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The Legend of Spyro: Path of Delusions

Book I: A new world

Chapter 1

The cover of the book flipped open revealing the first of its many pages. Its beautiful text clearly visible under the yellow light.

*

He watched her go shaking his head, he wanted to follow her but exhaustion finally took control, he could barely keep himself standing and just after she disappeared around the corner he collapsed. The young dragon regained his consciousness on a floating piece of marble floor, around him there were chunks of rock hovering in the air, not far away he _could see another fragment of the floor, the same fragment he woke up on was spinning wildly in the air, right past it he could discern rough edges of a solid ground . This was an eerie place.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Spyro asked with a glimmer of fear in his voice

"Do not be frightened young dragon, you are not alone" answered a calm voice coming from nowhere

"Who are you? What is this place?"

"I have summoned you here so that you might be warned. The Celestial Moons are counting down and time is running out"

Not sure what to make out from all of this Spyro cautiously took a few steps backward, suddenly strange voices started to whisper all around him, their shrill sound piercing his skull. Spyro tried to shake them off but his attempt was futile, they didn't stop to torment him, they were getting louder and louder he couldn't stand it.

"Make it stop!" Spyro yelled

That was exactly what happened, the floor he was standing on stopped floating, the hovering rocks all around him froze in place, the whispers ceased their torment, everything was still expect for the floating floor fragment in front of him. To the young dragons surprise the fast pace of the floor fragment when he took a glimpse of it for the first time was replaced now by slow rotation, it was enough to make a jump for it and reach the ground past it. Spyro waited for the right moment and without any second thoughts he ran as close to the edge as possible extending his wings and leaping into the air. It wasn't long before he reached the slowly rotating fragment, without wasting any more time he gained speed and jumped to reach the solid ground that was now clearly visible in front of him.

"How did that happen?" asked Spyro confused about everything he had just experienced

"The purple dragon can wield many abilities that others cannot, including Time itself" replied the same calm voice he heard early

"Learn to master this ability" it continued " and you will be able to see things almost before they happen, but use this gift sparely only when circumstances demand. Manipulation of time is not to be done without the utmost care" with that warning the voice went silent again

Spyro nodded in understanding._

*

It was a beautiful day, the sun was perched high in the air its beams illuminating the landscape below. It was a wonderful sight, leafs were slowly dancing in the soft breeze, birds sitting on branches were singing softly in perfect harmony, underneath the broad-leaved trees in an open space illuminated by the sun on a light green grass one could see many different kind of flowers already grown up and many of them still thriving. Wild animals where going about their business, some deers chewing the grass slowly, others took care of their young, a fox chasing a hare here, a pair of boars there, running blissfully in the forest. Peacefulness of this place was invigorating. The tranquility occasionally broken by a female laughter heard in the distance.

Of course the wild inhabitants of this place didn't mind those interruptions, a bear was standing in a shallow water staring at it watching for any movement of the many fish that swam underwater, it was keeping vigil for any stray fish that came close enough so it could catch it and devour it happily. On the other side of the riverbank a frog with a typical stoic demeanor was sitting minding its own business it didn't matter that the female laughter was getting louder, it didn't care about such trivial things, its only concern was to watch for any insect that came close enough so it could catch it with a fast lash of its long tongue and swallow the poor thing.

It was a perfect day for the little frog, the abundance of insects ahead was appealing, and just when another one was coming within the range of its tongue, a sudden gust of wind created by a black shape startled the frog and blew it into the water with a loud splash.

She was flying close to the surface of the crystal clear water her body moving in perfect harmony with the flapping of her wings, her graceful and agile moves made flying look like it could be done with much ease. She flipped back to check what is happening behind her.

"Come on!, I won't wait for you, make it a challenge at least!" Cynder teased the shape behind her

After that innocent nudge she flipped again, renewing her escape. Cynder plunged one of her claws into the water creating ripples alongside its surface. Still smiling she removed her claw and when the ripples disappeared she briefly looked at the water, her reflection clearly visible on its clear surface.

Cynder is a black dragoness with magenta underbelly, she has emerald colored eyes and six silver-white horns on her head, a blade-like tail made of iron and blade claws on her wing thumbs, she also has similar blades, but smaller, on the back of her wrists, elbows, hocks and hind paws. Cynder's wings have magenta membranes. She wears two silver bracelets on her two front paws and a silver "choker" on her neck and her tail, below the "choker" on her neck she wore a necklace in the shape of a snake. Cynder has also white markings on her head, back, shoulders and around her eyes. All that gave her a somewhat ominous look.

"Just you wait!" she heard a voice coming from behind her

The green frog finally managed to resurface, it made its way to the same spot it was blown off earlier, before adopting its stoic demeanor and sitting on the riverbank.was a perfect day for the little frog, the abundance of insects ahead was appealing, and just when one of them was coming within the range of its tongue, a sudden gust of wind created by a purple shape startled the frog and blew it into the water with a loud splash. Again.

