Welcome to the sequel of TLOS: Sparx the Dragon, and hope you will enjoy. Now, if you have not read that story, I would do that first, or a lot of this will make little sense.

When all in the world seemed right, Malefor, the former Dark Master and now celebrated king of the Dragon Realms, will find this life is not complete. A part of him, thought long destroyed by his own Dark paws, will find a way back into his life.

Now, after finding peace and forgiveness from his race, can this former slave to evil find a way to be forgiven...by his family.

Chapter One: Another Nightmare

In the distant worlds of the Outer Realms, a new shipment of supplies is brought to the only outpost on a small moon orbiting Conderoga. Bosco, the large shopkeeper, quickly begins filling the shelves of his general store, waiting for his first customer to enter. The owner of this shop is a very large and furry creature, like a brown bear, and resembles many of the life forms in the Conderoga system.

However, unlike his fellow citizens, he does not express the same feelings towards other life forms, ones that call this small moon their home. Outcasts from the main system, a diverse group of humanoid, reptilian, and ape-like creatures keep to themselves on this tiny moon, and have no issues with the fuzzy shopkeeper. As they see him as an outcast himself.

"Bosco!"

A very jovial ape remarks over the bell from the front door. He strides up to the counter, and extends his long arm out for a strong shake from his good friend.

"How's everything in the world of dry goods?"

The large brown and black-haired beast smiles, taking his friend's hand gently, so not to break it with his powerful grip.

"Business has never been better," he replies.

His eyes suddenly focus forward and an uneasy look fills his gaze.

"However, that might change quickly."

The doors suddenly blast open with a powerful shove, and a long, thin, light-blue dragoness strides inside. The anger marks dug deep into her face keep Bosco uneasy. However, he quickly sees fear in the lavender eyes of one of two dragons living on Conderoga's moon. The only other, being this angry dragoness' young daughter, and Bosco's best friend.

"Danielle, are you OK?" The large bear calls out, stepping out from behind his counter to meet her halfway. "What's the matter?"

"I think Mya ran away," she replies with worry in her voice and the ape standing by the counter begins to laugh.

"Maybe you should have kept her on a leash," he remarks snidely, showing no concern for the single-mother's loss.

"After all, dragons are nothing but simple-minded beasts and should be chained up."

Danielle grits her teeth, and stands up on her hind legs. With her massive size and height, she slams the roof with her white horns and falls back upon her front paws.

"See?" The ape continues laughing, as Danielle grasps her head in pain. "Your kind can't even stand upright...proving that you, and that worthless offspring of yours, are nothing but uncivilized animals."

The blue dragoness grunts in anger again but inside, the pain of his torments hurt; as this is the reason she believes her daughter ran away.

She would like nothing more than to leave the Conderoga system herself because everyone believes much like this ape does, but she has come to find this world is a very good place to hide her family. However, one person on this small, obscure rock has respect for the two dragons, and his voice speaks up for the customer that keeps him in business.

"ENOUGH...You callus monkey!" Bosco barks back at his friend, showing the ape-like creature great anger with his eyes. "This dragon and her daughter are two of the finest beings I've ever come to know."

The large black and brown bear places his massive paw upon Danielle's side and stares into her eyes with determination.

"And I sure as heck would never be able to stay here if it was not for them."

Danielle shows a bit of surprise as Bosco speaks up and criticizes a philosophy that is shared by most of the population on this small moon.

"You should thank her for being here...or else you would have nowhere to buy your bananas."

"Fine, Bosco!" His friend barks with pompousness in his voice, hearing a taunting tone from the large shopkeeper.

He quickly turns to the door he came in from, and raises his nose in the air away from the thin blue dragon.

"I guess I will come back later...when you're done with this filthy creature."

"What a jerk," the old bear remarks as the doors closes behind the smug simian and Danielle lowers her head in depression.

"Why do they all hate us?" She asks under her breath and Bosco turns his attention back to a now distraught dragoness. "My daughter and I only want to live quietly in peace..."

