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Here is the 5th installment of The Malefor Chronicles.

Chapter 5: Tragic Love

Dragon Realms, Uncharted System

April 4th 2204

1744 Hours

Small rocky out grove 1.5 Miles from the Dragon Temple

Malefor sat on the rocky out grove that made up where he sat. The ground around him was soft and moist, as was swamp soil. The area around them was made up of a swampy forest and neared the border of the pine woods to the East. As he looked up into the sky, he saw the sunny sky. The sunny sky was surrounded by a large black and angry sky that swirled around it. It was weird. Malefor had heard of these kinds of storms... but he had forgotten the name.

The storm was large and contained a huge eye at it's center. The fiercest weather came from the 'eye wall' and the calmest was in the eye itself. The eye sat over them which meant they really didn't have to worry for the time being. Though he felt a small breeze and saw the storm approaching once again. He sighed and retreated into the rocky out grove and used an overhead rock as cover from any rain.

He saw a small speck in the distance and realized at once that it was Eatherine. She landed next to him with a packet of fruit wrapped in a cloth. She set the cloth down and it released its load of fruit. He picked out an apple and nibbled at it. He wasn't too concerned about the food at the moment... his mind raced on how they would evade capture. Surely Cynder would go back to the temple and alert the others. Once that happened, the whole Realms would descend upon them.

Though he noticed that Spyro hadn't been with Cynder. Where was he? Surely he of all dragons would have accompanied her. It seemed as if he had gone off somewhere and left her to do the fighting for now. Just where had he gone? It didn't matter though... actually it was a plus. He would never be able to tackle them both... he had failed already twice trying to do so and a third time would surely mean death.

He then turned his attention to Eatherine who looked at the sky with interest. She seemed to be in a trance like state. She was obviously thinking about something. What it was, he couldn't say but it obviously occupied her thoughts. Lately she had been quiet around him. Before she would talk but now... now she didn't say anything to him. It was in his favor though... every time she did talk, he could never form the right words to tell her.

Every time he tried to talk to her, a knot formed in his throat and prevented him from saying a word to her. He didn't know why though... was it love? Did he really have feelings for her like he had for Combinia all those years ago? Surely she would not feel the same... and he knew her attitude towards him would take a turn for the worst if she learned his true identity. As the Dark Master, his army killed her family and she would never forgive him.

On the one hand, he would have to tell her eventually... and he dreaded that day. Though it would come. The one thing he was trying to figure out was just how he was going to get out of this mess. As the former Dark Master, everyone hated him. The Dragons, Cheetahs, [other races], despised him and wanted to kill him. Even the humans, only being here for a month, would be even more of a threat to him.

His only way he could get out of this would be to convince them he was good, or spend the rest of their lives in hiding. He did not look forward to any of them. For one, he had no allies besides Eatherine. It would be hard to convince an entire populace of his innocence if he only had one ally with no connections whatsoever.

The latter choice was just as bad, for they would for sure come after him in masse and they would find them eventually and kill him. This was tricky. He wish he had more time to think, but the rocky out grove provided little cover from the massive storm heading this way. They would have to move and soon.

"Hey M?" Eatherine asked as she continued to look up at the sky.

"M? Is that me?" Malefor asked, a bit dumbfounded by her statement.

"Yeah... I get the feeling that your name starts with an 'M' so I'm calling you 'M' for the time being." She explained.

"Uh... ok." He walked a bit forward to where he was even with her.

"What are we going to do? We can't run forever and I don't like having to move from place to place..." She said in a sad voice. Malefor was brought back... she had always seemed to be tough and hardcore! Now she seemed sweet and delicate... kind of like Combinia. She probably was just shaken by all of this. He was too... he didn't know how they would last any longer.

"I don't know Eatherine... I don't like running either but it's me they're after. You can just go, forget about me and find a safe place to hide! They don't want you, they want me!" Malefor proclaimed. Eatherine looked at him with sad eyes.

"But M, you can't just give up... plus I can't just leave you..."

"Look Eatherine, I... care... for you and I don't want you to get hurt like you did this morning." He kicked himself. He mentioned 'care for' and now his heart started to beat uncontrollably.

"Care? Why do you care?" Her heart fluttered. Had he just said 'care for'? What other feelings did he have for her? Did he... love her? She had to find out.