Spyro followed in her wake but he lacked the fluid and elegant moves Cynder had, so when he popped out of the forest at incredible speed and made his way alongside the crystal water he couldn't keep his balance, the momentum he achieved made him yank a little bit to his right side this made him plunge his right paws into the water losingspeed in an instant as a consequence of this small mistake. What Spyro lacks in agility he makes up for in raw strength, after he recovered his stability he made a couple of powerful flaps with his wings to regain the previously lost speed in mere seconds. He impulsively took a glimpse at the water, seeing his reflection for a brief moment.

Spyro is a purple dragon with gold underbelly, he has amethyst colored eyes ,two gold horns on his head and fins of the same color that start on top of his head and run along the whole length of his body ending with a gold sharp tip on his tail. He has two big gold wings with brown membranes. A necklace in the shape of a snake was wrapped around his neck.

They set up the track for this race hours ago, this wasn't their first run around this route, but no matter how many times they passed through it Spyro just couldn't make it perfect every time, oh how he hated maneuvering around those trees, and she knew it.

Nevertheless, this time wasn't that bad, one time when he was just about to leave the forest he accidently bumped into a tree branch with one of his wings, the impact sending him straight into the water. Another time he was flying with incredible speed and when he just thought it would be a good run the momentum he gained didn't allow him to turn fast enough, instead of running alongside the water he crashed directly onto the ground, sliding and rolling around the mucky riverbank always ended with him being pinned upside down to a tree hunk, leaving him dirty, with some scratches and bruises. Cynder always came back to check up on him and to make sure he was alright, after she was completely sure nothing was wrong, giggling, she threw some words about how clumsy he is. Her remarks made him flush in embarrassment.

To make it fair, after that wretched part of the race a tall rocky slope was coming into view, this was a sector that Spyro liked the most, after you reached its base the only possible way was up, there were no obstacles on that path, no trees, no twisted branches you had to dodge, just an open space. This was the perfect moment to take advantage of the trait that Spyro used when flying.

Power.

He had fallen behind after that mistake earlier, but not everything was lost yet. He started flapping his wings with as much strength as he could muster at that time, the precise movements of his wings created really strong gusts of wind allowing him to speed up quickly, every time his wings went down he stretched his body as far as he could, this simple moves allowed him to push harder.

He was gaining on her, after a while he could make out her feminine silhouette forming ahead, the sight made him push even harder. It wasn't long before he caught up with her, when he was at her waist-height, she turned her head to look at him, a sly smile clearly visible on her snout, she didn't say a word she just poked her tongue at him. Realisation came too late, he was so focused on outrunning her that he completely forgot about one obvious thing.

The rocky slope wasn't infinite.

The display of power was not the only reason he gained on her so fast, she was slowing down. It wasn't long before she turned right at the end of the slope while he shot up straight to the sky, it took him a while to dispose all that speed he accumulated during his wild chase, he hovered in the air for some time, looking down, he saw a black dragoness crossing a long straight scorched dash on the ground that represented the finish line, with a sigh he made his way towards her.

Cynder was jumping around in circles with joy.

"Told you I would beat you" she said when she noticed Spyro landing in front of her

"You didn't beat me, it's a draw, the final score is 4:4" he replied with a small smile on his snout "Besides I gave you a head start"

"You wish!" Cynder exclaimed, shout ringing with laughter

Both young dragons were panting lightly after their strenuous effort, after all, that wasn't their first race. They made their way towards the outcropping overlooking the valley where the winner could collect the prize. They didn't think about anything fancy the prize was just another way to tease a little the losing side.

"Off you go" Cynder dismissed Spyro with a wave of her paw and a mischievous smile while she sat at the end of the outcropping.

At the beginning both of them used to complain when they lost, never wanting to move when an image of a rest was so close, exhaustion and aching wings or muscles used as the most common excuses. The pain was there of course, but it wasn't as lingering as they made it to be, and since Spyro lost this time he complied without saying a word.

He had experience so it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. There were some green patches of land with different coniferous trees on them, at the base of their trunks plenty of bushes were placed one right beside the other. There were dozens of them, berries and raspberries were growing on them, some of them were already picked clean, as a result of too many races, but there was still plenty of them to collect.

Near the bushes, in a little hole on the ground covered in an icy mist was lying an item they called the basket, that was no ordinary basket, in fact that wasn't a basket at all, it was a quite appreciable round stone with a small cavity in its middle that Spyro made using his earth element. In the cavity dried juices from all those fruits they collected were still clearly visible. He made the handle by finding appropriate branches from the nearby trees, he then pressed one of them to one side of the stone and covered it in ice, then he pressed another one to the icy end of the first branch and used his ice breath again. He repeated the process until he reached the other side of the stone, it was a delicate work that's why the basket was lying in an icy hole so the handle wouldn't melt away. The whole basket thing was Cynder's idea, her ingenuity came in handy once again. It was a crude work, but it served its purpose.

