Chapter 56: A New Dawn

By: Dardarax

Disclaimer: I, Dardarax, do not own Spyro, Cynder, the Temple, Warfang, the Guardians or any other character or place belonging to the Spyro Franchise. And yes, the climax is actually done now. There is only the wrap-up chapters left of DL 2. Finishing it killed me though, so Goldie had to get the defibrillators. Send her a thanks! I do own several characters of my own, who are featured in this story. Their names are listed below.

It was cold. So, so cold.

Lyrith shuddered in another breath, chill air freezing his lungs, turning his insides to ice. And the rain kept coming. Beating him down with each drop until he lay shivering in the mud, the only warmth coming from the stone head clutched in his paws.

It was too cold for rain. Too cold. It shouldn't be raining. Anything but rain. Snow. Even hail.

Yet still it rained, the cold water dragging his wings and eyelids down, his vision blurring as the fog of his own breath stole his sight away.

So Lyrith huddled against Malicina's statue, her head in his paws as he sought shelter, any shelter from the relentless downpour. There was nowhere else to go. The fort door refused to budge and the wind wouldn't catch his wings. There was only Malicina and the crumbled remnants of her statue.

There was only one place this could be. But why was it so cold?

So empty?

His eyes closed, too weak to stay open. Help. He had to get up and help… but his legs wouldn't move, numbed to the bone. Not that there was anywhere to go. Not a thing in sight to lead him to the others. He barely had the strength to raise his head and look and even that was fading fast as the rain washed it away, slowly dragging his eyes shut.

He clutched Malicina's head closer, the stone somehow warmer than all the rest of the world, all that kept him from freezing. He coiled around it, his white scaled body clinging tighter and tighter, hoping desperately it might ward off the chill a bit longer as the world came down around him.

Then the rain stopped.

But the threatening beat of it did not.

Lyrith shifted, the cold fading, just a little. Enough to open his eyes and raise his head to look.

His red eyes fixed onto the dark figure above him. It's shadowed body looming, incandescent gaze half-lidded and mouth pursed, lines creasing its brow as it extended a single wing over Lyrith, shielding him from the rain.

The former albino's vision blurred, coming in and out of focus as he tried to remember. Tried to think through the chill and the fog. Wondering where he'd seen this dragon before and why he knew he should be angry.

"There you are," the Shade said, his deep voice resonant and strangely soft as he took a seat by Lyrith's side, "I was worried I would not find you before the end."

Shade. The Shade.

His heart jolted in his chest, sending warmed blood through his chilled limbs. Stumbling he dragged himself to his paws and tumbled away from its reach, flailing his tiny, stubby limbs, squeaking out as fierce a growl he could muster as he rounded on the bastard who did all this. Wings flared, he crouched low, ready for battle, plumes of mist flooding his vision as he snorted his tiny defiance, ready for the bastard to take his first swing.

Only for him to just… stand there. A wing still outstretched. Staring with strangely distant eyes.

Silence. Both stared, enduring the downpour, water sleuthing down their backs, the chill returning with each cold blow against Lyrith's back.

The Shade broke eye contact first, sending a jolt of satisfaction through Lyrith, right up until he saw where the bastard's eyes turned to. His wing still extended, the Shade reached forward and plucked the fallen head of Malicina off the ground. Lyrith jolted forward, claw outstretched to take it, only to notice just how small his paw had become. Blinking he looked down, at the ground and how close to it he now found himself.

What was going on? Or more importantly:

"What did you do to me?"

The Shade turned away, Malicina's head in claw, too tall to be snatched away, as he moved over to the crumbled statue to look it over, pausing only to glance Lyrith's way once.

"I have done nothing to you, Lyrith. Such is your natural state here, within the safety of your walls." With the wing he once offered as shelter, the Shade gestured to the towering walls of the fort, before turning all his attention to the statue. "If you are not comfortable with it, then will it to change. It is your mind and it will heed your call."

Lyrith glared, red eyes narrowed suspiciously, only letting it leave the bastard long enough to check his reflection in the rusted metal of a broken helmet lying in the weeds nearby. His small, chubby, infantile body glared back.

Face puffing, he brought forth memories of his true self and imagined himself that way, hoping that was how this magic worked.

He blinked and was. Or was mostly. He wasn't his true self. But was at least older, as scrawny as he was back in his fourteen-year-old body.

"I don't know why you're here, but you're not going to mess with me anymore than the others," Lyrith said, growling, his pubescent voice only cracking slightly as he crouched low once more, claws digging up dirt, "so get ready-"

"I'm here to talk."

