Chapter Eight: Departure

(The Next Night)

As night three came and progressed, the elders and the others were visited by Hunter, Bianca, and Sparx, who were anxious to know of any progress with their purple friend.

Sadly, the elders' shook their heads in response, which discouraged them at this point. Yet, they grew unprepared for what came next as Ember and Flame issued their explanation on what transpired on the second night, not just with Spyro's sleepless nights.

Afterwards, they grew in stunned silence, especially Sparx, upon learning of the turmoil that the purple dragon was going through.

Sparx almost felt compelled to go and comfort his adoptive brother, but Flame's warning told him otherwise. Clearly, Spyro wasn't in the best state of mind to receive any form of solace from friends or family. The mark on Ember's face was living proof of that.

Reluctantly, he relented in hopes that Spyro would snap from his depression.

"CYNDER!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Do you also remember how you have freed me from my master's grip only to see to my demise in the future?"

"And more importantly, what more can you do for her knowing that she perished in your arms along with the knowledge that you were held responsible for her demise."

"I am sorry, young ones, but…it pains me greatly to say that…Cynder's demise…was an act of fate."

"W-Why-why can't you just take me, huh? Huh, why don't you take me? Huh?! I was a victim of his evil, too. Take me, too. Com-COME ON, TAKE ME, TOO!!!"

"It's my fault. I'm the one that left her. I killed my beloved."

These were the recent voices constantly persisting in his mind. Recently, images of the tragedy and the events following from that, including the nightmare, became a huge nudge to push the purple dragon in the position that he was previously in.

It was unbearable, yet comforting to him without any means of escape.

Blinking his eyes, which carried baggage from the sleepless nights, the purple dragon decided to issue a rest for himself. The nightmares will come and the voices will persist, to which he tried avoiding by way of insomnia, but there was nothing to be done about it anymore.

Spyro was about to turn around and head towards the cushion when he halted upon seeing an object on the floor at the foot of the cabinet.

With a slow approach, he kneeled and grasped the object in his left paw before standing.

As Spyro gazed the object, he started absentmindedly heading back towards the glass-less window.

As soon as he got there, he noticed the coloration of golden on it. Then, a memory resurfaced at the core of his mind, which slightly flinched him from his previous expression. He remembered this jewelry. It was what his beloved graced him with, her necklace clearly absent from the scene since it was buried along with her. Then, he remembered the words that he spoke of that was issued for him.

"'To my one true love...You are my salvation from the pit of darkness; you are my angel of light from the heavens. You are my love.'"

Then, he remembered the words that the black dragoness spoke of that was issued for her.

" 'To my one true love...You are my heart to beat; you are my soul to keep. You are my bright sun; you are my everlasting moon. You are my love.'"

Upon that thought, his expression slowly diverted from one of no emotion to one emotion of sadness before he looked down to the golden exterior gracing around the pendant. Then, he saw, from his point of view, her elegant face and her beautiful sapphire eyes reflecting on the gold exterior under the moon's light.

The very sight brought a tear from his left eye along with a strong sense of sadness in his orbs, yet the deep frown remained. He wanted to be with her ever so badly. He couldn't live without her. Words of the past littered his mind as he reminisced.

"Why won't you fight back?"

"Because you've left me nothing to fight for."

Those words were back before their battle with Malefor himself inside his lair. Back when he forced his control onto her again.

Then, the thought of the nightmare littered his mind.

"I LOVED HER MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD!!!"

"Even more than your own life?"

That question…it has been on his mind to no end since the nightmare, yet he was blindly unaware of it due to his mental turmoil. Then, he came to thought of an event that recently took place…something that brought a strong ounce of inspiration and anticipation into him.

"You have always given me something to believe in…something to fight for…something to live for. You gave that to me. And whatever future lies before us, I swear to you on my life that we will live together, and we will die together. That is a promise."

"We live together, we die together." His voice trembled in a whisper.

That's it. Now he was provided the knowledge of what it meant. He does love her more than his life, thus the answer to the question was death. He wanted to be together with Cynder again…if not in this world, then in the afterlife. That was his promise to her and he intends to keep it.

