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In the Mouth of Darkness

The sun shone brightly as always, and they were also as hot as always. This heat was so torturous for the dragons all around them, seeing that they were too exhausted to even make any senses. Some were hallucinating while some didn't do anything but staring at the sky. While there were many of them able to withstand the heat, they were too hardened and wasn't able to tolerate new dragons. Since Seraphor had lived for a while in a seashore area, he was okay with the heat. In fact, he needed them. Being accustomed to the lives on a tropical island in a realm dominated by dragons and night parties made him so comfortable with the sun. He was happily basking under the sun while his friend was just too uncomfortable under it.

"H...hey, Sera...are you alright?" asked Bartoz. "Why are you lying down on the hot stone? Are you trying to bake yourself up?"

"My counterpart said that dragons can maintain the health of their scales just by basking under the sun. If your eyes aren't bad, do I look different?"

"Aside from that shimmering silver scales and your tolerance to the hot sun, I guess you're different."

"Like, what?"

When Bartoz saw a dragon approaching him, he said, "Nevermind. There's problem."

The dragon was a quad and he was watching both of them menacingly. He was bigger than both of them. But while he was a quad, Seraphor could see through something from the menacing dragon. He glared back and said, "What is it?"

"Don't you think you've been acting strangely? You two are different, and hiding something..."

"You're hiding something," said Seraphor while still glaring. "Do those joints of yours suggest a four-legged being? Again, your leg is way too high for a quad. It's supposed to be bent more."

The dragon wasn't trying to continue his sentence, but then he growled and said, "Watch your tongue, whelp. You want to get beaten?"

"It's not like I can restrain myself from killing you, right?"

Again, he didn't reply, but he just left them. Seraphor sighed and just said, "Right at the third day in this place and I've got myself an enemy."

"You're different. A century ago you are very calm and silent. Now, you're so aggressive. I can't blame you, though. That's the path to an adult dragon."

"Maybe I haven't been an adult at all."

After taking a drink down his throat (the filtered one, of course), Seraphor kept thinking about the place. He was sure the drugs put inside the foods and drinks were not for making a dragon lost their will. There was another reason on why the dose was getting more and more potent, given how the extracted drugs were like jelly than liquid. Seeing many dragons around him ODed gave him a weird suggestion, but it was just because he was being in a weird world where these weird fantasies of guns and bullets were real, and of course, drugs too.

At night, when Bartoz wanted to go to sleep, Seraphor turned the black dragon to face him and said, "Bart, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"When they get us out to the fields, find a dragon willing enough to talk to. I'll try to find what in the world they are trying to do to us."

"I can help you, but it can be hard and we don't have all day. The dragons were more hostile than helpful, you know."

"Without this collar, I can start to wreak havoc, but now this prison is what I have in my attention. Something's bothering me about the drugs. It doesn't induce hallucinations like it used to be."

"But we both saw many things that's weird, like a floating dragon and painted sky."

"What we saw is the starter effect of a drug. I'm also curious on how this fantasy land can have a drug strong enough to make a dragon OD. Moreover, I saw many dragons with no indications that they took the drugs, but they were bullying the other dragons. That can do with an explanation but right now it's your job."

"Why should I? They can't trust a black dragon that easily. In fact, I have a dark energy that's recognizable by some. If I absorb some dark energies some of the will be alerted."

"That's why you gotta use that trick..."

"Look, I know you're well aware of my ability to see hidden memories like I used to do to you and recently to Xiciro, but that's the power INSIDE of me. With this collar on, I can't be of use on you."

"Not that trick. You're a nasty gay dragon and that really make me need to back off. The other trick."

"Oh...," said Bartoz after remembering what he meant. "That one."

"I really need that help for this plan to work, Bartoz. Be careful. I have a bad feeling about this prison."

The next day, after drinking a trough of filtered water, Seraphor nodded to Bartoz. The black dragon then moved around the place and quickly disappeared from Seraphor's view. The silver red dragon then started his move. In the middle of some dragons, he ducked and touched the ground. He knew he wasn't able to use any elements since they were from their body, but the power of rocks weren't. Concentrating, he sensed the rocks around him were sandy, and yes, it was as he predicted. Some of the rocks clashed with the sea salt and gave a wet sensation for him. He managed to pinpoint their location, but now to make his suspicions correct, he waited for Bartoz to do his 'trick'.

Meanwhile Bartoz still remembered what he had done during the previous time together with Seraphor. In the lair, he entertained them with everything he got from there. He then started to make a great illusionary trick aided by a small fraction of the darkness from some of the dragons around him. The trick was actually that he made a water fell from his hand. This attracted some dragons when they saw the black dragon was taking a water and making an illusion as if the water was caught on the other front leg. There were many others. He took a trough and slapped the water with his hand-like paws, and he made a good optical illusion from the flying water, creating ice on the other dragons' vision. This attracted many attentions, and then what he wanted was there.