Lyrith blinked. Then he snorted, realizing what he meant. "Oh, you're going to try and twist me like you did Sav? What? Offer me power? 'Respect?' All you need is my body and/or soul in exchange?"

The white's harsh laughter echoed, despite the lack of a roof to contain it. The Shade didn't even acknowledge it, didn't so much as look back as it raised a claw and lifted the ruins of Malicina's statue into the air. Piece by piece it fit back together and with each piece Lyrith's laughter died, until finally its corpse tumbled humourlessly from his maw. With a tap, the Shade set Malicina's head back into place, the statue gleaming bright-white marble amidst the ruins.

Finally, the Shade turned back to him, the bastard's expression unchanged, his eyes still distant, lined with emotion that didn't belong on the monster Lyrith came to fight.

"No. No bargains. No requests. Nothing. All I want, Lyrith, is to hear your voice. In person. And see you with my own eyes." The bastard paused, then let out a hollow chuckle. "Or rather, the best approximation of my eyes I can manage, without a real body of my own."

Lyrith backpedaled, his eyes widening. He'd retreated three steps before catching himself, his jaw setting. Yeah, sure.

"Of course. Come and talk with me, banter the night away, distract me from helping my friends while you toy with my brain on the side." With a wing Lyrith gestured to the now fixed statue and scoffed. "I know what you're playing at."

The Shade's eyeridge rose and Lyrith sneered, victorious. Casually the Shade turned to the statue. "And what would that be?"

"Delay."

The Shade shrugged, not glancing back as he stared Malicina's statue over, which only made Lyrith's jaw clench harder. "True… in part."

In part. Lyrith snorted. Whatever the rest was it wouldn't happen. Not if he had any part in it. Crouching low once more he eyed the Shade's back. Examined his relaxed posture. A trap. It had to be. Too easy to not be.

Breathing slow, claws flexing, Lyrith slipped forward, one step at a time.

"I have a deep respect for albinos, believe it or not," the Shade said, trying to fill the silent air with something. Lyrith paused, snorted and rolled his eyes. Sure. At that the Shade chortled, "you're right, of course. I didn't always. Indeed, you can say I was among the worst sort. Yet thrice now I've found albinos whose strength has surpassed that of any coloured dragon." He paused, glanced down at himself, then laughed. "Well, aside from one colour."

Lyrith paused, his eyes narrowing. Three?

"The first was one very close to my heart," the Shade continued, his back still exposed, his gaze upturned towards the sky, "though I was hardly close to hers. Then I learned of Malicina." He gestured to the statue with one incorporeal claw. "And how she stood up to the world despite her disability. How she protected you and sacrificed things no other dragon would be even consider."

Don't say her name. Lyrith's fangs gnashed, drawing blood, a snarl tearing his throat. Don't you fucking dare say her name, or talk about her like you know her.

"And naturally there's you," the Shade said with a laugh, finally glancing Lyrith's way, his glowing yellow-white eye narrowed in mirth. "Though that is hardly a surprise. Of course, you're strong. It's in your blood. You cannot help but be mighty."

Something inside Lyrith snapped.

"Shut. The fuck. Up." Lyrith spat, his whole-body trembling with rage. "I wasn't 'born' with power! I fucking earned it! I worked for it! Every scrap of knowledge, every scar, every class at the Temple, I fought for that! My blood gave me nothing! My parents gave me nothing! And I swear to the ancestors if you say that again I will animate Malicina's statue and beat you to death with it!"

Lyrith blinked. Wait, could he do that?

The Shade stared, his eyes wide, genuine startlement creasing his brow. Then he snorted, blowing steam into the heavy rain.

"I see you have your mother's temperament as well."

Lyrith stumbled, his posture faltering as the words struck hard. What?

"And her iron will. And her bravery. The willingness to stand up and tell me to 'shove it,' even with the threat of death looming over her." The Shade's face drooped, his gaze fading into the distance as he looked past Lyrith, into the gloom. "You deserved so much better than this. The slums, the scars, the bullies, the Temple. You could have been great, Lyrith. Greater than Cynder ever was. And yet it was all taken away from you."

Greater than Cynder? What did he..? Lyrith shook his head, snarling. No! Focus! He's distracting you! Lying! Messing with you the same way he messed with Sav!

"Guess you don't take advice then, huh?" Lyrith huffed, then launched himself straight at the bastard's ugly face.

Claws sparked against a purple barrier, which sprang into being a half-second before impact. Lyrith followed through with a spin as he landed, tail sweeping in an arc as Lyrith called upon his Life, to cut through the magic and get at the coward hiding within.

It bounced off with a clink.

Lyrith's eyes shot wide, a gasp tearing from his throat. It didn't work? He snorted. Time to test that theory. He spun and struck, one claw, then two, both glancing off without leaving so much as a nick.