He grew careless of his own well-being. That very night has done the damage to him. He still remembers his previous actions against his friends due to his depression through lack of emotion. At this moment, he seeks to never do that again. He cares not of his destiny, whether to save the world or end it, he cares not. It has been in doubt from the moment she was taken from this world. He wanted it over. He wanted out of this world for good. No being a hero, no being a prophecy dragon, nothing. He didn't ask for it, to be a purple dragon of prophecy, none of it. All he wants is to be in the soft embrace of his beloved.

Mentally, the purple dragon thought about ending it right here, or jump from the window, but he couldn't. He knew the elders and his close friends well, especially his adoptive brother, Sparx. They would stop him at a moment's notice, which means he has to leave, not just the room, not just the temple, but from the village. He shouldn't be here. It held too much memories of that tragic day. He needed to leave. And what better way to do it than tonight. But it was only fair that the others know of this, keeping his true agenda in secret. Yet, it comes into question as to how they would react to this, which puts him into debate of whether or not he should tell them.

Slowly, determination and inner courage etched his facial feature upon mentally coming to a decisive choice. He has made his decision no sooner before he noticed, by the corner of his left eye, the presence of the fire guardian gazing sadly upon him from the doorway.

Ignitus was about to make his leave, but halted upon the call of his name.

The purple dragon kept his position to the glass-less window, his face hidden from the fire guardian's eyes as he sighed deeply and spoke.

"Can you gather everyone into the courtyard, please? I, uh…I am ready to apologize."

In silence, Ignitus issued a curt nod.

"Of course."

Then, he made his leave while Spyro's sorrow was briefly shown onto his face. Then, he looked down to the golden pendant in his paw before his sorrowful gaze slowly masked to a stern hardened gaze.

Slowly, he veered closer and issued a soft kiss to the pendant before placing it firmly on the sill. Afterwards, he looked to the outside clouds in the skies.

"Please forgive me for what I am prepared to do." He spoke softly towards the skies.

But it was not towards the heavens or the ancestors. He didn't believe in Heaven. Not anymore. If he did, his beloved would still be by his side, alive and well along with their child. That belief has now been severed from his very essence.

"I love you, Cynder." He said before issuing his leave from the room.

Ignitus and the other elder guardians, who recently were absent in the confinement of their quarters throughout the three-night period of mourning, were assembled in front of the monument while Hunter, Bianca, Flame, Ember, and Sparx were positioned several feet away next to the doorways.

All were in silence while awaiting the arrival of the purple dragon, yet anxiety masked the features of some for him.

Suddenly, footfalls were heard, which issued the attention of those that are presence in the courtyard.

There, they saw the sight of Spyro, who was positioned on his hind legs with his wings folded back, making his entrance inside the courtyard, his tail dragging to the floor limply during his approach.

Throughout his approach, Hunter, Bianca, Sparx, and the guardians, minus Flame and Ember, bore witness to the condition of the purple dragon.

Although his purple scales were ruffed up from his confrontation with Flame, his eyes were increasingly blood-cracked with baggage underneath as a result of sleepless nights while the frown still graced strongly upon his feature.

It was a sight that increasingly disturbed the guardians to no end as well as his friends, which came into questions on their minds. Has this tragedy reduced their purple friend to such state? There was an obvious answer, yet those were in disbelief by it.

Although they have witnessed this before, both Flame and Ember's expression grew of strong anxiety for their purple friend's condition as Spyro halted his walk before the four guardians, his tail slowly recovering back to its original, soft swaying position.

The guardians, including his friends took note of the stern hardened expression on his face, which indicated to them that the purple dragon has broken free from his recent state.

Regardless, a long awkward silence mounted over those that were presence in the courtyard.

With the expression intact, Spyro's head slightly hung to avoid the elders' eyes before speaking.

"I, uh…"He started slightly raspy before clearing his throat a bit. "I called you all here tonight to, um…to apologize for my recent actions from yesterday. I hope you can forgive me."

