to be able to swallow the bulge that built itself up. A tear slipped past the black patch covering her wounded eye.

"No...it's not necessary" her voice wavered

Now it all became clear why the temple is abandoned, with all her heart she wished that she could blame it all on technology.

Sadly the temple lost its charm, people no longer saw a heaven in it where their worries and pains can be alleviated, but a pit where they are being sacrificed, turned into nutrition for a demonic divinity.

She started to feel sick, the temple, a place of serenity turned into a hollow of depravity.

My home devastated.

Partially because of her own fault, she could sense the odd whispers a long time ago, imagined that she heard the Ancestors murmuring on the upper levels, hear them speaking through Brill.

She even moved out because of that pressure that after a while started to be nauseating.

All this time it was the Taint spreading its influence, a trickle most likely at the beginning that could be as easily blocked as a small crack in a pipe with a neatly applied patch.

She ignored the signs though and now her home was devastated.

And she was to blame for that, every sickness begins with symptoms, if ignored than it escalates into a pandemic.

Sparx noticed the struggle in the cleric's snout, the sight of it made his heart ache because he immediately knew what this is about. It reminded him why he fights so strongly to keep her away from heroic stuff Spyro was made for.

She just didn't have the stomach for it.

"I really hope that you are not blaming yourself for this Coriza"

She looked at him with depressed, wet eye, she didn't have to say anything, it was all visible to him from her hurt expression.

"Look girl" he pointed a finger at her, his body glowing sharply "You decided to play hero so you gotta bear through it. Bad thing happen, you can't control it, this path you are trying to walk is not about preventing things, to much random stuff happens for you to be able to fight with it. This path is about repairing things, when Spyro put the world together he didn't stop the process from starting, he mended the earth together after it already cracked. So you gotta stop thinking about what you could have done and concentrate on things that are still in your reach. Fix stuff girl, don't cry about it being broken"

She scratched her chest, feeling her heart radiating pain through the scales.

"It isn't so simple Sparx"

"Of course it isn't" he flew to her chest, knocking at the spot her claws recently scratched "That thing inside there is too pure" his fist unclenched into a hand, palm of which tenderly caressed the soft, gold scales "Not meant for this, but falling into the same rules of the game nevertheless. Fix stuff Coriza, focus on this and let me take the blame. I have strong shoulders, I can take it"

She nuzzled the dragonfly, purring softly.

"Spyro was so lucky to have you by his side"

He scratched her cheek.

"I dunno about that, I kinda made him work for my skills"

"You made your brother work for it but you're offering yourself to me for free?"

"I don't beat girls"

"Cynder told me you didn't see eye to eye in the beginning"

"Cynder is not a girl, she's my sister"

Coriza giggled.

"We are all lucky that you are with us" she gave him a gentle, grateful lick

"Yeah, yeah" he booped her, chuckling "Ease with the sugar baby or imma melt"

She smiled her warm smile, it was a very modest display, far below the potential even of her professional grin, but it was still better than nothing. He didn't see her smile for a while now, even the tiniest sight of it was good news, it was always a hint that she built up enough mental resistance to be able to withstand the pressure of what is to come.

Because neither of them believed that the meeting with Brill will be smooth.

He could see the weird looks of the two draconic guards posted at the door, the young boy and girl in service of the Guardians couldn't believe their eyes that someone was approaching the temple. Not only that but the pair also had to go through some serious déjà vu if they stationed here already. Brill also hobbled and now a young girl was approaching them that from the distance had the similar walking style like the old mole, the difference being only in the cane. Brill supported himself on a physical, real staff while the dragoness supported herself on a dragonfly.

"Good afternoon honorable citizens" the female guard announced her greeting, scratching the helmet she was wearing with her bright yellow paw "Are you lost?"

