Travel

This one-shot is going to help lead into my next major story. If you have not read Rising or Risen, you will still be able to read the two stories that will make up the third portion because what happened already means very little. I don't know how this will work out, but I'm going to try having two different stories that will actually affect each other. How this is to happen will be shown in the first chapter of TLoS:Fallen. The other story I still do not have a name for, but it will come with time...

Alright, here it is so let's hope it serves my purpose. It may seem incomplete, but that's how it is meant to be.

The world quickly began to fade the moment Spyro released it, in moments he would be gone. He looked down the alley, and saw as Cynder fell to the ground; dead so that if he suffered the same fate, they could be together. One tear escaped his eye before he closed it and faded out of the world.

When he opened his eyes again, they were flooded with purple tinted light. Where was he? It was nothing like the last time, so long ago, that had done this. It looked like he was in a cave, but it had translucent purple walls. He exited the extension of the main cave and looked around. In one direction the tunnel of energy stretched almost eternally; from such a distance Spyro could not tell whether there was actually anything there, or if it was just blackness. Along either side were numerous passageways like the one he had come from, with each passage leading off into many more. At the far back of the cave from which he began was a scene he knew well, an empty city street.

'I wonder…if Cynder….' at the thought of her name the scene shifted; it shifted to her limp body, lying upon the street. Spyro turned away and walked out, holding back his tears.

He walked down the main cave, with Cynder still on his mind, looking into each side path as he passed. At the back of each cave was a still image, usually of Cynder asleep, the moonlight reflecting upon her horns, often revealing him beside her. As he walked toward the blackness, the portrayals became younger and younger. Seeing the two of them together over and over again caused Spyro to wish that he had taken her with him, and reminisced within himself, allowing tears to fall from his

Soon, all he could see was Cynder, alone. He had come to the year before they became mates. He turned away, his eyes closed, and walked across the main cave, he had finally arrived. Turning back, he walked into the extension.

His breathing deep, he considered what he had already seen. 'When I think of Cynder…I see her in these caves…. What about…Ignitus.' The image at the back of the cave went black for a moment, then came into focus. It was late at night and even in the moonlight's glow Spyro could see that the patch of ground had been long ago burned up by the belt of fire. 'No…that's too late…but I don't know when this is anyway…hmm…earlier is what I need; how about three months before?' The image shifted again, this time fading a deeper shade of grey. Only this image was moving; had the others been doing the same and he had not noticed?

It was the temple. Three of the guardians lay in the background, obviously asleep, while Ignitus stood. He was staring into the pool of visions, his eyes blinking occasionally. Spyro could hear the deep, tempered breathing of the other guardians, but they were of no concern to him; he cared only about the dragon in the foreground, the most important figure in his young life and the one he had long strived to be like.

"Spyro…if only we could find you. What hope do we have but in you? We have none. All we can do is hope the Hunter may find you soon…for the sake of everyone." Ignitus said. His chest heaved as he turned from the pool of visions, tears rolling onto the floor as he padded across the floor to curl up among his peers.

A pang of sadness crept into Spyro's heart, but he pushed it aside. Sadness had never done anything for him in the past; emotions had only gotten in his way. He closed his eyes and mentally fast forwarded to the day they had passed through the belt. Opening them again he found exactly what he was looking for.

He watched as Cynder, Ignitus, and he were surrounded by Ignitus' shielding. It was like reliving that memory again, only from the outside. They began their trek through the belt, and Spyro knew he didn't have long until it would be time for what may be his grand finale. He reached out, and was satisfied when his paw simply disappeared through the wall. With a sigh, he plunged into it.

Spyro had no confidence; it had been shaken long ago by the false words he had been fed and the fake smiles he was met with everyday. He was unsure of whether he would survive; if Ignitus couldn't sustain through the fire, what chance would he stand? He knew not whether he could get back; would he have anywhere near enough energy after saving Ignitus? He had no hope; it was dashed the very same day he had now reentered and had never recovered.

With no say in his own past, no control over the present, and no hope for the future he dove in.