FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 37

They were stuck to the walls as they followed the red dragon from the dungeons, keeping their shapes to the shadows as best as they could. Even though neither of them got to see the main traffic corridor from the prison it was quite obvious that Ignus was leading them through some less popular pathways.

They moved swiftly and quietly, Sparx kept himself close to his brother's purple body, trying to give away as little light as possible. Every one of them treated the escape seriously, even Cellsa and Iris behaved like true, responsible adults, keeping their mouths shut and focusing on the job.

Which was difficult considering that the environment was far from pleasant, the walls they had to hug were slimy to the touch, filled with all sorts of bumps and openings through which came very unnerving clanking sounds, similar to the stressful sound of snapping bones.

This entire place seemed to swivel with each bump their bodies made against the holes, stopping some unexplained airflow that made the petals from the mushrooms twirl in place, forcing the entire structure to cramp like a working unendingly knee, with the slimy walls being the stretching out joints, covered in synovia.

The more time they spent traversing through this place the more they validated the initial comparison. This dungeons really looked like an inside of an organism, looking at the breathing holes, floating petals and the depressing, deep, red light that cast a crimson veil over the place, all of it made them feel like they would be inside an artery.

No matter where they went Skyward seemed to resemble a living organism, or at least the insides of one Simply being in this place made you feel claustrophobic, dungeons or not Skyward really seemed like an obsessively constructed coffin where you got buried alive.

They could only wonder just how many souls tried to break off the hinges only to find out that striking the walls in the wrong place might fill the entire place with blood, what's worse it could have been your own. Even them, outsiders, could sense that this city already absorbed a part of each of them as its own.

No wonder Cellsa so desperately tried to escape, in a locked cage, the horrors you ran away from are bound to return back to you sooner or later.

Spyro shook his head, trying to clear his head from the irrational thoughts, but no matter how hard he twisted his neck the nagging feeling of being eaten alive pounded somewhere in the back of his mind. He suspected that there was more to this cell than just simply a way to leech off energy.

Or perhaps it was merely their minds screaming in panicked relief to have a chance to be free of this place. Whatever it was, he doubted they could withstand it for much long, he didn't know how much time has passed since they got locked up, but he really felt like he aged considerably.

The more evidence for that claim he found in his suppressed perception, he didn't even realize when Ignus has stopped. He crashed into the legs of the dragon, tears filling his eyes momentarily when his nose bent under the pressure.

Ignus grunted, throwing the young drake a disgruntled glance, his tail coiling away in disgust, twirling in the air violently, like a bird shaking off the rain from its feathers.

"Moment. Stay" his paw reached into the reddish hole, the group behind winced, their imaginations showing them pictures of the dragon reaching into a bloated, opened chest, ready to pluck out organs from inside.

Spyro, being the closest, nearly screamed in terror when the dragon pulled his paw, dragging something with him, that at first glance looked like peeled off skin in this light.

It was however only a thick, black blanket, followed by a rattling chain made of blinding gold.

Cynder's eyes widened, a sting of trauma poking her heart, whenever she saw chains she always recalled the brief flashes of memory of herself being chained to a rock when the Apes performed their vile rituals on her.

And just like then, she felt it now as well, a quiet instinct telling her that those chains are going around her body.

"Get together and put it over yourself" Ignus cast the blanket at the group while lifting the chain, a glint of arrogant triumph flashing in his eyes

"Why?" Sparx' eyed the fat chain that seemed to perfectly coil around the dragon's paws, like a trained snake obeying the commands of its experienced trainer

"And what's with the chain?"