"No, we came to the right place" Sparx answered with a smile

"The temple is out of service, the notice hangs on the gate by the entrance to the courtyard" the other guard grumbled, blatantly stating his dissatisfaction by the perspective of the incoming troubles, clearly enjoying the peace this post had to offer him for the past few days

"We know but we really wanted to hear it from the mouth of someone as eloquent as yourself"

"Forgive us" Coriza pushed in front of Sparx, shoving the grinning dragonfly behind herself, quickly changing the tone of the conversation before it escalates to levels no one desired "We are not here to disturb the official decree, our intention is not to shatter the tranquility of the temple, we humbly ask for your permission for a brief seeing with the Seeker"

"Lady, I don't know where have you been for the last few days, but the Seeker is in no condition to see visitors. Due to security reasons and the priest's critical state it was decided that his treatment will take place in the temple's walls. The gate will remain closed, please be on your way" the guard waved them off, letting out a longing yawn, clearly wishing to return to his boring job

"Listen, buddy I don't think you know with who you are dealing with here" Sparx rose in the air, folding his arms and giving the guard a cocky glare

The male dragon shrugged, uninterested in the conversation.

"Your reputation is known to us sir" the other guard responded "However our orders are clear, no visitors"

"No, no, no, it's not about me Peach, but her" he dashed towards the cleric, bumping her with his elbow "Do you know who she is?"

"Your friend I presume"

"Yes, but ummm" his eyes darted around, glow dimming, the rather blunt response caught him unaware "But that's not the point!" he clapped his hands, bursting with fresh light "This lady here is no one else but the very dragoness who was blessed by the Ancestors themselves!"

Coriza blushed, feeling the heavy sight of the guards upon her.

"Sparx, this is rea-"

"She is their Chosen!" he opened the arms in the direction of the cleric, his aura bursting with fresh intensity as he announced her like some precious work of art by a known artist

The male guard cocked his head, despite Sparx' announcement the dragon's eyes remained sleepy and without focus. He scanned the petite frame of the girl, noticing the ugly wound stretching out from the chest and covered eye. Not to mention that she swayed gently on her legs, as if ready to collapse at any moment.

The girl looked like she would have troubles opening a door let alone fight Darkness.

"No offense to anyone, but you don't strike me as a heroic material Lady. I was not aware that the Ancestors were compulsive gamblers"

"Come on dudes!" Sparx spread his arms in disbelief, hovering right in front of the two guards "How many clerics you know that have a cut reaching to their neck? Plus a glowing eye? Huh? Haven't you heard what she did?"

"Sparx" Coriza mumbled shyly, feeling the gazes of the guards upon her, she shuffled her legs, trying to cover herself behind the flying dragonfly "Y-You don't have to"

The two dragons observed the girl skeptically, as members of the security force of Warfang rumors and tales about extraordinary people or events reach them faster than most. The Guard needs to be prepared to deal with the changing world, especially a world based on magic that is very eager to shift its mood on the most simplest of whims.

Naturally they heard about a dragoness entering the temple and dealing the final blow that shattered the crystal, of course they heard that it was actually a priestess that worked for the temple that committed the deed.

But they expected someone that actually looked the part, confident and projecting some signs that the special someone is actually capable of wielding Ancestral power.

This cleric?

She was a petite, shy creature that seemed to be afraid of her own shadow, it was simply improbable that someone of her stature could be the Ancestors chosen.

Then again there were now two black dragons fighting on the side of the Realms so everything is possible it seems.

"Even if what you say is true" the female guard replied "Our orders do not mention anything about the Ancestor's pupil having any special privileges"

Sparx grinned.

"One week ago we didn't even know anyone like that existed. No wonder the law is not prepared for it" he shrugged sadly "Bureaucracy, it always lags behind the divine plan. I mean who are we to stop the Ancestors they wished for the meeting, who are we to stop them?"

"Cease the drama okay?" the girl rubbed her forehead "My head is starting to hurt" she looked at her companion "What should we do? We shouldn't interfere with the Ancestors will, right?"

The male dragon scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, probably"

"Perfect!" Sparx clapped his hands, giving each dragon a friendly bump in the shoulder "Thanks for y-"

"Not so fast"

The dragon's rough snarl practically extinguished Sparx' glow like a candle flame.

"How can we know for sure that this is really the special cleric? We can't take your word for it, we need solid proof" he leaned towards the priestess curiously "Show us the eye"

Coriza backed away, startled.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on! Be reasonable guys" the dragonfly whined pleadingly

The female guard smirked.

"We are being reasonable, anyone can come here pretending to be the special one, but there could be only one that can prove it" she stretched her neck out as well, joining her partner "Show us the Thunder Eye we heard about"

Coriza placed her paw on the eye patch, protecting it, her still backing legs slipped, making her land on her butt with a grunt. She felt so small and exposed under the scrutinizing gaze of the guards, like a mascot on display.