Danielle's eyes focus upon the large shopkeeper, expressing pure defeat.

"...but this place is killing her, Bosco."

The worried mother lies on her haunches, no longer able to hold her weight up.

"She told me she hated me," Danielle pauses as the tears build in her bluish-purple eyes. "She told me she wanted to find a new home. Even if it meant leaving her mother."

Bosco's eyes show fear as well. He quickly informs her of a chance meeting they had the day before and an idea that may have been put into her head by him.

"She was here yesterday, Danielle!" Bosco remarks, now recalling the moment in his memory to her in perfect detail. "Mya asked how she could get to the Dragon Realms."

"What?!" The blue and white chested dragoness barks with shock, not understanding how Mya would even know about their former home from centuries ago.

"The Dragon Realms no longer exist...they were destroyed ages ago."

"No, Danielle..." Bosco suddenly shows a weird smile, then points his finger at a simple poster upon his bulletin board.

"...they do exist!"

The words...THE DRAGON GAMES...takes her attention and Danielle strides closer.

"Presented by the Guardians of Avalar..." her voice calls out, reading the remaining notice. "...the strongest and fastest dragons shall claim their place in history...WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

"I was as surprised as you when I saw it in one of my shipments last week," the old bear remarks showing Danielle a smile. "I figured if the world saw the dragon race was still thriving, maybe you and Mya would not be thought of as..."

The shopkeeper is cut off abruptly, as Danielle rips the poster from the board, and shreds it with her talons.

"They are gone!" She barks, looking down at the ground with a sudden depression. "I know they are."

The blue dragoness begins to cry, recalling her father's story, one he made her remember vividly.

"My ancestor destroyed the entire realm," She recalls to herself, feeling the pain her father's soul would give off every time he spoke of their family's evil legacy.

"He killed everyone."

"What?" Bosco asks, hearing the blue dragoness' last thought, spoken aloud.

"Nothing!" Danielle replies with a very shaky voice, then suddenly her eyes return their focus to him.

"Where did you send my daughter?"

Bosco balks for a moment, hearing the accusing tone in the blue dragon's voice.

"I sent her home, Danielle." He answers with anger. "How could you possibly think I would tell her to go anywhere but..."

Suddenly Bosco stops talking and his eyes lose all focus.

"Oh no..." he says and Danielle can see the fear begin to overtake the large bear's face. She herself becomes worried with his lengthening pause and pushes him to finish his thought.

"Well? What is it?" She forces and Bosco returns his eyes to her as he recalls a faint image in his memory from yesterday.

"Lord Cypher," he says, then looks towards the door where he was standing.

"He was here in the town yesterday and might have overheard Mya and myself talking about the Dragon Realms."

"Isn't he that ruthless Space Pirate from Garron Prime?" Danielle replies with pure terror in her voice.

They both know he can sell anything he steals, especially a very profitable creature like a dragon.

Bosco nods his head, and walks behind the counter of his shop.

"We need to go find Mya now, Danielle," the Shopkeeper remarks, grasping his trusted shotgun from under the register, and cocking it once to load a fresh shell.

"I'll be damned if he thinks he can just take one of my friends."

Deep in space, an adolescent red dragon lays motionless, held inside the cargo hold of a small ship. With her paws bound in stone against her darker colored chest, and boxed in a small cage just larger than her body, this young two-toned red dragoness cannot move a single muscle.

"Help!" She tries yelling for the hundredth time, but the rock tightly holding her mouth shut keeps her voice and magic inside.

The young dragoness stares out a window directly before her, and squints as sunshine begins to pour into the room. The countless stars she saw moving by at great speed are no longer visible, as the ship lowers into the atmosphere of another planet. A deep depression fills her heart, not truly knowing how far she has been taken from her home...and from her mother.

"I'm sorry, Mom," she says muffled through the tight muzzle, as tears pour from her eyes once more. "I never meant for this to happen."