"Listen" the dragon groaned in irritation "Follow my orders and be silent, we don't have time. Just because this place is empty right now it doesn't mean it will be the same for longer"

"Look. We're grateful for bailing us from the cell and everything, but..." Cynder licked her lips pensively as she studied the chain "...some of us have some really bad experience when it comes to being blinded and chained without a proper explanation"

"These peasants" the red dragon sighed tiredly "First of all, I have standards and I won't allow myself to be seen with you in this..." his brows frowned deeply in visible abhorrence as he took another glance at the filth covering the group "...state. Also, you're quite an exotic treat around here as you might have already noticed, we wouldn't want extra attention now, yes? Especially not when leaving a prison"

"That's not really an explanation"

"Listen girl" he growled angrily "We need to make this believable, so stuff your butt under the blanket and I'll chain you all together and lead you to a safe place. This way we won't draw attention"

Sparx chuckled, slapping his forehead, faking a sudden realization.

"Of course! Why we didn't think of it! A dude from the upper class dragging a bag full of prisoners from a back alley. It's day like any other guys! Tell me friend, just how many others you saved this way?"

"Your mockery creature is irrelevant. I won't be telling you my life stories, nor will I indulge you about the rules of this place. This is how we get out without unnecessary attention, either you accept it or return back the way you came. Bones would really like the company"

"Okay!" Spyro spoke up, opening his wings to separate his group from the dragon "We get it. Can we leave the arguments for a better time?"

Something changed in the eyes of the red dragon when he looked at the purple drake, eyes that later immediately shifted towards his supposed niece. More of the arrogant flare melted away from his sight when he reminded himself of her poor condition and just how tightly she hugged the wall.

"I'm not trying to trick you" Ignus' voice took a more warm tone as he glanced back at the purple drake apologetically "This is common practice. The citizens of the Upper City regularly come down here to pick up prisoners for their own amusements, the tastes of some are rather quite...refined and it would be best if you didn't know what such tastes entice. We all have perversions of our own and they tend to become more louder when our city is divided in castes, our nature simply craves the most for things that are mostly beyond our reach. I assure you however that I have no vile plans towards you so keep your imagination in check"

He pointed down the corridor.

"At the end of it is a secret passage that leads out into the city, the guards will recognize me, but their suspicions won't be triggered only when I'll repeat actions they are used to. And dragging chained prisoners is a familiar action, we don't want to other citizens to know what we are doing if they somehow get the chance to see us, as minimal as those chances might be. Risk in Skyward is a very dangerous thing to take, we must be really careful to not spread our intentions. Rumors travel very fast around here"

Ignus let out another tired sigh of someone who seemed to recite the same words thousands times over before.

"I'm aware this doesn't sound enticing, but unfortunately the times we live in aren't hospitable. My apologies for any discomfort this might cause you" he nodded towards Cynder "I wish myself that there would be a better way, alas our choices are limited"

"So there" Ignus gave a firm nod "I laid it out all for you so I hope that you'll appreciate it and at the least help me lower the level of the risk I already took by pulling you out from Bones' jaws. Just a heads up, if you find this immoral or anything similarly irrelevant like this be aware that I do not care. This is how it works in Skyward and you as outsiders have no right to judge without familiarity of our situation, so don't bother projecting your emotions on me, they won't work"

The fiery gaze of the drake narrowed on the group, despite his age, the vicious frown added an extreme layer of authority to the dragon, that you could almost see his veins pumping the royal blood through his body. Even though the dragon carried the same name like Iris' uncle in their time, this dragon was far from the bitter and raggedy creature they had the chance to meet.

The weight of his gaze was worthy of a executioner who from his pedestal viewed all below him as probable victims of his murderous axe.

"Do we understand each other?"

Spyro and Sparx turned towards the group, looking for a common understanding, yet all they found was Cellsa's prominent, annoyed roll of eyes.

"What you guys are thinking about? It's either the Upper City or the gutters. Not much of a choice there. Several minutes smelling our own farts against an entirety in a latrine, the blanket is a clear winner, trust me, I'm your guide"

Sparx slapped his forehead.

"What fools we are! It's so easy guys! If only we could see so clearly! All we need is to find out a drug good enough to blur the rest of our vision and leave only a small corridor in front of our noses! Possibilities and consequences? Come on people! They are for losers! Why live later when we can live now?"