What? How? Why!? Why couldn't he break this magic?

"Lyrith."

With a growl the white jumped forward and pressed both claws against the ward, watching the wriggling tendrils of his life as they wormed around the barrier, pushed against yet refusing to interact with the convexity. Not tearing it apart like all other magic, not breaking it down into raw life force as all other magic had before it. Fangs bared, Lyrith pushed, trying to force his life into the barrier to do something. He had to get through! The others were fighting, risking everything! He had to do the same.

"Lyrith!"

"Shut up!" the albino snapped, trying to form his Life into something. A tool, a weapon, anything. He groped around in his core to try and find any sort of weapon that could fight the convexity. Yet nothing worked.

"Lyrith," came the Shade's voice once more, sounding strangely tired, "that won't work. Convexity is not of this world. Your Life Force cannot affect it. Do not waste what life you have trying."

With a snarl Lyrith pushed away, to glare through the shimmering violet ward, his chest heaving, his wings trembling, mist shrouding everything in front of him as he gasped for breath.

Then Lyrith struck again, and again. His Claws raked the barrier, Lyrith refusing to give up, refusing to let the bastard win. The Shade wouldn't stop him with words. Lyrith would just find a way.

He always found a way. Eventually.

The Shade was quiet as Lyrith pounded against the barrier vainly, just staring with those eyes. That face. An expression which only whipped Lyrith's frenzy further.

Claw, horn, tail, claw again, a stone animated with life, a dozen.

None of it worked.

"I don't want you hurt, Lyrith," the Shade said, breaking its infuriating silence with even more aggravating words, "it's why I've sealed you here, away from the others."

Lyrith didn't falter. It wasn't even worth the effort to laugh at that stupidity. He just struck again, with claw and wing and tail, trying to make the barrier give. Yet not so much as a crack formed.

A sigh blew and it carried the wind with it. The rain shifted, blowing horizontal all at once and, in an instant Lyrith was in the air, hurled from his paws and thrown skyward. He barely had time to flare his wings, to try and catch himself before a soft, purple haze caught him, encased him, a cloud of convexity holding him suspended a wing length from the ground.

Shit. Shit!

Thrashing, Lyrith bit and snarled, struggling to escape.

He might as well have been struggling to escape the pull of gravity.

The cloud whisked him back to the Shade, suspended and helpless, his wings refusing to carry him out of the cloud and his claws doing nothing to disperse it.

Again, the Shade sighed, only no wind came with it this time, relief echoing in his voice.

"I won't hurt you, Lyrith. No matter how much you wish to harm me."

Lyrith fangs gnashed. "Ape. SHIT!"

Lyrith twisted, bringing himself to bear as he glared up at the bastard, just out of claw's reach, yet now impossibly far from his just desserts. Through bared fangs Lyrith snarled and then spat at the Shade's paws, at least able to reach him with that.

"Won't 'hurt' me? What do you call Savron's beat down in the crystal caves, huh!?"

The Shade's shoulders slumped, the bastard sagging as he looked away with… shame!?

"Ah, yes. Desperation drives dragons to do unthinkable things. In my defense, Lyrith, I knew he could not kill you. Your power would protect you from permanent injury. That and my restraint, my influence preventing him from going further than that."

Lyrith couldn't help himself this time, bursting into laughter. "Oh, is that what you call it? 'Restraint?' Interesting choice of words considering you brought a CAVE DOWN ON MY HEAD!"

Finally, he broke, that stupid somber expression cracking with frustration. "I knew you'd be safe, you foolish child! Both Spyro and Cynder were there, and if those two are good for anything it's saving lives."

"Pretty big risk your taking for someone who 'doesn't want to hurt me,'" Lyrith snarled, fangs flashing dangerously.

Finally, a real victory. Even if a pointless one. The Shade groaned, raised a paw to his face and shook his head.

Well, if Lyrith couldn't kill the bastard, he could at least annoy him and hope that helped somehow!

Woo.

"I really should have seen this coming," the Shade said, with a shake of his head, "it would have been too easy to just come in and talk and smooth everything out."

This time, it was genuine surprise and amusement that erupted from Lyrith's maw, as he gawked at the bastard, laughing. "Wait… that was your plan? Come in, smooze it up and make me trust you?"

"There was no plan!" The Shade exclaimed, throwing claws skyward, wings unfurling with the motion. "Because I only wished to speak with you! So no, I didn't think up some masterful speech to manipulate you to my side! But clearly I should have, because you are infuriating!"

"Then you're getting to know me just fine, aren't you!" Lyrith spat back, muzzle peeled back over his fangs. "So, mission accomplished! Now, get out of my head!"