She had to ask that question... this was just more difficult! Oh how he really wanted to talk about something else but he couldn't delay the inevitable. He had feelings for her, that much he knew. If it was love, he couldn't really say. Was it? Was he just telling himself that to help him get to sleep? What was it that he felt! As he looked at her, her face was replaced with that of Combinia's. Suddenly he remembered the moment that he and her had admitted their love and remembered that it had been just like this. It had been exactly like this. Maybe... did he? He looked deep into his heart. As he dug deep, he suddenly found his mouth speaking without his own accord. What he said startled him... but it was welcomed nonetheless.

"Eatherine, I will always care for you... because... I... I..."

"You what?"

"Love you..." The room could never have been any quieter. Eatherine's heart did a total back flip. She felt lighter then air as her body was enveloped with happiness. She leapt out and latched onto Malefor. She cried happy tears. If this was what love felt like, then she liked it. She liked it a lot.

Malefor returned her hug and held her tight. If this was how it felt to finally have a true ally... one who loved him in return... then he didn't care if they were on the run forever.. So long as he had her...

They looked into each other's eyes before she and he locked into a brilliant kiss. Malefor felt a beautiful feeling rush through his veins. He loved every second that their lips stayed together. They sat like that until a spear landed next to them and caused them to recoil backwards.

They looked outside and atop a small rock sat Hunter of Avalar. Next to him stood Cynder. Around them, several Cheetah Warriors stood, all carrying crossbows, bows and arrows, and spears. Behind them stood several dragons, all decked out for a fight. They surrounded them and captured the new couple.

Malefor groaned as he awoke in a makeshift cell inside the Dragon Temple. He looked around frantically. Where was Eatherine? He spotted her lying asleep in another cell across from him. He tried to get to her but felt too weak to move. He looked out of the small window in the cell and saw that the storm had indeed come back. He heard footsteps outside and saw two Cheetah Warriors walk up, open his cell and close in on the weak dragon.

They dragged him into the dojo which had been cleared out except for Ignitus. They tossed him next to the fire Guardian and Malefor saw Cynder emerge from behind the fire Guardian. She glared at him.

"So... Malefor... doesn't it seem odd for you to get defeated then turn up here? Just what are you plotting?" Ignitus asked in a sort of wise voice.

"I'm not planning anything! I just want to live life after what happened! I am not like my old self anymore!"

"How can we know for sure? How can we trust you?"

"Just listen to me! This creature... he did something and now I'm all better! I want to make amends for what I did!" Malefor pleaded.

"You will never make amends, you slothful pig!" Cynder exclaimed.

"Cynder, I could have killed you out there... could have left you to die... but I rescued you! You don't call that being changed?!" Malefor claimed. Ignitus gave Cynder a curious glance which she gave an embarrassed look at.

"Cynder? Is there something you wish to tell us?" Ignitus asked.

"Well... he did spare my life and saved me from a tornado... but I will never forgive him for what he did. He took my childhood away from me and killed a lot of dragons... we are on the verge of extinction because of you! If it wasn't for Spyro, there wouldn't be any of us left!"

"That may be Cynder... but everyone deserves a second chance... and if what Malefor said is true, then this is not entirely his fault." Ignitus suggested.

"So what did happen?" Ignitus asked Malefor.

"I'm not to sure... this creature gave me tremendous power and I wanted to use it for the greater good of the Dragon Realms... instead I became the Dark Master... I don't know what happened..."

"Well if it's not your fault then we can't hold you accountable for it." Ignitus said. Cynder glared at the Fire Guardian. Malefor could tell she just wanted him dead. Malefor was glad that at least Ignitus was understanding... though Cynder seemed dead set on getting revenge on him.

"Malefor, you may go." Ignitus said to him. Two Cheetah Warriors grabbed Malefor and took him back to his makeshift cell. He sighed and watched as they took Eatherine to the dojo. They looked into each other's eyes as she left, but they remained silent.

Eatherine didn't know what to say. She wanted to reassure him that she could do it, that she could handle whatever they could throw at her, but she couldn't form words.

As they lead her into the dojo, she saw the Fire Guardian and Cynder awaiting her. She sat down in front of them as the Warriors released them.

"Young Eatherine, we're sorry for the treatment, but you must understand the circumstances... especially when dealing with someone such as Malefor..."