Spyro looked up to Ignitus and the other elders in hopes to get a response.

Slightly hesitant, Ignitus issued his nod of approval towards the purple dragon.

"Apology accepted, Spyro."

The elders issued their nods of agreement as well as Spyro turned his head around towards his close friends in hopes to get their forgiveness.

Flame and Ember issued their smiles and nodded in response while Hunter, Bianca, and Sparx did likewise.

Spyro wanted to break his frown and smile upon these reactions, yet he couldn't bring himself to do so. Instead, he, to his close friends' notice, diverted his purple orbs downward with the stern expression intact before directing his head back around.

His close friends, especially Flame, Ember, and Sparx, grew concerned by this reaction, yet chose not to speak on the matter yet as Spyro kept his head hung in his thoughts while Ignitus and the elders took note of this.

"Is there something else, young one?" Ignitus asked.

Spyro provided no response as he braced his left paw to his maw with his head hung and his eyes downward in avoidance to their gaze while gathering his thoughts.

Mentally, he was in debate as to whether or not he should tell them. Yet, he has made the decision to disregard it. He has to tell them. Whether they would understand or not, it wasn't his problem. His main goal at this moment is to leave. Leave this temple; leave this life…leave this world towards his beloved. It was his promise to her.

Baring that clear thought in mind, Spyro relinquished his paw from his maw with a deep sigh escaping from it before issuing his attention to the guardians, momentarily glancing at the monument positioned behind them.

"Yeah. I am, uh…I have considered issuing my departure from the temple, from the whole village."

Startled into silence, the elders grew at a loss by the purple dragon's sudden words while his close friends, whom has issued the same reaction, gazed upon one another in question to this.

"W-what is he doing?" Flame asked, yet the others didn't know as well.

"You're leaving?" Volteer eventually spoke after a while of silence.

In silence with the stern hardened expression on his face to mask his sorrow, Spyro issued a slight nod in response.

However, Terrador, with a hint of concern, managed to notice the hidden expression behind the exterior of the purple dragon's facial feature, yet the stern hardened expression gave notice to a different conclusion.

"Spyro, you have to understand that we've all felt the burden behind Cynder's death. But pursuing this as an act of vengeance—"

"It's not revenge." Spyro intervened before slowly lowering his gaze from their line of sight.

Slowly, Ignitus, due to the tone, took anticipation of the purple dragon's expression as one of despair before his concern increased upon this.

"Spyro, I know you're disturbed, but—"

"Ignitus…" Spyro intervened sternly in a whisper while suppressing the urge to release a single tear from the prison of his purple eyes as he slightly shook his head. "…I… I don't want to do this anymore. I can't."

The response forced the elders into stunned shock while his friends grew shocked from this turn of event.

Then, slowly and sternly, Spyro slowly looked into the eyes of his father figure, Ignitus. Both grew in silence before three words escaped his lips.

"I am done."

It was a brief silent, yet stunning stare-off between Spyro and Ignitus before the purple dragon turned and walked from the elders' sight.

During his walk towards the entryway of the courtyard, his close friends wasted little time in issuing their questions and their protest to his sudden actions, yet it grew on deaf ears to the purple dragon as he kept to his walk without a word from his maw or making any eye contact.

In my mind, I was never alone. I was with friends and family. Though in my heart, my slow, aching beating heart, I was with the love of my life, the mother of my child, the moon to my sun. Now she was taken from this world, and I am alone, deeply alone. No matter how hard I try, no matter how many times others had tried to tell me otherwise, I was still alone…but no longer.

As the purple dragon exited the temple from the entrance, ignoring voices calling to him along the way, Sparx and Ember managed to catch up to him and block his path as he halted his stop with the same expression intact

Strong anxiety was clearly on Sparx and Ember's face upon this scenery, yet the purple dragon's expression remained undeterred.

"Spyro, what are you doing?! After all we've been through! You can't give up, y-you never give up!" Sparx spoke while hovering in front of the purple dragon's face.

In silence, with the expression intact, Spyro spoke.