Spyro picked the basket and hung it around his neck, its icy handle leaving a refreshing and enjoyable chill. He made his way towards the bushes where the delicious fruits were growing. He started picking and putting them into the basket, every now and then swallowing one with great appetite, their sweet juices dealing with the growing thirst pretty quick. It wasn't long before the basket was filled with berries, satisfied, he made his way back to the outcropping.

She was still on the same spot he had left her, lying on her back with her eyes closed and her mouth wide open awaiting her well-earned reward. He sat next to her, he reached out to the basket, picking the nearest fruit, carefully to avoid squashing it. With the fruit in his paw he moved it in front of Cynder and slowly began lowering it towards her mouth, the moment she felt the fruit getting close she snapped it really fast, the unexpected move made Spyro to impulsively withdraw his paw so he wouldn't get bitten by those sharp teeth.

Giggling, Cynder opened one of her eyes to see his reaction.

"You really enjoy it, don't you?" Spyro asked, smiling, the irony in his voice clearly noticeable

"Well.....yeah" she replied with an evil grin

She closed her eye and opened her mouth once again, she was ready to receive the next portion of the sweet fruits. Spyro was moving his paw even slower than before so he wouldn't be caught unaware if Cynder would try that trick again. She never did, but the slight tension sometimes made them both to chuckle. This was a simple reward really, the winner's only concern was to find a proper space to laze about while the loser had to collect the fruits and feed them to the victor.

Cynder licked her mouth "Mmmm they were delicious, you did well" she patted his side with her paw

"I'm glad you liked it, still I don't know how you didn't feel the worms"

Cynder's eyes went wide open "What worms?!" she exclaimed

"You know the little slithering green things that you find in fruits sometimes, I was too tired to clear them off so I thought it would be a nice payback for all your teasing" Spyro said with a wicked smile

Cynder knew Spyro too well, he wouldn't do a thing like that to her but he used the moment when she was lost in bliss, catching her unaware.

"Thanks for ruining the moment" she pushed him, making him tilt a little.

Spyro just chuckled in response.

After a while she pulled herself up and sat next to him, from here they had a good vantage point on the terrain below.

Valley of Avalar, this is here where they resurfaced after they defeated the Dark Master in his lair, how did they manage to get here was a mystery, but honestly neither of them cared, the evil that plagued this land was gone, they were both alive and together.

That was all that mattered.

The valley itself was one of the most fertile places found in the Dragons Realms, many kind of tree tops dotted the greenish ground, they differed from one another, some of them were big and broad leaved while the others were thinner. Through the land numerous rivers were flowing downhill from their rocky slopes. In the distance a waterfall could be seen, from their view it appeared like streams of milk rushing down the tall mountainside eventually ending in one of the rivers below. At the base of the mountain range they could see an empty space every now and then, probably a cave serving as a safe haven for many wild animals or hermits that lived here.

There are probably more valleys besides this one out there, but they never had the chance to explore during their adventure. If they didn't knew better both of them wouldn't even imagine that this land was struggling to fight off darkness.

They sat in utter silence watching the landscape that stretched ahead for quite some time.

"You did it" Cynder said with a soft tone breaking the peace

"Seems like it" Spyro answered with a clear sadness in his voice

"The stories had some truth in them after all"

"I wouldn't make it alone ,I had help" he gave her a knowing look

"I know I just didn't want to brag"

The little joke made him small shyly.

Spyro was no common dragon, he was THE dragon, a rare breed born once every ten generations. According to prophecies purple dragons are destined to bring justice, peace and hope to the Realms. Those dragons also have an unique ability to master and wield several elements like Fire, Ice, Earth and Electricity, including Time itself, while all other dragons are capable of breathing one particular element. Besides these common elements purple dragons can also harness an element nobody else knew was possible, namely, they can impulsively master the element of Convexity, theoretically a mixture of all four elements they possessed. This devastating attack comes with a price though, Convexity drains all the users energy leaving him extremely weakened.

Not every purple dragon believed in prophecies, Malefor also known as The Dark Master thought that their destiny was to destroy the world. To prevent it from happening Spyro and Cynder fought a severe battle with Malefor in his lair eventually defeating him, but the process of destruction had already begun, the world was falling apart and when it seemed that everything was lost Spyro unleashed all his power, healing the world in the final outcome. Their journey led them to the outcropping they were sitting on right now.

"I just wish everyone could see it" the sadness in his voice was almost palpable

Cynder immediately knew what he meant by that.