"Come on girl, shouldn't be too hard for you if you are the real deal that is" the male guard smirked

"Hey!" Sparx thrust his palm into the sight of the guard, making him focus on him "She will do it when she's ready, give her a break, it's new to her too"

"Don't be a bully" the female guard scolded her partner

"Fine" the smiling dragon straightened up, shrugging casually "Just remember, no eye, no entrance. I think that the Ancestors would be proud of us that we blocked a fake"

Coriza cringed, shrinking in the eyes, one could expect that she would get used to attention when working as a cleric, the amount of individual counseling she did should make her resistant to pressure of focus.

It would probably if not for one, small detail.

"As a cleric people saw her as an agent of the Ancestors, they weren't looking for her, but rather for the thing she could bestow them with, in the end believing that it was the Ancestors speaking.

Here the pressure was on her and only her, she was never good in meeting expectations and yet those people expected her to prove herself.

Something she didn't want to do.

She didn't want to be the center of attention people look up to.

But then again what is she expecting that will happen? That people will ignore after everything the Ancestors helped her do? Ignore her on the path to peace?

Of course not.

The dice was cast, either she will be loved for it, or hated.

The only true thing now was that the time for invisibility was over.

"Listen Cor, you don't have to do it" Sparx comforted the dragoness, hand resting on her shoulder "We can always come some other time. Brill's not going anywhere"

"Last time when I kept running away Sparx Darkness turned my city into its feeding ground and defiled my temple. Ancestors put their faith in me, they expect me to stand up" she looked at him, her glare piercing "And tell me honestly, isn't it pathetic of me to be ashamed of myself?"

"You were never confident Cor, there is nothing pathetic in that"

"But I was never scared of myself" she brushed her locks away, tugging at the corner of the eye patch "Faith is about believing that you do good and Brill showed me that it can do wonders if you truly want it"

"Brill's zeal led him to a deathbed" Sparx noted sadly

Yes it did. What the Seeker was going through was unhealthy, in every aspect and some of those flaws weren't provoked by Darkness. Ambition is a dangerous drug, combining that with a prestige that the seat of Seeker gives can be a volatile mixture.

Of course the fear was mostly originating from the perspective that she will follow the same path, that everything is just a wicked plan of the Taint.

Or it might be just her imagination.

Hollowborn. The Taint was terrified of her. Could she really ignore a gift like that, a sign that could come even from the Stars themselves? Would the Ancestors really lead her to doom?

So many unknowns, so many questions and only one path leading to answers.

Onto which she already made her first step, whether she liked it or not, the scar across her eyeball a clear sign of that.

"I know Sparx" she licked her lips, despite her tongue moving across them they still remained impossibly dry "But I was put on this path and I feel it is exactly like you said" she uncovered her eye "There is no turning back now"

"Whoa!" the female guard exclaimed, her partner craned his neck back to see better

The uncovered beige eye was crackling like waves across a shore, sparks of yellow burst inside as if there would be caskets of dynamites exploding one after the other in quick succession. The vivid, sharp colored eye seemed to be alive, almost making the yellow thunders look like quickly pumping veins.

The pupil was big, lively and focused.

Very much focused.

As if it would be examining them inside out, seeing every vein, every memory and every flaw. Breaking them apart to examine every piece individually, leaving no dot missed.

Judgmental.

Both guards backed away at the same time, looking away, both scratched their armors, trying to rub the heart hidden there. Both feeling unrealistically guilty all of a sudden.

Coriza covered her eye, dragging her hair over the patch.

"There, you got your proof" Sparx rose high, towering above the dragons and folding his arms arrogantly "Happy now?"

The guards looked at each other, from their expressions it was quite clear that they no longer were certain if they found what they were looking for.

Suddenly the male dragon pushed the door to the entrance open and moved away to the side.

Sparx' eyes widened.

Or perhaps they realized they were too insignificant to block the way.

"But be quick about it" the guard rumbled "The Seeker is in a bad condition"

He clapped his hands with a gasp, immediately dashing towards the cleric and yanking her by the horn, forcing her to move before the guards change their minds. Luckily Coriza obeyed without problems.

"Thank you" the cleric whispered as they passed the pair of armored dragons

The dragons merely nodded, certain that the road path she took in her life was beyond their supervision.