"Malefor? You mean the Dark Master? Didn't Spyro defeat him? What does he have to do with me? M isn't with the Dark Master anymore!" She said. She was a bit confused.

"She doesn't know?" Ignitus asked. Cynder frowned and shook her head.

"Know about what? What are you talking about?!" Eatherine was really getting confused. What were they talking about?

"Eatherine, 'M' isn't a servant of the Dark Master. He is the Dark Master."

Eatherine didn't respond. It made sense! He was purple, he had horrible memories, he had been evil, what else hadn't he been telling her? Had he known this whole time and hid the truth from her? No! That wasn't M! M wouldn't do that to her! She didn't believe it!

"No! You're lying! M would never do that to me! I love him! I don't believe you!" She screamed. Ignitus frowned and Cynder smirked. Obviously she was getting a thrill out of this.

"Eatherine you must understand, Malefor may seem good now but he is the former Dark Master and is to be considered as dangerous. This is why we have him locked up, we do not trust him. He is a very dangerous dragon." Ignitus explained.

"No! I M is good! He would never do evil things like the Dark Master!" Eatherine cried out.

"Malefor is a fiend! He should be killed at once!" Cynder proclaimed. Eatherine shot her an evil stare which made her even flinch in response. Tears strolled down her face. M wasn't responsible for her family's death! He wouldn't do that! He may have been evil once but she refused to think he was the Dark Master himself.

"M would never do those things! He was evil once, but he can be good now! Why can't you give him a chance!"

"Eatherine, Malefor is a very dangerous. He can still be of danger and we need to keep him under control. He may seem nice now but he can just be lying. Malefor is a master at deceit." Ignitus explained. Eatherine didn't want to hear a word of it. For one, she didn't believe that he was the former Dark Master and that he was still evil.

"Look at Cynder! She was evil! Now she's good! How come you gave her a chance and not M? What makes her so special!" Cynder glared at Eatherine. Cynder was starting to get infuriated by this display. She was trying to hold back just pure hitting her.

"Cynder... was..." Ignitus started to talk, but it seemed that Eatherine's words had caused him to get confused himself.

"See! M even saved Cynder from the hurricane! He could have left her for dead but he saved you you ungrateful bitch!"

"Why you little... why do you think I was in that condition! He injured me to that extent!" Cynder yelled at her. She neglected to mention that it had been she that assaulted Malefor first. Ignitus grunted. This was really getting out of hand.

"Stop, both of you! Cynder control yourself and Eatherine watch your-" Ignitus halted mid-sentence as the whole temple shook.

Malefor sat in his cell, awaiting the next event. To him, an event would be someone passing by. He was so bored, confined to this cell and to his own thoughts. How he wished he could see Eatherine again... but he had confidence in her abilities.

He heard something next to him though and looked up to the window looking outside.

A black figure stood on the other end. It was a human. But, he thought all the Marines left with the UERAF a while ago! Plus this human didn't wear a Marine uniform, it wore a black cape and a hood. On his belt buckle there was a symbol of fire. Fire? Karson? But, he left with the Marines! What was going on?!

The figure unleashed a torrent of flames onto the cell door and the door burst open. A thud resonated down the halls and Malefor knew there was trouble.

"Hurry! Malefor's escaping!" A Dragon yelled. A few cheetah warriors and dragons dashed to halt him from escaping. Malefor sighed as he dashed out of the cell and into the hallways.

"He's escaping, kill Malefor! He's going to doom us all!" Another shout came. Malefor heard loud TAT, TAT, TATs as a Cheetah carrying an M74D pressed down on the trigger. Bullets pinged off the ground and zipped passed his head. One tore through his wing skin and Malefor roared out in pain. He continued to dash down the halls and came to the dojo doors. The doors were sealed and it was a dead end.... he was trapped.

However, upon closer examination, Malefor spotted a Human made C-4 explosive sitting right next to the door! Once again Malefor sought cover as the high explosive went off, blowing the door down. Malefor charged through the smoke and to a very confused Ignitus, Cynder, and Eatherine.

"I knew it! He's trying to escape!" Cynder shouted. She engaged Malefor and he dodged to the side.

"Eatherine, never mind me, run!" He yelled. She nodded hesitantly and ran to the balcony doors.