"Yup. Yup!" Cellsa barked in support, nodding her head so fiercely that her matted and dirty hair smacked against her forehead with the strength of a husband's loving palm spreading caring, domestic violence "This guy gets it, all work and no play makes for another boring day as I say!"

"It's not like we have much of a choice" Cynder shrugged

"Wrong my lady" Ignus shook his head "You always have a choice, it is always a matter if you are adaptable to the consequences and your own ability to predict the floating pattern of the threads of Fate. Sometimes it is better just to let them loose and observe before snatching them back, after all a lack of action is an action too"

"Alright" Spyro sighed, deeply worried about the choice they had to take, he wasn't a big fan of being blind in an unknown territory "We get under the blanket"

"Splendid" the red dragon acknowledged emotionlessly "Just one more thing" his gaze landed on Iris who seemed to shrink under his stare

The confident flames evaporated from his eyes, Athron, as his younger sister, used to play coy with him to avoid punishment from him. Tricks and jokes played by the older sibling on the younger were something entirely normal, taking advantage of the weak was always a way of making yourself feel stronger. As children they didn't avoid the same fate, but Athron didn't always fight back, there were times when she cringed like the feathery girl did now and whenever it happened it made him stop, waking some instincts inside him that he couldn't understand to this day, holding him back, making him realize that another joke, another punch will hit him back tenfold.

It was a long time when he felt this warmth on his heart, today's Athron did not bend before anyone.

"I-Iris" his voice shook, the unexpected rattle making him blush, squeezing his lungs forcing a rough cough to mask the shocking waver in the voice that almost gave him a heart attack

"Iris" he repeated, this time confidently, even though his voice lacked the brazen tone of a commanding officer, becoming more soft and pleasant "I must request that you stay to the edge of the blanket, fold your wing and have it stick out slightly from the cover. This way anyone interested will know that nothing has changed and I'm again leading a pack of wind dragons out of the dungeons"

Without a word Iris disappeared under the blanket, her right wing sticking out according to the instructions.

The group of friends masked their surprise well, the girl's submissiveness making them uneasy, they couldn't decide if Iris' fear was caused by her personal emotions or perhaps it was a silent scream that Ignus couldn't be trusted.

Whatever they thoughts could be, they all decided to follow the ice dragoness under the cover of the blanket.

The rattling of the chain followed soon after, a second of feeling its touch was all that was needed for the group to tell that it was no ordinary metal. Magic flared up in the object, it immediately enveloped them all, even Sparx, who was small enough to avoid traps couldn't slip from the chain's grasp.

It coiled around them like a snake with the intention to break the bones of its prey, despite the ugly comparison however the sound of their clapping bodies against each other was the only noise that echoed in the air after the magical snake finished its press.

Press that was surprisingly gentle despite the chain's vicious movement at the beginning. Whether it was intentional or not would remain a secret.

Ignus attached a big bracelet to the chain.

"Now be quiet, you are supposed to have your mouths taped"

He flung the massive choker over his head, it slid down his neck and neatly rested against the chest.

Spyro exchanged worried looks with his brother who, to keep them safe, tucked himself under the wing to shield the world from his glowing aura. A tender tug followed soon after, making the brothers silently contemplating on the possible solutions if things turn sour.

Which was difficult when they realized that this thick blanket very effectively muffled sound. All they managed to catch was the faint grinding of stone, some very quiet grumbling that could be easily mistaken for a rumbling stomach of one of their companions.

All they knew was that they walked, everything else was a big unknown. They were like fish in an aquarium where the light went off.

Blind and soundless.

*

"She's our blood Father"

"Silence!" roared a furious voice, smacking a whip in the shape of a bird's talon

Orbis groaned when the claws raked over his body, tearing off bits of his flesh. His legs bucked, they wanted to drop and take a break but whenever they faltered a chain startled to rattle, lifting him up by the hooks inserted in his back, stretching out the scales like a bloodied canvas.