Both of them whizzed a long breath through their nostrils when finally the light of the outside mixed itself with the illumination of the building, allowing their eyes to adjust to the lightning.

The temple was so small.

The entrance to the upper floors was sealed, covered with thick colorful sheets with one bored guard posted on the staircase. Curtains were also draped over the columns, blocking entrance to the rows of statues placed at both sides of the temple, together with the colorful windows, limiting any light they could ever produce.

Besides the braziers that were dimly lit, the only natural source of light was coming from the opening in the ceiling, which was also covered slightly, yet the illumination was manipulated in such a way that it shone a single ray down upon the ground.

Ray that shone directly at the placed underneath bed, illuminating the sheets almost from the middle of the resting spot and to its legs.

At first they both wondered why would anyone block the light and direct only one on an empty bed.

But then their eyes found the answer, noticing a head sticking out from the sheets, mole head, old head.

Brill.

If not for the skull they would never guess that a living creature is lying there, the sheets were barely indented, as if they would be lifted occasionally by a stronger gust of wind. All the dim lightning started to make sense, it was blocked to avoid irritating the patient.

The old priest was surrounded by people, guards and healers alike, among them there wasn't a single person that could remind them of a visitor like themselves.

This was probably why every eye in the room was turned on them, even the bored guard at the staircase lifted himself up, the snaps of his bones hearable even from the temple's doorstep, bones that became stale from boredom.

This whole place was turned into a temporary hospital room, doubtful Amela would allow someone frail like Brill to be taken care of in such a non sterile room, it seems she simply had no other choice.

It was simply too dangerous to move him.

Or perhaps the old mole's stubbornness was too much even for such a strict healer like the old cheetah.

"Can we help you?" a male cheetah, dressed in a standard healer's garb spoke up, his voice echoing loudly in the silent, big room

"Keep your voice down" a sharp whisper cut the air, followed by a sharp slap in the hand, a mole assistant scolded the feline

"You cannot-" the cheetah spoke up again, quieter this time, however his voice was abruptly cut off by an unexpected tug

Practically skeletal arm reached out from under the sheets, grasping the cat by the wrist and pulling him back, making him lean over the old head.

The cheetah's ears flattened as he began to listen Intently.

Healthy or not, misguided or not, Brill still clearly possessed authority among the people.

The temple went silent instantly, people stiffened.

The awkwardness in the air was so thick that if Coriza would reach out with her claw she would be able to cut it.

They noticed the eyes of the cheetah with flat ears snapping at them, the feline looked as if he would be angered by jealousy.

"Approach" he hissed, stepping away from the bed, his sight drilling into the two new arrivals "The Seeker wants a word with you"

The skeletal arm slid back under the sheets.

"That's not creepy at all" Sparx whispered to his friend as they both started to slowly make their way towards the bed

Coriza no longer looked at her paws, eyes locked on the bed and the silhouette covered there, however that did not help her pace at all, the stress of the situation made her shuffle her legs awkwardly as if they would be too heavy to lift.

She did not reply, in all honesty she didn't need to, the confirmation was painted on her snout.

She was scared.

The fear was only intensified the closer they got to the bed, the sheets already looked eerie from distance, yet the close proximity intensified the feeling tenfold. The sheets were flat from this perspective, if not for the impossibility of it, they would really say that the bed was empty.

Brill was basically a skeleton.

He wasn't in top shape before, but earlier he looked like a really advanced with age priest, cane and wrinkles spreading around that special aura of respect. Now his face was ancient, the fur was completely gone from it, exposing withered and dark skin beneath, the eyes of the mole milky and without color.

He looked ancient, completely blind, like a corpse dug out of a sarcophagus. If he ever dared of grabbing a cane now his arm would surely snap like a twig the moment he would clench his hand.

If Death would ever wear a mask this would be one of its shapes.

Sparx never really cared for the mole, to him legends about purple dragons and worship of Ancestors are exaggerated fantasies, they always speak about the good stuff, conveniently ignoring the process it takes to reach that praise worthy deed. All those heroes and gods lived on this earth and made mistakes, sometimes even bad ones, but that part, like in every fairytale, is silenced.

Brill for him was a pest, he did not like him for the fact that he had an unhealthy hold on Coriza and people in general and for the sole purpose that like many others he hated Cynder for nothing, falling into the same radical category like many other people that blamed the poor girl for their misfortunes.