They glared one another's way, red and incandescent eyes battling it out over the rain-soaked turf.

And again, the Shade was the first to give, turning away with a weary groan.

"Not yet. This may be the only chance I have to speak with you like… this. Just us, with no third parties to interfere."

Lyrith snorted. "And like that, I can never trust anything you say ever again. So, you've failed. Get out of my head."

Twin eyes of yellow-white light shone upon Lyrith, who turned away, to glare at the walls, trembling with the cold and the unyielding desire to dig his claws into the Shade's stupid face.

"Perhaps. But regardless, I swear to you, Lyrith, that I shall do all in my power to not cause serious harm to your… companions."

Lyrith actually spluttered, another bout of mirth spoiling the serious glower he was trying to cultivate. "Oh? I'm sure you're doing a phenomenal job at that."

Cause no serious harm to his friends.

Lyrith's heart clenched, then jumped into his throat, images of Tirren, then Voltlyn, Typhous and Sleet flickering before his eyes.

He had to get out. He had to get to them.

"They are putting up quite the fight, I'm sure you'll be proud to know," the Shade continued, cutting through Lyrith's thoughts, seeming to know precisely what he was thinking, "but I have been holding myself back. Instead of murdering one of them as an example and threatening the rest, I've been trying to subdue them with minimal casualties."

Lyrith could only reply through clenched fangs. "I'm so… thrilled you're only half-heartedly trying to kill my friends."

The reaction was not what Lyrith expected.

A growl, dark fangs bared against the glow of the Shade's violet insides.

"Friends. Of all the- Why do you care so much about this purple brat?"

Unable to help himself, Lyrith blinked. Where was this coming from? Well, if he could make him mad, maybe he'd at least make a mistake.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Now that got the reaction Lyrith hoped for.

Violet smoke billowed, purple flame snooting from his nostrils as the Shade whirled around, his enormous smoky claws tearing the soil and- gah! Lyrith winced at the slight pain that jolted through his brain.

The Shade didn't seem to notice, fuming.

"Because he… he hasn't… you don't…" With each utterance his snarling grew, convexity building, shadows darkening around him as stomped to and fro. Each step tore the ground, ripped the soil further and further as he tore back and forth until Lyrith's eyes stung with pained tears.

Yet Lyrith clenched his fangs, biting into his gums and spoke again, demanding now. "Why do you care!? Why wouldn't I help him? He stood up for me when I had no friends at the Temple! He invited me into his gang! He complimented me when I first raced him! He's done more for me than almost any other dragon! So don't you dare-"

"Because you're better than him!"

Lyrith froze, his breath catching in his throat, eyes snapping wide as the Shade spun and brought himself face to face with the white, violet smoke shrouding the rest of the world from view.

What?

The Shade continued, a claw raising to grip Lyrith, holding him around one of his legs, the bastard's eyes wide now, desperate. "You're better than any of them! You're worth so much more than any of those pitiful fools. Yet you cling to them so desperately, so afraid you'll lose their approval that you drag yourself through their filth when you should be towering over them! And worse, you look up to them, find worth in them. Especially that purple painted LIZARD!"

Lizard.

Lyrith's mind fell back into the fog of memories. Of the dozens, hundreds, thousands of times he'd heard that word. Of dragons towering over him, sneering, calling him lizard, milky, rat.

Savron… a lizard?

"You could have been a prince among dragons, worth as much as any purple, and yet it was all taken away from you! And you don't even care! You like what you've become! And it's all because of these fools who tell you you're 'perfect' exactly. As. You. ARE."

A claw struck, slamming into the ground and another shot of pain jolted through Lyrith's head.

"They don't want you to improve. To reach your full potential! Oh they're 'happy' that you have your powers now, but that will change once they see what you can do. Once they learn of your real potential."

A claw jabbed Lyrith's chest, and, deep down, something moved. Something dark.

"They will never accept who you can become. They will only hold you back. Keep you from what you deserve. And I cannot stand it."

The Shade stepped away and all of a sudden Lyrith could breathe again, the pain in his mind fading, the dark squirming in his chest settling. And the bastard sighed and shook his head.

"Yet, for you, I will let them live. To the best of my ability. Because maybe, somehow they will be of some use to you."

Lyrith sagged, his body limp, suspended only by the cloud of convexity. Lizard. Savron. Worth more. Potential. Deserve.

The Shade sighed once more, and shook his head. "But Savron… why him? The cosmic irony of it all."

Lyrith's breath slowly returned and with each steadied heartbeat, his fangs clenched a bit tighter together. No. No, no, no. Deserve? Worth more? 'Potential?' As if any of them would care.