"Hey, do you have a moment?" said the dragon.

"Sure."

When he left, the dragons watching him left too, seemingly oblivious on what he was doing. When they talked Bartoz sensed a dark aura coming and with a sudden movement stopped the dragon's back leg by using his front legs. He knew he was gaining too much attention, but the biped really wanted to fight.

Yet he stopped.

"What a great illusion you got there, dragon," said the dragon. "I bet a magician gave you that trick."

"Yeah well, it was my rider who taught me on the trick." He was sure he wasn't able to do that. The entire act was a real illusion created from the ripples of his darkness.

"It's exceptional for a magicless dragon to do those tricks."

Bartoz knew this was the cue. It was now or never.

"What do you know about this place?"

"I overheard your conversation with that old dragon three days ago. Much like what he said, this place is a place where even the mightiest of dragons would lose their pride, replaced by what humans call hopelessness. Yes, all of us lost our hope of rescue. Some, like me, dreams of the hope. For the prison itself, I can feel that this place is not made by the sea to make us feel hopeless."

"So this is really an anti-dragon compound?"

"We don't call them anti-dragon in the South. Their name gives despair to the dragons. Dragonsbane are their name. This place is where you know despair."

"Oh...so they are getting cocky," said Bartoz with a small smile.

"It seems that you underestimated their help. The Dragonsbane are backed by a race of weapon-wielding dragons, the Perusans. They know a dragon like their own, and those dragons that they had tortured and crippled are persuaded to be the enemy. I hope I won't become your enemy, but we don't have any hope."

"Hope," thought Bartoz. "They need this."

The dragon just sat on the hot stone and said, "I wish you know how prideful you are. They will crush you until you're nothing but a mindless body. Many of the dragons won't be able to resist it."

"You thought I don't have any resistance?"

The dragon was clearly puzzled on what Bartoz said, but of course, seeing how he only dreamt of hope, Bartoz was too taken into it. He was overwhelmed by it. For the first time in his life he would try to lift the hope of the hopeless dragons, all because he wanted to know how strong dragons were, and he really disapprove of slaves. He had enough, and if he could, he would kill every enemy he could see with that power he had.

"I'm so sorry for you, black dragon. Not only that illusion, but your pride is still impressive. It will be a shame if it's lost."

"Westerners are not those who will lose easily. That's what my rider had said to me. I lost my pride long ago, betraying my friends for my own gain, and killing the trust my friend had given me is enough to make me hopeless and unwanted. Now, I stand before a miserable life-form that only knows how to dream. There will be time when you'll resist and revolt."

"How about if I say any revolution is useless? The Parusans are different from ordinary dragons. You think you'll sacrifice yourself like my friends that had died defending their pride? No, you're just too prideful. You'll lose them. What do you want to say, huh?"

"Then I say this. Kill."

The dragon clearly gasped when he suddenly felt a threatening aura around Bartoz. The black dragon had taken as many darkness from the hearts of any dragons as possible for the strong aura around him. He could see some of them glared at him, but they quickly sank into despair. Bartoz touched the dragon, and he quickly growled, slowly becoming a roar. Just when Bartoz knew he had enough, he absorbed that darkness and released the dragon. All of the dragons stared at the semi-bipedal dragon while he walked away. His last glare back to the dragon was enough for him to gasp, knowing very well he had lost everything.

"W...were you serious?" said the dragon in fear. "Are you trying to kill me, black dragon?!"

Bartoz just scoffed and said, "You're far too weak."

As he walked, the dragon again said, "You western dragons are as insane as they have said. No wonder you monsters kill too much of their army."

"I am not the monster. If he's not in restrain, he's the one you must fear."

Just as he said that Bartoz was met by his silver red friend, making a grumpy face to him. Again, his dangerous face gave some dragons around them fear, but it wasn't like Bartoz did.

"So? Done showing off, Bart?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I just wish your old personality still intact. Oh, fucking antis..."

"They are called Dragonsbane here, Sera."

"0ne thing you must refrain from. Do not be so cocky and talked their names in front of them. We're not going to die fruitlessly, Bartoz. Just be careful with your words, either. We don't know if there's an enemy in them. If what I heard is true, they had deployed many of those brain-washed dragons among these junkies."

"Junkies?"

"Well, what can I say about them? Drug-addicted dragons?"

Bartoz just made a sigh. "Your talks are all out of this world. Something I really don't like about you is your talks about 'fuck', 'asshole', and everything. Those words are unpleasant."

"You won't be comfortable after you know what they really mean. I only used them in a non-literal way."