He wanted to readjust his position but the metallic balls attached to his legs were too heavy for him to lift. With tired eyes he gave his torturing device another once over, greeting each gear and pipe with a nod as if greeting a good friend.

After all this was not their first meeting.

The machine resembled gallows, it was a construction made of dark metal, orichalc known for its potential to cut even through stone as if was butter. There was plenty of it in the mines Skyward was carved into and in a society raised on warfare and military obedience it wasn't long before the sharp metal was mostly used to develop new techniques of causing harm to living creatures.

It was a machine in the shape of a C where at the top hung two chains with orichalc hooks attached to them, these hooks were now thrust into his back. The initial pierce was not as painful, more agony was caused by the blades when they irritated the nerves their sharp structure cutting each swiftly at the first sign of even the tiniest friction.

Which happened quiet regularly under the constant strikes of the whip and the weight attached to the legs, metal orbs of which were also attached to chains that kept pulling and pulling, putting more and more pressure on the muscles with the one tortured fighting to remain steady or face the agony caused by the orichalc hooks in one's body.

"Why can't you understand just how much pain you cause me Orbis? Did your sister polluted your mind so strong already that you believe that I, enjoy putting my son through torture? Enjoy watching him bleed?"

Orbis dropped his head, feeling his father's massive shadow clouding his shape like big, dark stormy clouds.

His father was a hulking beast, a mountain of muscle and scale, far more exceeding in height any ordinary drake. His voice was seemingly strong being a transparent extension of his intimidating posture, he was Skyward's role model, a walking example to which every male should aspire to. Confident, strong and big, a creature unafraid of anything.

And yet his voice wavered, tongue tapping against the teeth like raindrops hitting bare rock. It was that what struck him right in the heart, he had many differences with his parents, they simply didn't see eye to eye, usually ending in arguments and screams. They did not understand what he saw in Dawn and he didn't blame them for it, in a society like this screams and blame were unavoidable so he accepted them with head held high.

But the waver.

The waver cracked more painfully than any whip, carved strongly than any hook. Seeing a beast like his father falter, not under blows, but his actions, caused him a great deal of grief. You never hurt your blood.

But his father cried, cried the only tears he was capable of and he was the one that caused them. Moments like this made him question his purpose, Dawn found a weak spot in his heart and despite the protests he was confident that supporting her, his own mistreated little sister, was the most honorable thing to do.

But the tears of his father had a way of finding a nook in his determination where they sowed doubt and panic, forcing his mind to bring pictures from the memory where having Cellsa around was more like a nightmare than duty.

Reminding him just how his life has changed and trying to show just how much of it he had wasted.

"You bring shame to our name boy! You force me to lift my claw against you! I'm a Warden!" the monstrous dragon slammed his paw against his chest

The echo that rumbled off of his armor made the walls of Skyward shake. The armor he was wearing was blood red, dotted with purple here and there, its colors were unimportant, the first thing anyone saw was the one wearing it. The bulky protection only adding to the intimidating posture of the drake, with all the protruding spikes making him look truly like a reckoning force of the worst nightmare.

"You know my responsibilities! I cannot keep favorites, our family was chosen to be the bridge between the two worlds! Do you still remember what that means boy?"

Orbis' head remained low, what else could he do when discipline was all he was taught, a principle he betrays over and over.

Especially know when it mattered the most to his family after their promotion in the branches of society. Just like Dawn they were his blood and if there would be ever a choice to make both camps happy, he would do everything to pursue it.

It was impossible however.

This world was based on Struggle. He so wished to taste Peace one day.

It was so close now, just this last episode and perhaps everything will end well. If you could only see the perspective Father, see Spyro and the extraordinary aura surrounding him, perhaps then you would consider that discipline isn't everything one should strive for.

"Raise your head!" the whip cracked, ripping of pieces of scales from his left cheek

He obeyed the order, with each beaten millimeter by his neck wishing he would never do so, at least then he could imagine that this extreme argument was happening behind the walls of their private home.