He certainly didn't.

He'd gotten more than he ever deserved anyway.

"They even denied you your colour. You could have rivaled even myself in brilliance."

Lyrith jolted upwards, his eyes widening, all his other thoughts vanishing.

What?

Amusement lit the Shade's face, eyes twinkling at the sight of Lyrith's expression.

"Ah, right. You don't know what you could have been, had things been different. You don't even know the true hue of your scales."

Apeshit. Apeshit.

"And how would you know?" Lyrith snapped, snarling, flapping his wings and twisting his body so he could face the Shade once more.

The bastard turned, his wings curled against his side, his enormous tail flicking from side to side as he prowled forward, head tilted, his grin souring into a sneer.

"Because I was there-"

Lyrith's heart plummeted.

"-the day you lost everything."

"Liar!" The white dragon spat upon the ground and bared his fangs, but the Shade did not balk, advancing, closing the distance between them once more as the bastard's eyes widened with realization, and with hope.

"I can show you."

"No!" Lyrith tried to pull back, struggling to get free as the Shade rose up, his wings extended, the black, smoky sails glowing purple from within, brighter and brighter until the shadow gave way entirely and the sheets became blazing curtains of violet light.

"Yes. Let me show you, Lyrith. Let me show you the day the world was stolen from you."

The Shade's wings swept forward, shrouding Lyrith on all sides, the white's roar going silent as everything became blinding violet.

Then the purple light faded, to a lavender haze, everything tainted with the hue as Lyrith burst through the clouds and into the open sky.

High above the moons and stars glowed, all purple, as if viewed through a sheet of stained violet glass. Wind rushed past, though Lyrith could only hear it, whistling all around, against the surface of crystal, light refracted through a multi-faceted prison holding Lyrith in place.

Below the clouds gave way, unveiling a forest, river, lake and… a city. If Lyrith had eyes, he would have widened them.

Warfang. Distant, small against the horizon, lit serenely by distant fires and magical lighting.

Clouds whipped past, Lyrith diving into them once more, carried along through the sky.

"Where is it?"

That voice. Lyrith strained, trying to recognize it. It was familiar, something he'd heard once before. Yet muffled into unrecognizability through the crystal prison.

"Bah! Did they move it again? I should have known having a teleporting entrance would be a bad id-"

Light. Blinding light came from the sky, and everything spun. A moment later, the sky became alight with magic, fire, light, ice and lightning streaking in all directions. Runes carved patterns through the night, only to be ignited with a lance of light. Orbiting glyphs were set loose to transform the air into fire, while magic cascaded in a dozen different forms to explode upon barriers of solid light.

All the while a hazy, indistinct figure wielded Lyrith, swinging him back and forth, drawing upon him, conjuring magic from within him to fire as blasts of violet power.

Lyrith tried to hold on, tried to keep track, but he couldn't fight back. He could only watch as the world erupted into battle around him.

A battle that lasted only moments.

Scales flashed. Claws, fangs, a familiar face looming against the crystal. Then they were away and the world stabilized.

Lyrith sucked in a hard breath.

It was impossible to tell the colour of the drake that flew before him, just as it was impossible to tell the colour of the egg he held in his claws. Yet Lyrith didn't need to see the colour to tell who it was. That ugly smug muzzle… the garish armour. He could recognize him anywhere.

Though decades younger than when Lyrith last saw him, Mirrolus was still as grizzled and foul as he remembered. Scarred and clawed and scowling, as if nothing changed between then and now, aside from the hue and wear of his scales.

What was he doing here-?

All at once, Lyrith's heart fell, as the prick called upon a shimmering ward of solid light, ignoring the blasts of magic and the tapestries of glowing runes that built outside of his little shield, so he could hold up the egg in his claws, at peer down at it with a grimace of disgust.

The day you lost everything.

With both claws, Mirrolus raised the egg overhead.

Lyrith's voice, all he had in this prison, croaked. "No."

There was a cry, muffled, the words indecipherable. A hand stretched out towards Mirrolus and Lyrith felt himself mimic it, despite having no body of his own. They rushed forward.

Just a moment too late.

Light. Blinding, searing light erupted from within the globe of magic, and something hot stabbed through Lyrith's chest, with all the mercy of a blade of molten steel.

Lyrith screamed, wishing he had a form to clutch at his chest, to claw out his heart and so he could douse the flame that had ignited it. Through the blinding light and the searing pain he watched as all the colour of the egg drained away as his core shriveled in his chest.

Until there was nothing left, but a hole where it once rested, bleached white where there was once colour.

Everything blurred, Lyrith's breathing strained. No. No. No. No.