Mya recalls the last moment with her mother, and the heated argument that ended it. She told her she would never see her again, and at this moment, the young daughter is so fearful that this threat may have just come true. She saw the poster in the General Shop, and begged her mother to leave the hellish place she picked to spend their lives.

"I just wanted to get away from them!" She cries, now wishing for nothing more than to be scolded by everyone on her walk home.

"Aww, you poor thing..." A voice barks sarcastically from behind, and the young dragoness can feel her left horn suddenly yanked up through the cage above. "...I thought you wanted to find the Dragon Realms?"

Mya, forced to stare into the eyes of the one who kidnapped her, begins trembling with fear, awaiting another beating from her new master.

"You said you would do anything to get there." He says tauntingly, knowing how he tricked her to step aboard his ship, and laughs seeing the terror in her dark reddish-purple eyes.

Lord Cypher slams the young dragon's muzzle back to the ground, and pulls the cage over to a darker area away from the window.

"I just didn't say for how long you would stay in these realms."

The large bear-like creature opens the front of Mya's cage, and drags her out by the left horn. She squirms with the pain of being handled by a tender spot, and her whimpers enrage the Space Pirate further.

"SHUT UP!" He barks, kicking the young dragoness in the ribs, and making her yelp in even more intense pain.

"You better not make a sound during the auction." The large creature reaches down, placing a paw on her throat and staring into her tear-filled eyes. "Trust me. I will be much more brutal to you if I have to leave before I sell all of my goods, so you better be quiet."

The large grizzly grasps the black wings of his captive and binds them together with a leather harness, so they cannot move an inch. He then places a large paw on the bridge of Mya's nose, holding her face to the ground, and rests the remainder of his weight on her back. He reaches over to the wall, removing a steel bridle with a mouth bit made of purple crystal, then rips the stone muzzle from the young dragon's mouth. It painfully cuts across the thin scales of her nose and jaw, and Mya yelps again. The powerful Grizzly uses this moment to force the dark gem into her opened mouth, and slides the bridle over her face, anchoring it tightly to her horns.

"This will make sure you stay silent and remain still while I'm here in Avalar," he remarks.

Then he returns his prize to her cage. The large bear-like creature rises back to his feet, and shows a very snide smile to the naive red dragon he tricked into coming with him.

"I don't want anyone hearing you cry for your mommy all day. I could get in trouble for holding a dragon prisoner on the Dragon home world."

Mya bucks her bound frame inside the cage, trying desperately to break the stronger bindings now holding her down. However, the large pirate places his massive paw through the steel bars and grasps the back of her neck.

"Stop trying to hurt yourself. You're only taking away from my fun later," He says coldly.

Reaching into a small pouch on his coat of armor, he removes the same small needle he poked her with before. He forces the syringe into a gap between her scales, dosing the red dragoness with another shot of powerful tranquilizers.

Mya's eyes quickly glaze over, and Lord Cypher laughs as she slowly passes out again.

"I hope you enjoy your visit to the Dragon Realms young one..." He remarks, looking out the window and seeing the two suns of Avalar shining on the blue ocean below.

"...because you will never see them again after today."

In the great Dragon's Palace situated in the center of New Warfang, the largest city on Avalar, the King feels a sensation in his heart he has felt for the last few nights. Strong memories begin filling his dreams, turning them to dark nightmares he has not faced in eons.

"Aerial...NOOOOooooo!" He cries in his sleep, seeing the wife he lost in his first life, but feeling her soul as if it is beside his own.

"I'm so sorry..." Malefor continues, rustling around upon his cushions, fighting with the struggle inside his head. He watches his Dark Power overwhelm her again, and then the site that has haunted an immortal dragon for millions of years, as her body lies dead before the rookery.

"...I couldn't stop myself from doing this to you...or to our child."