Malefor kicked Cynder aside and used the time that she used to recover to make a blind dash for the balcony doors. Ignitus blocked his path.

"You may say you're good but this must end Malefor!" He said. Malefor cringed. He didn't want to fight Ignitus, but if need be, he would have to. He sighed as he built up a charge of shadow energy and hit Ignitus with it. The larger dragon flew back and grunted.

"Sorry..." Malefor said before he returned to dashing to the door. Ignitus got to his feet and shook off the effects of the shadow breath. He flew right at Malefor and with momentum, slammed into the smaller dragon and tore right through the dojo doors and onto the balcony. The skid to a halt right in front of Eatherine who hovered a few feet above the ground.

Ignitus swung his claws at Malefor and the smaller purple dragon dodged and watched in horror as Ignitus's claws cracked the balcony floor. Suddenly the dragon pinned him under his other claw and raised his claw in a final blow.

Lightning flashed overhead as the Hurricane still raged above. A drop of rain water splattered next to Malefor's face and Eatherine shot at them to halt Ignitus. However, before she did, something in Malefor snapped. Part of his instincts as the Dark Master still lingered and his pupils flashed red and he fired a super charged bolt of dark energy at Ignitus. The Guardian was sent airborne as the energy hit him.

Malefor's scales turned black and the energy split the clouds of the Hurricane. The tremendous force cracked the very ground Malefor stood on and black lightning cracked overhead.

Eatherine watched in horror as Malefor used a move only the Dark Master himself could form. They were right... he was just as evil as he was and he was the former Dark Master! No... how could he have lied to her! How could she have been a fool?! She would never fall for it again... his tricks would never get the better of her. Malefor managed to muster enough strength to cancel and attack. As he did, his scales turned purple and his pupils had returned to their former hue. He had fought off the darkness, but that rush of energy, it felt so great! He looked in terror as Ignitus flew into the temple roof and the roof cracked under the sheer force of his landing.

Malefor turned around to see a very shocked Eatherine. He gulped.

"They were right... you are the Dark Master!"

"No wait! I can explain!"

"No! You can't! I loved you and you lied to me! You used me to get to the temple! You evil son of a bitch!" Eatherine shouted at him.

"No! I would never!" Malefor flew up to meet her but she blew an Earth blast which knocked him headlong into the Balcony floor, cracking its already strained surface.

"Stay away! I never want to see you again!" Eatherine shot off into the sky and Malefor grunted and tried to stand up.

"Eatherine no! NO! Please, I love you! I... want you... NO!" Malefor started to stumble through sentences as he begged her to return. As she continued to fly off, Malefor let out a loud roar of pain. As if by cue, a lightning bolt split the sky at the same time as his cry of sorrow. Eatherine heard it and felt her heart get torn in half. She wanted to go back to him, but her anger dictated her actions and she continued off into the sky.

Malefor sat on the balcony, pounding the floor with his fists in pain. Thunder boomed through the Realms and rain splattered onto Malefor's scales.

Warriors and Dragons dashed over and jumped onto the stricken beast. They pinned him to the ground and pounded him with their fists and weapons. Malefor didn't even flinch. He felt too much pain internally to feel anything else. His heart had been tossed out and left in the rain... so were his hopes of ever finding true happiness.

Cynder stood and watched the scene. Part of her was happy, but another was sad. She felt a pang of pity and sorrow for Malefor. True, he deserved punishment, but Cynder had been through what Malefor had been through. It hurt... it hurt a lot. She didn't think anyone, even Malefor, deserved that punishment. As she sat she saw a Warrior lift an M6 pistol to Malefor's head. They were going to execute him! She dashed over, hoping to at least delay his death when a bolt of electricity blasted the pistol out of the Cheetah's hands. They all craned their heads to see the source of the attack.

In mid-flight sat Spyro, smoke flowing from his muzzle from the recent discharge of energy.

End of Chapter 5

Short... I know... but I flew through this and had to end it here to score as much drama as possible. Now that this chapter is done I will start on the Spyro Wars chapter and try to get that finished.

I would have posted this sooner but my internet is being choppy and I am only receiving bursts of internet here and there... it's hard to say when it turns off and on and it sucks trying to get this posted when the internet just gives out and comes back on when you least expect it.