Yet he tolerated him, ironically because of the same authority he despised him for. The mole was important to Coriza and each time he listened to her when she spoke about him, he could understand why Coriza looks up to him so. No matter how he feels about Faith, the mole's belief was strong and it gave him the resistance to withstand the influence of Darkness, even if it wounded him terribly at the end.

He respected him for that strength of will, faith kept him going and made him survive to the end, if he would fall they would have practically the entire city drooling and sent after them. Their heads would be on the pikes before they could realize what's going on.

For all the crap he did, the old mole deserved at least a nod of the head, a sign that his struggle was noticed.

Out of this respect he instinctively dimmed his aura, lowering the illumination to the level of the braziers.

"Seeker" Coriza mumbled quietly, if not for the silence her wavering whisper would be lost even in the sound of footsteps "H-how are you f-feeling?"

She thrust her claws into the ground, it was such a stupid question to ask considering the fact that she fought desperately to keep looking at the mole's face, even though her single eye demanded to stare at the unnatural bed.

"M-My cleric" Brill rasped, making them both wince, the rough, grating sound they heard made them feel as if the mole's movement of the throat would grind the cervical vertebrae to dust.

A hand appeared from underneath the sheets, the sight of the skeletal, ruined form of it made Coriza gasp. The horrific, filled with rotten patches of skin finger invited them closer.

Sparx bit his lip, noticing, with great disgust, that Brill smelled the closer they got, he really smelled, badly, even the medical ointments couldn't mask the smell completely.

The smelled worse than a decomposing corpse.

What kind of smell is that?

Flare nodded happily, oblivious to the sarcasm "Exactly, that one. That guy smells funny" to force his point across the drake tapped hi claw against the tip of his nose

"The crazy, delirious rat stinks, we're saved!" Sparx exclaimed, throwing his arms up in a fake pose of victory

"No, no" the drake shook his head "Dirt has nothing to do with it. He smells like some people that I was stuck in a cell with. My cellmates explained to me that those funny smelling ones aren't themselves, that they are very, very sick"

"Man, that mole is ancient, he's older than the two of us combined, no wonder he's sick. Old people usually are sick"

"No" Flare frowned thoughtfully "It has nothing to do with age"

He shook his head, casting away the sudden memory, it was exactly like Flare said, Crouton could sense it way before the truth came out.

The mole smelled funny.

But what did it all mean?

"Seeker" Coriza whimpered, her eye locked on the ruined hand, paws making uneasy, tiny steps forward "I came to seek counsel"

"Closer" the mole gasped out, sounding like rust being scraped off a bar

He noticed that his friend was also getting bothered by the stench, her nose was crunched in visible abhorrence, her eye gleaming with built up tears, her desperate fight with instinct that told her to run clearly visible on her snout.

"Maybe we should stop?" he asked uneasily, having a really bad feeling about this, he felt exactly like when Spyro defeated Cynder, it all went calm for a second, but there was still this nagging feeling of anxiety that kept saying that this is not quite over yet, that danger was approaching

Just a second later the portal went crazy, sucking everything in.

Coriza didn't hear him, touching the edge of the bed with her legs, pushing the hand under the sheets. The freezing touch of it made her shiver.

The arm barely lifted the sheets, just like the cloth would be lips of some kind of monster that ate it up.

"Closer" the mole nodded with his head slightly, inviting them to his personal space

Coriza titled her head, leaning over the mole's head.

Sparx heart started to race, he subconsciously reached out for the girl's horn.

The hand of the rodent however was faster.

The skeletal arm shot from the sheets, despite its frail form it did not break when it grabbed Coriza by the horn, it showed almost unnatural strength in fact as it yanked the girl forward, pressing her nose against the withered one.

Terrified, wet, gold eye staring right at the colorless, milky ones.

"BLASPHEMER!" Brill blared out, spitting the ruined threads of tissue from the mouth directly at the girl's snout, the roar making the bed rattle when his entire decayed frame flexed, giving it all to produce the shout

Coriza screamed.

"Leave her alone you freak!" Sparx shouted, biting and trying to pry off the fingers from the horn,

Teeth clicked, sending a painful sting across his jaw, it was as if he would bite the cold bars of the cell.

It did not help, the clench remained strong, it was doubtful that the rotten sack of bones even felt it.