But the Posts of Sorrow were a public display.

They were in an arena in the form of a circle, surrounded by a moat of burning, green, Binding magic, columns of which stretched all the way to the high ceiling. Their powerful seeping energy kept tingling his tail. It was such a concentrated force that many believed that passing through those columns would not only drain you of your elemental magic, but also your very soul.

One would call it a bird cage if not for the entertainment inside that differed greatly from branches where a bird could sit and rest.

People were walking all around the arena, many of them stopping to see the one's punished. Others, who Orbis could recognize as arbiters of the Warden's responsibilities observed the scene with a scrutinizing gaze. The position of a Warden is a great honor, while it wasn't a position one can hold long, eventually even the strongest one falls prey to scheming, it was still a promising seat in the hierarchy of Skyward.

Not only it elevated the family from the bowels of the lower ranks, it was also the only official way of ever having the chance to settle in the Upper City, among the highborn. And even though people down here valued discipline greatly, none of them could truly silence the urge to actually taste some freedom.

At least that's what everyone thought it was up there, nobody ever came down to explain how life looks like in the Upper City, for all they knew it could be worse than here.

He wasn't the only one in the Sorrow grounds, there were two others with him, no surprisingly both of them were males. What was shocking though were the numbers usually he is alone in this wicked arena.

And females usually don't get to live that long when they misbehave.

It seems that the news about Spyro's arrival must have spread, he wasn't certain though since the moment he got here father ordered his servants to lock him in their home. Took several days until he returned and chained him here, he must have been busy fighting the rumors.

Seems it didn't quite end so well.

"Are you proud son?" his father hissed, his voice cracking with venom "Are you proud to be among this filthy rabble?" he pointed at the two males who could barely stand, the monstrous dragon's mouth twitched, with difficulty holding itself back from spitting on the ground

Orbis remained silent. There were no words he could say to make things better anyway and he needs the strength to keep standing.

"Those eyes around? Watching us? You think they are here to entertain themselves? Huh? Do you really think that? No!" the big dragon blurted out, the whip striking Orbis' legs, hooks gripping one of the limbs and pulling it, making the young drake lose his balance

Orbis roared, feeling coal igniting inside his body when the orichalc blades wounded the nerves. He immediately sprung up, breathing heavily through clenched teeth.

"They are here to conspire boy! My influence has its limits I cannot protect you, each time you show up here you thin the tolerance of our people. Do you really believe they would allow you to be chained again and again when clearly you feel no sorrow for your deeds? You believed you were untouchable, perhaps you felt that our betters didn't want you gone since you were useful, and perhaps you were right, but do you remember what I told you over and over again?"

"Usefulness eventually becomes problematic" the young dragon recited, a string of red saliva stretched down his mouth

"I've warned you this would happen. That gifts sometimes become a curse, and as expected, you finally crossed the line. These two wouldn't be here if not for you Orbis, you sowed chaos and there is no other way but to cut the amputated limb before the infection spreads"

Orbis' eyes widened. He looked directly into his father's eyes, never before he had seen anything so soulless before.

With a spin the hulking dragon hurled the length of the whip forward, it wrapped itself around one of the imprisoned dragon's neck. The tip of the whip, made out from the same sharp material like the post Orbis was chained to sunk neatly into the dragon's flesh.

The Warden channeled his magic, shooting a ray of greenish light along the whip, his earth magic covering the whip in stone, thickening its original shape, when it finally reached the talon at the end of the whip the victim gurgled when the orichalc talons doubled in size and sunk deeper into the flesh.

With a roar and a powerful jerk of body that made the armor rattle the Warden decapitated the dragon with one, swift motion. Fountain of blood poured from the stump of the neck, the body remained standing for a while, but then it fell. The orichalc hooks ripped the massacred intestines in a spray of blood, making the empty sack of scales drop like wet towels.

Loud gasps and yelps of shock exploded among the citizens observing the scene.

Orbis choked on his own heart that just sprang up into his throat.