Through the haze, the shield cracked, magic pounding on it, coupled by curses in strange languages. Yet it was far too late.

With a roar Mirrolus hefted the egg, and hurled it down, towards the forest below.

Lyrith jolted, lurching forward, a paw outstretched, only to land with a thump on the ground, at the Shade's paws, the violet haze vanishing.

Everything was still. The wind, the rain. All broken only by the tremble of his paw as he stared at it, outstretched, towards what should have been his egg.

Then it all came rushing back.

Wind picked up with a howl and the rain struck, crashing upon his back, driving him once more into the mud and grass of the courtyard.

Only for a familiar shadow to step into view and extend a wing, once more shielding Lyrith from the rain.

Trembling upon the ground, Lyrith stared, unable, unwilling to look up as his insides churned. His heart clenched tight, stomach roiling as in his mind's eye he watched his egg tumble over and over into the forest below.

"How."

Above the Shade shifted, his enormous claws tapping the soil as he sat upon the ground in-front of Lyrith.

"How did you survive?"

Lyrith could only nod, his throat sealed, unable to form the rest of his words.

So, this was how he ended up like this? He really hadn't been born an albino?

He hadn't been abandoned?

"I don't know."

Lyrith's claws dug into the ground, his fangs flashing as he snarled.

"We searched for you for days. Scouring every bit of the forest looking for you. We thought you had died."

"Then… then how…"

"It is only a guess, but I suspect you fell into the river."

Lyrith's eyes snapped open.

"From what I heard, you were dropped off at the orphanage by someone unknown. Probably whoever found your egg floating through the water. A fisherman, perhaps. You weren't abandoned."

"You stole my egg, didn't you?"

The Shade stiffened and finally Lyrith found the will to look up, into that bastard's face, with those empty fucking eyes and that fake, mournful stare.

His only answer was the droop of his shoulders and his silent staring, his wing still extended, sheltering Lyrith even as he refused to speak what had to be true.

Lyrith's heart, trembling in his chest, beat with hope, his mind racing, trying to escape from something that crept into the back of his head, demanding to be acknowledged.

"T-that's why you were running, weren't you! You and that other bastard were trying to find a place to hide!"

The Shade just stared, not moving, not saying anything. His only movement a slow sagging of his enormous body.

"Assuming any of that was even true!" Lyrith stomped, clawing the mud, spitting upon it. "Damnit! Who are you!? Who are my parents!? If you know anything then convince me I should trust you. Because I have no reason to believe a word of this!"

The Shade blinked, then rose, averting his eyes.

"No… I suppose you don't."

Lyrith snarled, rising with him.

"You have no reason to believe me," the Shade continued, his deep, resonant voice rumbling through Lyrith's mindscape, "and be honest with me, Lyrith, is there anything I could say that could convince you?"

And, for just a moment, the Shade looked at him with hope.

Eyes wide, Lyrith advanced a step, steam billowing with each of his desperate breaths. Yet he couldn't find an answer.

Because there was none.

"I could tell you everything, Lyrith. The identity of your parents, the full extent of your power, why the light dragons want you… what happened to your mother."

Lyrith's world spiraled, vision spinning, his heart tumbling from its wrathful perch in his breast.

"But… you wouldn't believe me if I told you, would you? Not as I am now. Not as you are now."

The Shade turned, though his eyes never left Lyrith, as he gazed over his shoulder at the trembling white.

"After all I've done, to you, to your 'friends,' you would refuse to accept it. You would run away from it. You would be killed by the Order… It's best to let time teach you. Not me."

Lyrith stepped forward as the Shade moved away the great hulk of violet darkness retracting his wing, to allow the rain to fall once more, cold and biting.

And as Lyrith watched the Shade walk away, he raged, mind warring with itself. He needed to know. But it would all be lies. But it could be his only chance! For what? A family he will never truly experience? Yes! If they didn't abandon him then… then…

Lyrith fell to his haunches, shaking in the rain and mud.

Then what? Find them? Talk to them? 'Reunite?' He already had a family. Even if they weren't the best. Even if they didn't listen to him. Even if they barely got to spend time together.

They were the only ones who took him.

Lyrith's claws unclenched, his eyes clouding.

And he had friends. Friends who he wasn't helping. Who he was leaving to fight, while he asked questions.

Lyrith's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing as he looked up, at the Shade's turned back. At the lack of a barrier.

At the neck now exposed.

He didn't need answers. He didn't want answers. He was Lyrith. He was who he was, no matter his past.

On quiet paws Lyrith rose, body trembling with renewed energy, with anger, claws flexing, body crouched, ready to pounce.

It was time he did his part.

He never even reached the Shade.