Suddenly his eyes open wide within his dream, as this familiar nightmare changes, and Aerial rises to her feet. Her heart begins pounding in his ears, and the sound quickly syncs up with his own pulse. He stares in shock, seeing this image of his wife rise up after the Dark Elemental attack that left her lifeless in every other nightmare he's had, including the day he did this in real life.

Never in the four million years he spent in a hellish prison has this frequent nightmare changed, nor has it consumed his emotions so strongly. Malefor's body begins thrashing around upon his sleeping cushions, as the dragon he was married to for seventeen years, shows her husband a familiar smile within a strong dream.

The tall, thin, blue and white wind dragoness reaches out to Malefor's muzzle, placing a gentle paw upon her husband's cheek, and looks towards the heavens.

"Our family is coming home, my love."

"WHAT?!"

"Malefor...Are you alright?" A voice calls out inside the King's sleeping chamber.

Malefor's eyes quickly open with shock, staring upon the only dragon that knew him before his ordeal with the Dark Master, along with the wife he was forced to attack.

"Diamond! What are you doing in here?" He replies, seeing the pure white dragon hunching several yards away from his bed, waiting for his immortal friend to wake from this powerful nightmare.

"I couldn't sleep...especially feeling this struggle in your heart again," the Spirit dragon remarks, almost as if he is annoyed about not getting his rest for the night.

"You appear to have something on your mind these last few days, Malefor, and it is starting to affect my sleep. So I'm not leaving until you tell me what's troubling you."

The large purple and gold dragon gives his former mentor a wry smirk, knowing how blunt the old Spirit Elder can be, and quickly repositions himself to sit before the spiritually powerful albino dragon.

"I am seeing my wife's death replaying over and over in my dreams, Diamond," he says with no delay, expressing the pain of the moment that just passed through his heart in a strong vision.

"I can feel her soul surrounding me, her eyes burning through me, and the touch of her paw upon my cheek," he says, grasping his jaw and looking up to the heavens as she did. "And then I felt something else, something I couldn't explain until now."

Diamond can see his aura brighten in color, and reaches out to his old friend.

"Show me this emotion you're feeling, my old friend," the Great Elder says, placing his paw upon Malefor's gold chest and hearing his thoughts as if they were his own.

"I can sense a great deal of pride inside of you, Malefor," the old dragon remarks quickly in thought, and the larger dragon nods his head with agreement. He quickly helps the old dragon to focus, by thinking of this dream.

"You feel your family is returning?"

Diamond suddenly removes his paw as this single thought consumes Malefor and a powerful emotion beings overwhelming him.

"That's not possible!" The white dragon remarks aloud, looking up to his friend with his sightless eyes. "You are not the blind one here, Malefor...you saw what happened twenty-two hundred years ago, so there is no way that idea is even feasible."

"WHY NOT?" The large purple dragon replies with anger, standing upon his feet and striding around to release his nervous energy.

"My egg was close to hatching the day the Dark Master attacked...It might not have been inside the Rookery when I brought it down, Diamond."

The Spirit dragon shows concern, as Malefor begins explaining more of his feelings, and why he may be having these odd Nightmares for the last three days.

"I have seen this kind of reaction in Spyro a hundred times, when Sparx returns to Avalar from a Skylander mission, but I never feel anything!" Malefor continues, looking up at a portrait of the youngster both purple dragons call their son.

"He can actually tell when his boys are getting close to him, feeling the same pulse that beats in his own chest."

"And you believe you are feeling this sensation now?"

Malefor snaps his head down to his old Mentor, showing the look of the unknown in his eyes.

"How can you say I'm not feeling this, Diamond? I have never experienced it before, but Spyro has told me he can feel the beat of his son's heart when he is close by, and this is what I am feeling now."

The white dragon shows a bit of a frown, then places his paw upon Malefor's chest again. It takes a second for the Spirit dragon to get over the thought, but he quickly feels the second pulse in Malefor's soul

"By the ancestors!" He says with a deep shock in his voice, then looks up at his old friend with a snide smirk.

"You haven't...ahh..."