"Noooo! Posts of Sorrow! We are here to repent! Repent!" the other prisoner screamed in panic, unable to turn his eyes away from the massacred corpse

"Do you then?!" the Warden turned towards the screaming prisoner, his mouth spreading into a murderous, toothy snarl

"Yes! Yes!"

Green, armored paw snatched the trembling head by the horns, forcing the terrified eyes to look at him.

"Do you feel Sorrow?!" the dragon roared deafeningly, the strength of his blare forcing the screaming drake's knees to buckle

"Yes! I feel Sorrow! I feel it!"

"Then may you reach the stars" green paw slammed against the side of the head, a thick, earthy spike protruded from the palm, piercing the dragon's skull cleanly through

Life faded from the prisoner's eyes quicker than his mouth stopped gasping.

The towering dragon removed his paw, the lifeless corpse dropped down, the hooks ripping the insides out, showering the Warden in blood and guts.

When his father turned Orbis thought he would be terrified seeing his own sire turning into this bloody effigy. But his mind was empty, his heart wasn't filled with anything but cruel, lifeless acceptance. His empty eyes turned towards the whip, watching its bloody talons drawing red lines across the arena floor as his father approached him with a heavy, drunk step.

"This is your last visit to the Posts my son, you clearly do not feel Sorrow that Skyward understands"

He knew his life wouldn't last long, that he would perish young, but he always imagined his death would mean something, that at least he would give it away for Dawn to live.

It all felt so pointless that he died inside already, he didn't need any hooks to gut him like a fish.

"The arbiters are here, they are here to make sure I fulfill my duties. My influence ends here Orbis. I've traded your life for three of others and my own conscience. One of those lives belongs to Cellsa"

Orbis' eyes flared up, his mouth twitching. Without the assistance of the hooks he could feel himself bleeding from the inside.

"But you feel Sorrow and this is what this lesson is all about. I'm sorry my son. I truly am. I respect the rules of Skyward but Cellsa was still my daughter and..." the dragon's voice wavered, with a snort he lashed the whip to the side, the talon latched itself around a leaver next to Orbis

He stuck the whip into his son's mouth, looking straight into his teary eyes.

"You brought back a curse my son, it devoured Cellsa in the dungeon where Bones rule. Do not go there, don't torment yourself further, you do not want to see what happened to her" he pushed back with difficulty, rubbing off the blood from his son's cheek as he did so

"You are beyond my reach now. The decision belongs to you know my son, you must decide if you can live with your Sorrow or not. This is the last price you must pay for your dear sister. Tolerance for your misbehavior has ran out. You are exiled from my home and the moment you leave Skyward you will become an enemy. If you decide to remain then my reputation allowed you one week of reminiscence, afterwards you must leave the city. Our betters have granted you the privilege of choosing your own way to die" his father swallowed with difficulty, a tear twinkled in his eye "Be strong my son until the end"

His father's stare remained hanging on him for a little while longer in total silence, yet neither of them needed to hear words to understand the palpable whispers of disappointment drilling into their hearts. Neither of them achieved what they wanted.

But in the contrary to his father, it was him alone who felt that he lost everything.

For a second he envied the females, if he wasn't a male, with some manner of reputation no less, his life would be over now and he didn't have to hear his heart crack. Unfortunately though, Skyward valued prowess, knowing well that thee is no chance to switch sides in this world. Even an outcast can serve the city.

And even though his father was disappointed and clearly in pain, there was this tiny spark of relief and hope glistening in the corners of his eyes that clung to the idea of his own son having a chance to live.

Orbis couldn't decide though if he had anything to live for anymore.

His father turned around silently, leaving the bloodied corpses behind and with heavy step distanced himself from the arena. The two arbiters watching the scene followed him closely behind.

Citizens of Skyward usually didn't pay much attention to the Sorrow trial, being in constant danger puts so much stress on the mind that there was always at least one dragon chained each month. People just passed by, the cage becoming an attraction that only the newborn found exciting, and even that didn't last long.