"Surely, Sera.... Why is your dragon making a hole for asses?"

"I won't explain, okay?"

As their time in the courtyard was done, Seraphor and Bartoz talked everything that they knew on their search. In the small cell, they talked through, all the night, while sometimes drinking the provided water, filtered and fresh by Bartoz.

"So, those dragons lost the thickness of their scales and they were like those dragons with no wings for flying? So, this makes sense."

"You mean by them being an anti-dragon compound?"

"Bartoz, do you have any time to stop and think for a while why they are called anti-dragons? In the western region, we called them anti-dragons because we only assume that they consist of only dragon slayers, yet now they are dragons backing them."

"What are you doing when I was doing that 'trick'?"

Seraphor just smirked. "Like I said, you just need to do the 'trick'. I'll do the rest. A trick has a double meaning. You're doing that illusion dance, but in fact I used that moment to find another crucial part for this compound, and I found those Parusans."

Bartoz was dumbfounded. He then said, "Explain."

"A Parusan is a sword-wielding race of dragons around the size of an adolescent dragon. While they seemed small, they have an organized living, unlike most civilized dragons and especially feral dragons. Their organized living reminds me of Richard and the others. They maybe draconians."

"Draconians aren't that big."

"Maybe they're the draconian ancestors. That aside, Parusan has one other thing that makes them very ruthless in fights and intimidation. Not only they are strong, they are specifically raised by the anti-dragons to counter the pro-dragons should the need be arise."

"Wait...if they raised these Parusans into a strong group of dragons, then..."

"The Parusans have another thing in mind on why they are helping humans. They are born within the community of humans, and hated dragons for that. The main reason they are over normal dragons are because of their skill in manipulation."

"How do you know all of this? This doesn't make sense. You're like you have been affected by the drug."

"I haven't finish, Bartoz. In this compound, around us, there is another dragon race in war with them. This race is called Cerbesa. Cerbesans are the only foil Parusans have, and with the aid of the slayers, they are all confined within this prison. If we can somehow rally a group of Cerbesans, we can make that freedom."

"But there are so many dragons with different scales around us. Do you think it's easy to distinguish them? And, how do you know all of this."

"In the mouth of darkness, you always have to rely on any lights you have. Don't get me wrong, Bartoz, but this Cerbesa is hopeless, and after he relays everything about it, I..."

"You relieved him from his pain."

When Seraphor nodded, Bartoz sighed and said, "Sera, these dragons are all hopeless. They're prisoners with no experience in this war. Some of them never get out from their caves to see the world, some are separated from their group, some only want to protect the product of their greed. They are not battle-hardened dragon like you. You must give them a chance, and from that chance the Cerbesans will join our cause."

"What should I do? I can just ask the Cerbesans to make a riot and we..."

"No, Sera. Not all things must be solved with violence. Your strong god-like powers are not the solution. You are not aware on one thing you have from the start."

"What is..."

Bartoz then put his front leg to Seraphor's talons. He then said, "During that assault to Xici kingdom, you and Spyro were the only dragons risking your lives killing an army of dragon slayers. The dragons were too scared to see so much of the slayers in one place, as they lost their pride. But you, Spyro, Sannourah, and other dragons you never knew fought hard, with the strong powers they had, and with the pride they had. Sera, Spyro is younger than you, but he fought very hard with his four-elements. Sannourah, despite of being a whelp, killed them without touching them. You cut through the ranks with only claws and teeth. For now, even after they captured you, you're still not as famous as in the West, and this can be the only chance you have to show us how we fight. All dragons will fight alongside you, like those you give hope to."

"But," said Seraphor while watching the ground. "I never got as much as rallying the troops. I'm no general. I'm just a dragon, a weapon of war. My fight belongs in the field..."

"No, you're not, Seraphor," said Bartoz. "Sera...I also doubt your quality as a hope, but as this is what the humans said, you must believe in yourself. You're prideful, yes, but without any support, your pride is meaningless."

Seraphor was silent about it. The black dragon somehow got him in the chest. He never thought about it before. He wasn't thinking about his comrades. He was thinking about his well-being, and Spyro's, and also, his main goal back to his world was nothing but to find Avila. He couldn't find the dragoness to be something to discard. He was distracted by her, but at the same time, he was too in love with her to stay put. His fights, his killings, his supports...they were all that was in his mind, but not those he protected.

Now, inhaling a salty air, he had renewed his strong feelings to the world. The dragon then said, "Tomorrow, I'll bring the new hope down this prison. We will prevail."

Bartoz didn't reply, but he made a sinister smirk towards the small dragon. He was thinking about something else.

"Now, this is getting fun," he thought menacingly. " I never thought I can have an opportunity to start killing again."