"NO!" Malefor replies quickly, hearing the Great Elder's thoughts, and the idea that he has gotten 'busy' in the last ten years.

"Then I am at a loss, my old friend, and I think we need to investigate this more."

"How in the name of the Ancestors are we going to investigate a dream, you old crack pot?"

His voice is more sarcastic than insulting, and Diamond just shows a smug grin to his old friend from a lifetime ago.

"Crack pot, huh..." He remarks, slowly striding to the balcony of King Malefor's sleeping chamber, and staring out upon the world with his sightless eyes.

Light-pink in color, and able to pick up the Spirit of everything around him, the old dragon sees more than most. His eyes open wide with the rainbow of color from the population of the great city below, however, they quickly refocus far across the horizon.

"...well, this 'Old Crack-Pot' knows the energy you felt is not a dream, 'cause I can see it pulsing across the ocean to the South!"

"WHAT!" Malefor yelps with surprise, quickly joining his friend at the ledge of his private lookout.

"Then let's get going!"

"Easy old friend," Diamond remarks, placing a calming paw against Malefor's side, giving him a small dose of his power to settle his swirling aura. "We will get there soon enough, but first we must inform a Guardian before you leave the city."

"Darn laws...I almost forgot," Malefor replies, knowing he is not to leave the city unless the Elder Guardian is made aware and placed in charge.

"Nightshade!" Diamond barks out.

A few seconds go by before a black and gray dragon appears at the entrance of the royal sleeping chamber. A very angered look is upon his face, and his crystal green eyes focus upon the one he is charged to guard with his life.

"Seriously, Master...I am getting tired of you just walking off while I sleep," he remarks with a tone of agitation in his voice, as the near weightless Spirit Dragon treads very lightly upon his feet, even as old as he is. "How can I guard a dragon that decides to just stroll around without my knowledge?"

"I don't think I am in danger standing beside the King of the Dragon Realms, Nightshade," the old albino replies, and rolls his eyes before Malefor, getting the tense purple dragon to loosen up further with his facial expression.

Diamond quickly gestures the shadow dragon inside the royal sleeping chamber, and Nightshade steps lightly upon the marble floor with respect to where he is. The black dragon crosses the room and rears up on his hind legs. He reaches his front paws out to grasp the top of his wings and genuflects before large purple and gold dragon.

"I apologize for entering your private chambers, Great King, and I meant no disrespect when I insinuated that your Highness could not protect my Master's life."

Malefor quickly rolls his eyes, and Diamond begins laughing immediately.

The King hates when anyone refers to him as royalty, seeing himself only as Avalar's unified voice and nothing more. The purple dragon made this a law during his first reign, and is the only law he kept from before the war.

"You know how much that bothers me when you do that, Nightshade," he remarks, as the smug look upon the bowing Shadow Master consumes him with the arrogance of this sarcastic, but very powerful dragon. "If you want Diamond to look for a new valet...just keep that smug grin upon your face."

"Why? Do you think you can remove it, My Liège?" Nightshade replies tauntingly, returning to a normal stance before the larger purple dragon, and showing no real worry at this dare.

"I will take that challenge some other time, my friend." Malefor replies, then shows a student of his a very concerned set of eyes. "But right now, we have something more important to tend to."

Nightshade can see the seriousness in Malefor's eyes, as he is one of three dragons studying with the King, and quickly he stands at attention.

"Sorry, Malefor, I didn't mean anything by that...what do you need of me?" He says with a more stable voice, and looks up at his good friend with sharp alertness.

"Your Master will be needing a ride, but first you have to drag Volteer out of bed, and bring him to the Dragon's Palace."

Nightshade rolls his eyes, and slump his shoulders, knowing what a pain in the butt task he has just been given.

"I'd rather have you try to remove my grin...Your Highness!"

In the harbor town of Dragoon Bay, three dragons walk side by side through the Main Square. Drawing the attention of everyone in Avalar's largest port city, the trio makes slow progress towards the transport ship awaiting them at the dock.