Magic caught him midair and the Shade turned, his expression hollow and his eyes as distant as when he first set claw in Lyrith's mind.

"If only it didn't matter, Lyrith. If only this world could ignore things such as blood. But you will find your lineage, and your legacy, to be more important than you realize. Whether you want it or not."

Lyrith clawed and kicked, spat and bit, lashing the air in front of him as he tried to reach the bastard. The liar. The monster.

The dragon who just stood there and watched, with that unbearable expression on his face.

"Sleep now, Lyrith. And remember that your ancestors are watching."

With a wave of the Shade's claw, all the world went dark.

Leaving Lyrith to tumble into the abyss, his mind drifting.

For once there were no nightmares, yet there was no relief, Savron could never remember a time where there was. Soft darkness gave way to all-encompassing agony as he was dragged out of the lull of sleep and tossed back into reality.

Dim, painful light pierced the thick fog of Savron's mind, hauling him to the surface of wakefulness where everything was pain. He recoiled, tried to slip back, tried to flee but to no avail. He was so tired, why couldn't he sleep? Why did everything hurt?

A groan shook his lungs, only for the air to burn. Wracking coughs brought him fully to wakefulness. Light stabbed his eyes as they drifted open wide and his pink chest shuddered with each painful wheeze. Everything was a blur, the orange-tinted evening sky swirled with clouds.

Where was he? What happened? Savron shut his eyes, to stop the spinning. Friends… Shade… a crystal… he was saved. His stomach lurched and he tried to think of more, yet… everything was so broken. It felt like holes had been drilled into his head and bits of his mind had dribbled out.

Only two things shimmered in the mists with any semblance of clarity: everything hurt.

And everything was his fault.

Savron's rasping coughs died painfully and he decided to lie there, for just a second. He needed it so, so badly. After being – Savron's brow creased as he thought – mentally invaded? And… tortured? The Shade. He had wanted him to submit… Savron groaned and shut his eyes. It hurt to think. That couldn't be healthy.

The cold rocks and mud dug into Savron's back and a fresh groan escaped. Was that why he hurt so much, because of the ground? He shifted to get into a more comfortable position.

Something moved atop him.

Savron's eyes focused and he stiffened. There was a warm body curled up beside him, someone lying over him. He blinked the splotches and sparks out of his vision forcibly and craned his neck. Who was-?

A silent scream caught in throat and refused to budge. Splayed out atop him, over his wing, was Tirren, emerald scales battered, burned and torn. A single wing lay stretched over his stomach, the smell of smoke cloying the air. Everything else faded from view, the skeletal wing and the touch of it against his scales was all his ravaged brain could recognize. White bone stood starkly against the patches of blackened flesh and green scale that still clung to the wing. Scraps of ebon membrane hung from the edges of the bone, loose, scorched skin that would never cradle the wind again. Along a single, bloody paw which rested on his shoulder.

Nothing moved, not Savron, not the trees, not Tirren. Especially not Tirren. She lay terribly still, eyes shut and limbs relaxed, despite the grievous wounds he'd inflicted upon her.

Wounds he had made. Savron's stomach lurched. Oh ancestors, he did this to her!

Patchwork memories returned to him. Battling Tirren, tearing at her, forcing her down, spreading her legs to claim her, only to be knocked away, and call on convexity to smite her back down.

A shadow hung over the memories, glowing chains of purple connecting each thought, yet the truth was clear. He had done this. He was responsible for all this hurt.

Breath rushed from his lungs, his chest heaving as the drum in his chest began to thump. He couldn't tear his eyes off of her face, scarred and burned almost beyond recognition, a face he had once cherished, so ravaged, so peaceful. Tears trickled down his cheeks.

He needed to make this right. He needed to fix this!

He rolled out from under the wing and clawed his way to his paws. The swamp blurred through the tears, but all around he saw bright spots of colour amidst the dreary dark. His friends.

Unmoving.

Savron recoiled. Everyone important to him, everyone who had come to help him… and he'd… he'd… Shuddering sobs shook him. With a spin he stumbled away, needing to find help. The Temple was right there, so close! Maybe there he'd find a healer… Aquina!

His wings unfurled and Savron stepped forward, only for sharp agony to grip his wings and nearly tear them from their sockets. Shrieking he crumpled to the ground, wings akimbo. He felt the Shade's claws around his wings, twisting, pulling, breaking. His wings wouldn't move.

No. That wouldn't stop him. Savron dragged himself to his paws and staggered towards the cliff face. Even if he couldn't fly, he would keep moving. He would get to the Temple if he had to climb the cliffside to do it.