"I just did, Sparx."

Stunned shock was Sparx's reaction upon those words as Spyro started to continue walking.

However, a pink dragoness held him back with both paws to his chest as Spyro looked down to find that it was Ember, whose pleading eyes were on the verge of tears upon this display.

"Please, don't do this, Spyro. Please." She pleaded while softly shaking her head during her words.

With the expression intact, Spyro, his stern, yet blood-cracked purple eyes meeting anxious sky blue orbs, issued his right paw to slowly caress the pink dragoness' left cheek that withheld the slowly healing claw marks that he present her with just a day ago, Ember feeling comfort by the touch, yet her anxiety remained.

He highly regretted that incident ever taking place at all, which is all the more reason for him to leave.

"I'm sorry." He apologized.

Yet, it was not only for the scar that he caused, but also for his departure from the only home and friends that he knows.

Without another word, Spyro relinquished his touch from Ember and—the scenery taking a dramatic phase--waltzed on ahead, his wings folded back and his tail swaying ever so sadly, leaving a devastated pink dragoness and a stunned dragonfly behind while the elders and others, who has made it to the entrance shortly after the saddening display, bared witness to this.

I no longer believe in Heaven, for fate has taken my love from me. I no longer fear Death nor do I fear pain, for Death and pain is my only solace. Death is what I believe in. And I welcome it with open arms.

Spyro was only a couple of feet away before Ember, her face cringed strongly in saddened reaction upon this sight, started to run to the purple dragon's position while screaming out to him in hopes to persuade him not to leave.

Upon quick notice, Flame followed after her in hopes to stop her, but by the time he has gotten halfway there, it was too late.

Spyro extended his wings and took to the air into the night skies while his closest friends, including the elders, looked up to his departure in saddened silence.

Tears formed in Sparx's eyes upon this scenery as he slowly closed them, his tears flowing in the process, and hung his head.

Ember, however, grew beyond devastation as walls of tears formed in her eyes. Then, in an act of desperation, she started to take flight in hopes to go after him, yet Flame held her at bay while she, upon noticing that her purple friend was out of sight, ceased her brief struggle and slowly started relenting, tears and sobs strongly present on her facial feature as the orange dragon held her close in solace.

Afterwards, the guardians and the others made their way towards Flame, Ember, and Sparx's position while looking up towards the night skies where their purple friend has vanished. Words couldn't describe the emotions that they were feeling as Ignitus' expression grew of both sadness upon this sight, guilt also being present on his face due to his failure to prevent this from happening while they resumed their stare into the darkened night.

To this day, I care not for my destiny…because for me, my destiny was already decided by the sheer cruelty of fate.

On the windowsill, a lone golden pendant was present there while the moon's light endlessly reflected off the gold.

I was no longer destined to save the world, nor end it. I was no longer destined to live a normal life like others. And I can never go back to who I once was anymore nor can I hold my beloved and child in the physical realm. Fate saw to all of that. Therefore, my only destiny is one that I can never escape, nor avoid. My destiny…is death. But it was just the question of when that fate will come for me. I just hope it would be soon. Fear not, my beloved. In the end, I will join you shortly.

I love you, Cynder.

The End.

Phew! That ends the saddening prequel story, yet it begins Spyro's fated destiny of his own demise. You know which story comes after this, so read if you like at your own risk. I would like to thank the reviewers for their feedback on this story. It took me time and effort, but thanks nonetheless.

Also, I was thinking of reinventing the game with my own fictional version due to the video game industry's appalling rating for Dawn of the Dragon. But that has yet to be determined at this time. I'm also looking for a good poetry writer as a request to issue a good one-shot poetry based on this story entitled 'I Cry For You, I Die For You.' Kind of catchy, huh? I'd do it myself, but I'm not much good at poetry, nor was it on my list of favorites on my bio. Heh.

Anyway, with this done, I could take Blade off the hiatus list. That is, if I don't get writer's block along the way. Enjoy the coming new years of 2009. I know I will. Heh. Heh. Ciao!