Ignitus the Fire Guardian served as the father-figure for Spyro, he saved the purple dragon's egg from the Dragon Temple when it was invaded by the Dark Master's army by sending it down a stream. Years later Ignitus led the remaining war Dragons against the Dark Armies, but in the end he lost that battle, driven by shame he exiled himself to the Swamp, where years later a very young purple dragon found the distraught Fire Guardian in his hiding place. He instantaneously recognized the boy, he was the purple dragon he saved from the attack all those years ago. The meeting rekindled the flame of hope in the old dragon and lifted him out of his despair. He provided Spyro with words of wisdom, led him onto the right path and when there was time he taught the purple dragon about the element of Fire.

Three years have passed after the Night of Eternal Darkness when they finally met again in the dragon city of Warfang. It was here where Malefor declared his plan to destroy the world by resurrecting The Destroyer, a monster that emerged from the volcano below Malefor's Lair. Its lair was nothing else than the Dragon Temple, after The Dark Master seized control of it, he raised it above the volcano as a symbol of his dominance.

The Destroyer is a legendary creature, it is said that it brings about a new age and world by destroying the old one. Of course nobody from Warfang wanted to find out if the stories were true. It has the ability to form a wall of fire wherever it walks known as the Ring of Annihilation. Once it has completed its journey around the globe and returned to from whence it came, the creature would spread the Belt of Fire across the surface of the world in a torrent of fire and ash, issuing the earth's destruction.

When The Destroyer began to spread the Belt of Fire across the surface of the world, determining that they will be unable to catch up to the titan, Ignitus ordered everyone to venture underneath Warfang to set up an ambush to stop the creature before it completes its circle around the globe. The army of Warfang confronted the titan at the dam, a tough battle took place, many lives were lost and much blood was spilled, yet eventually Spyro and Cynder managed to get inside the creature's body where they destroyed a black crystal at its center that probably served as a heart. That only stalled the creature however instead of stopping it completely, it was probably controlled by The Dark Master himself by some evil means. After the brief pause the titan continued onwards.

When the plan failed Ignitus took Spyro and Cynder to the Belt of Fire to confront Malefor. Upon arriving he generated a barrier around them to protect all of them from the heat as they began to cross it. The Belt of Fire was possibly created by the dark magic of The Destroyer because not even a Fire Guardian as powerful as Ignitus could withstand it. The Fire Guardian struggled to keep his barrier around them up, but the dark power of the Belt of Fire was beginning to overpower him, knowing they wouldn't make it, Ignitus, with the last ounce of his strength threw Spyro and Cynder to the other side, sacrificing himself.

The death and sight of his mentor being devoured by flames made a deep and almost devastating impact on the young dragon.

"It's not your fault Spyro, that was his decision" she looked at him with concern in her eyes

"I could have stopped him, there had to be a different way it was my duty to find one without endangering any of us"

"There was no other way"

Tears started forming in his eyes " I failed him Cynder!" he exclaimed "I failed the person who taught me everything, who believed in me from the very beginning, and how did I repay him? I let him die!"

"You haven't failed anybody and especially not Ignitus. Just look around" she waved her paw across the landscape that surrounded them "You did more than just repay him, you saved all of us, he would be proud, he sacrificed himself so you could go on. There was nothing you could do"

He lowered his head "Then why I feel guilty?"

"Because Spyro you always blame yourself when somebody gets hurt, even when you can't do anything about it, you can't protect everybody"

He raised his head, the pupils in his eyes narrowed "I sure can try" the sadness in his voice was replaced by pure determination

She smiled kindly "Of course you will, but no matter what" Cynder leaned closer "remember that you will always have one black dragoness who trusts you completely" with that she softly kissed his cheek

Cynder's reaction took Spyro absolutely by surprise, his eyes went wide open as he turned to face her with a shocked expression. She was watching him closely, her tail wagging back and forth nervously, the iron blade- like tip creating minor sparks as she accidently ran it across the surface of a small rock.

He looked at her, the emerald eyes were focused on him, the first thing that crossed his mind the moment he took a glance of them was how pretty they are, but there was something else in them as well. He wasn't completely sure what it was, uncertainty perhaps? Whatever it was he ignored it. He couldn't help himself, he was staring in her green eyes maybe for a couple of seconds, but it almost felt like an eternity.

Everything around him vanished, the mountains, the trees, the waterfall, even the noise the animals were making, it was all gone, a dragoness with emerald eyes in front of him only remained. The longer he gawked at her the warmer he got, he couldn't say a word, he was so choked up. The only thing he could sense and hear was the frantic pace of his heart, it almost felt like it was demanding to be released from the clutches of his chest. He subconsciously started to move his head closer, Spyro didn't notice it at first but there was something else he could feel out there besides his increased heartbeat, a familiar tingle had been crossing his body and it was getting stronger.

He didn't care.

The young dragon was focused on something else entirely.