Mud sucked his paws under, each step a struggle, yet each step was taken regardless. Aching muscles threatened collapse at any moment, but nothing stopped Savron's mad rush forward. Mushrooms, bushes and vines blurred, Savron accelerating towards the distant town of Darrowlight. Roots snagged on claw, tail and wing, which dragged from each stride.

Yet the Temple, the town, remained so far away. Breath pulled from his lungs in short tugs, each more difficult than the last. His heart sank in his chest. He'd never get there in time. He needed to shout, to call for help, but his voice wouldn't come.

Slowly Savron inched towards Darrowlight, but everything had become so bright, so light… Claws dragged his body through the mud feebly and Savron wondered when he had fallen. Why was he crawling, when just moments before he had been running?

As he hauled himself up again the sight of movement in Darrowlight sent a shiver through him. Some small part of him told him that it was dangerous to go back, that there were search parties looking for him for… some reason. But Savron shoved the thoughts aside. That didn't matter, his friends needed help!

He stumbled only a few meters before he collapsed against a mushroom tree, unable to support his own weight on his stupid shaky paws and on the asshole half-frozen mud. He had to keep moving.

When his body didn't obey, he drew in a painful, burning breath and screamed for help. Or, he hoped it was a scream. He hadn't no idea if he was close enough and he had no sound magic, no magic at all, to make sure he was heard. Yet what else could he do? He just hoped someone who could help would hear him.

A rustle in the bushes. Savron rose and turned, light in his eyes. Someone came! Someone heard him!

Through mist, underbrush and tears four familiar figures emerged and Savron's breath stopped in his chest.

They froze in place, expressions unreadable through the murk of tears. But Savron knew his, feeling his face crumble at the sight of the two people he'd never wanted to see more.

Purple and black scales wavered, indistinct, but the sight of them brought back all the broken, twisted memories Savron had of them. So, few good memories remained, but that wasn't their fault. That was his, just like everything else. Arguments, shouting matches and anger were all that remained, but there was no paranoia, no bile that surged in his throat at the sight of them, not like when the Shade had been buried within his mind.

But would they remember any of the good? Would they still see him as their son?

Did it matter?

A sniff rattled Savron. No matter what happened, all that mattered was that his friends were safe. It didn't matter if his parents rejected him, it didn't matter if they attacked him. It wouldn't matter if they didn't love him anymore. It wouldn't.

With trembling steps he staggered forward, barely able to see the most important dragons in the world. The stumble became a run. Everything blurred together, but only purple and black stayed constant. They flinched back, but Savron didn't care, didn't stop.

He had to see them.

His paws gave way and he tumbled. Everything spun and then stopped as he collided with their paws. He couldn't stop sobbing, he didn't even know when he had started. Through pained breaths he choked out the words he hadn't realized he'd wanted to say until it was far too late.

"I'm sorry," Savron bawled, his claws wrapping around his mother's leg. "I'm so, so sorry."

His parents stiffened but he did not let go. Chest heaving, he sobbed out all he had done, and all the danger he'd put his friends in. They needed help, he'd hurt them so badly. Please, please…

Savron dared not look at their faces, dared not see the hatred he knew was there. He'd refused them so often, been a thorn in their side constantly. He'd been nothing but trouble, for them, the Guardians, his friends. They had all sacrificed so much for him, something he didn't deserve. But maybe, just maybe they'd help-

Warmth embraced him, strong paws, wings and tails pulling him close to warm chests.

All the fear melted away. A flutter shook Savron, and ice thawed around his heart. His lip trembled. Blinking away tears he looked up into the faces of his parents and saw smiling, liquid eyes beaming down at him, and joy so brilliant that it glowed brighter than the setting sun. Savron's vision blurred again and with a wail he wrapped his wings around his mother and father.

He was back and they weren't ever going to let him go.

Dardarax's Characters

Lyrith, Tirren, Savron

I've been waiting for this chapter for so, so freaking long. Not just because this is the actual end of the climax, but because of the contents here. I'm sure you can see why. :P

The Savron part has been written for ages and I'm super happy with it. Unreasonably so, I think. I still tear up reading that ending.

Anyway, I'm moving so I'm going to have a bit of trouble getting started right away on the next chapter, but even still I'm planning on it being posted on September 21st. There's a little bit more to do to wrap up DL 2, so there's a few chapters remaining, but it's finally, nearly done. And then I can begin work planning out DL 3: Birthright. That one will take some time, but I'm so excited to finally be on the verge of writing it.

PS. I've been having some trouble finding a stable job recently, so I've actually been considering doing some writing commissions for people. It's still a new process for me and this will all be a bit experimental, but if anyone's interested contact me and let's see if we can come to an agreement.