Now it was different.

The cage was surrounded with scaly bodies, the place was full of dragons, many of them looking like colorful hydras, each head a different shape and hue than the other. All of them were drilling their gazes into him, their combined power far more taxing than any weight he ever had to carry on his back.

His legs started to tremble on their own under the pressure.

Each of those eyes sparkling with its own personal desire, some of them wanted to see him get gutted, others cheered for him to break free. All however had one thing in common that he wished he had.

They all knew what they wanted.

He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath.

Remember what you learned.

Remember why it worked.

Remember why you did it.

He let out a prolonged exhale and with it he got rid of the nagging stress of the initial shock caused by his father words and behavior.

Dawn called him a bore, maybe he was boring, but his special condition allowed him to keep emotions at bay and right now it was all that mattered.

His mind began to race.

Dawn was dead, supposedly, they might have taken her to a secluded place to get rid of her, he might even believe it happened if she was sentenced with Cynder and Sparx for example, but among them was Spyro and he simply felt that he wouldn't let her die. They weren't fair with the time travelers, true, nevertheless they helped them and Spyro didn't look like someone who holds a grudge, in fact aggression and mistrust seemed to motivate him.

Dawn might be alive.

He bit on the whip a bit harder when he realized that his heart didn't necessarily put itself back together, quickly adapting to the sense of loss, washing him with cruel relief.

It was so shameful to think about, his little sister, his blood, gone, and he only thought about the fact that for the first time after a long while he has the opportunity to live his own life, as short as it might be in the outside world.

What was also shameful was the fact that he didn't stop Dawn, he continued indulging her even though he sensed that they were running on borrowed time. It turned out that the suspicions were true, the Upper City royalty seemed to really tolerate their excesses, something that evidently changed the moment they brought the alien group here.

Which only made him realize that there was no new life to find outside the walls, new life was here and it wore purple scales.

Moonborne were right. Skyward keeps a secret from its people and judging from father's words it seemed like the city tried to force the people to forget.

Reality was changing, the façade the Dragon Wars built had ripples coursing through it now, threatening it to crack to finally reveal what was hiding behind the mirror.

They wanted to get rid of the purple dragon.

He didn't know why, but the thought alone made his blood pump with determined energy.

Something deep inside told him that he couldn't let that happen, far too much would be lost.

What exactly?

He didn't know.

And he doubted he was meant to know.

He yanked at the whip, a loud snap of a leaver blared into the air, the orichalc hooks withdrew from his body, the chains released his legs.

Orbis dropped on the ground with a grunt, the gaping holes on his back blinked like bleeding eyes, the hooks cutting off enough flesh that he could fit two more wings into the wounds.

Groans and mumbles surrounded him from all sides, the noise to chaotic to be able to tell if those were the whispers of relief or disappointment.

Blood trickled down from his cut cheeks, green scars pulsed with more energy with each ragged breath he took. His kind of tears, not the first ones he had to shed for his sister.

But perhaps those were the last ones. He was tired. He was done with warfare and danger, all he ever wanted now was peace.

And where he would find better opportunity if not in the company of Athron's daughter, a walking symbol of change, a sign that even the worst and bitter can seek calmer times. If Athron could change then it meant that his desire wasn't a completely naïve one. Not to mention that the chances increase with having Spyro around.

There were too many variables to ignore.

He has to do it.

This is what he promised Dawn. Whether she is still there to appreciate it mattered not. He can't betray his blood, he will find peace.

If he can't do it for her anymore, then he will do it for himself.

In the past years he never got a better opportunity than this.

He had only one week to reach for his dreams. Many would consider such option foolish, after all how could you achieve something in one week when you couldn't grasp it for years?

What they didn't know though was that Peace was here.

And it was wearing purple scales.

---

Author's note:

2 million words of fun just hit! I have no idea how I'm still coming up with ideas but it's such a thrill! Thanks for sticking around readers!