Brill's head lashed out, his ruined teeth bit into the eye patch and with one fierce tug broke the material, making the patch drop. He then leaned in fiercely smashing his forehead into the draconic nose, making the screaming cleric's eyes water as he himself glared deeply into the swirling with colors eye.

"I SEE YOU! CORRUPTION! CONSUME US! CONSUME US!" more of the throat's rotten insides splattered across the draconic snout

"Let her go!" Sparx screamed, driving two of his fingers into the mole's old eyes

Brill screamed, thrashing his head and biting fiercely, one such snap made Sparx push back, the bite would take his arm clean off.

The mole wild thrash stiffened the draconic head in his fierce grasp, he smacked into the nose again, making it bleed, while his other hand shot from the bed sheets, finger landing right at the eyeball of the colorful eye.

"Taint! TAINT! SO CLOSE! DON'T CONSUME!" the Seeker yelled, pushing his finger into the cracking with energy eye

Coriza roared loudly when a powerful sting of pain shot from her skull, she kicked with her entire body, thrashing like a feral beast that was about to be ridden. The mole wasn't strong enough to hold a thrashing dragon in place, she broke free, the pain parting her mouth, she bit fiercely into the arm that poked her eye.

Cracks of bones snapped across the room like a thunder in the distance.

Brill screamed loudly, sheets rising, for the first time truly showing that there was a body underneath.

"STOP IT!" a chorus of shouts filled the room, every person present threw themselves at them, grabbing them tightly and hurling them away from the bed as if they were worthless sacks of stones

Coriza toppled, collapsing on the ground, her clumsy legs unable to keep her yelling body balanced. Sparx managed to recover, his quickly beating wings went through worse things than anger of some mob.

"BE GONE! LEAVE THE SEEKER ALONE!" every single guy and gal in the temple, from medic to guard moved in front of the bed, forming a barricade of flesh, each face and snout grimaced by an angered, pained expression as if they would be offended

Sparx clenched his fists, ready to shout at them, but their expressions were everything that he needed to drop the idea. There was no point in shouting, these people were lost in their zeal, no matter how the old mole acted and who was the true attacker here, they would not listen, clearly decided that they were to blame here.

This image scared him even more than Malefor.

Worship can be so blinding, this was only a handful of people, fierce believers that Brill is sacred. Many after these events probably turned away from the Ancestors, having doubts, but who how many more are out there to whom Faith was everything. How many still believed that Brill is the avatar of the Divine?

He was wrong thinking that exposing Brill would be the end of him, the proof that he was being lied to was right there and yet people still protected the mole like some sort of a treasure.

Superstitions are such powerful manipulative tools.

Coriza sobbed next to him, clumsily trying to pull herself up, yet her paws kept just sliding apart making her drop on the ground all the time.

"WHORE! WHORE! WHORE!" the mole went into a tantrum, screaming his lungs out, strong blares making even the draped curtains at the ceiling waver softly

"Come on doll, let's get out of here" Sparx hissed, helping his friend get up, clenching his teeth tightly, blocking off the insults to the best of his ability

Coriza was crying, her head hung low and ruined hair draped over her snout like wet towel, yet with his help she managed to get up. Instantly one of her paws slapped against the hurt eye, he could see a trickle of blood flowing through her shaking toes.

"SLUTS OF TAINT! SLUTS OF HUNGER! HERE TO CONSUME US! TO-" Brill's rave became weaker with each blare until it eventually was cut off, as if someone would pull a lever somewhere and turn him off like a track pulling mining carts

Sparx looked behind his shoulder briefly to notice several people leaning over the bed, calming the mole.

The Seeker had lost his mind and something told him that it happened way before the damn crystal had any hold on him.

Coriza still cried, he heard a splatter, tear of blood hit the floor.

"We go to the hospital. I'm right here doll, you're safe" he comforted his friend, leading her towards the door, she limped forward, instinctively following his advice

She was safe right now.

The rest of the people though?

He sniffled, inhaling the wicked scent again, scent that managed to spread even here. Yet only now he managed to recognize what that smell was.

The rest were far from safe.

He scrunched his nose, the stench in the air suddenly making him sick. Not the fragrance literally, but the realization that there were hordes of weak minded people vulnerable to the smell, addicted to it even.

This stench was only about one thing.

It was the smell of insanity.