"Come on Dad..." The youngest dragon cries out, looking up at his father with a very annoyed grimace.

"...If we stop to take pictures with everyone, we will miss our ship!"

Spyro looks down at his youngest son and shows a simple smile, before returning his eyes to the cameras in front of them. Several flashes blind the young dragon for a moment and he rubs his eyes.

"I mean, it's not like you don't come here every month or so." Malefor barks out loud, trying to cover his eyes as the tourist keep taking his father's picture.

"You can get fifty more then!"

The purple and gold hero laughs, along with the white dragoness by his side.

"I wanted to thank you and Cynder for coming to visit my home city, Master Spyro." Crystal remarks, joyful to be in Dragoon Bay herself. The Light Guardian is only allowed to leave New Warfang on diplomatic missions, or when the Guardian Master decides to take a friend to see her family.

"My mom was thrilled to see me walk in the front door."

"Not a problem, Crystal." Spyro replies, acting as if this was nothing, but knowing the life of a Guardian is quite lonely, especially if they live two thousand miles from New Warfang. "I needed to buy a few things for the upcoming Dragon Games, and I heard Dragoon Bay is the best place to make a good deal, especially with the new space por..."

"BY THE ANCESTORS...IT SPYRO!" A young voice calls out and Malefor rolls his eyes.

"Oh good...another group of hero worshipers."

Spyro rolls his eyes himself, then looks down at his son.

"We will get home in time for your tenth birthday, Malefor! I promise you, even if I have to fly us over the ocean myself!" The purple dragon barks with an authoritative tone, and his son straightens up, realizing he is acting like a fool.

"Sorry, Dad..." Malefor remarks, lowering his head in shame, seeing the frustration in his father's eyes. "...I'll be quiet."

Spyro quickly rubs his son's horns, making him know he is not really angry with his anxiousness, and both turn towards a young cheetah approaching them cautiously. They can see the astonishment in his tiny eyes, looking up at both massive-sized dragons before him.

"Can I get a picture, Mr. Spyro, sir?" He asks with caution in his voice, as he heard him barking only a moment ago, but Spyro gives the young cheetah a calming smile.

"Of course, Young Warrior," the purple dragon replies, then looks at the slight depression still etched on Malefor's face.

"But only if my son can be in it."

The purple hero grasps his boy before he can object, lifting him up and placing him before his gold chest. In his other paw he gently hoists the small cheetah up high, placing him upon his son's back.

"Dad!" Malefor squawks, as the young cheetah grasps his gold horns, shouting with excitement with the thrill of the moment

Spyro simply laughs, and lowers his head down to Malefor's ear.

"Easy, Son. He's just enjoying his moment...riding a dragon!" His father says softly, and Malefor quickly pictures the thoughts of this youngster.

A smile fills his face, experiencing the high this young cheetah is feeling, remembering how he would hold his dad's horns at this age. Malefor suddenly turns towards the camera, pointing his brilliant smile at two startled parents and they quickly snap the picture.

"This is a pointless photo..." One cheetah remarks, smiling wide as his son continues to day-dream about flying on Malefor's back. "...I don't think my son will ever need a reminder of this moment."

The mother and father, with pure joy on their faces, help Malefor remove their child from his back.

"He has so wanted to meet you, Master Spyro, but that was a pure treat for all of us."

The strong cheetah father shows a moment of emotion, then looks down slightly to the mid-sized dragon

"Thank you, Young Master. I know that was not a very joyful experience to have your horns pulled." he says, then turns his eyes to his son. "But my boy thinks riding upon a dragon would make him invincible."

Malefor rubs the back of his head, and shows the young cheetah an approving smile, seeing a boost in his attitude.

"Well, he's absolutely right!" Malefor says matter of factually, trying to get the youngster to smile again.

Spyro grins as his son plays to the young cheetah's imagination, and his heart pounds with pride.

"If you folks don't mind..." The proud papa remarks, placing a paw upon his son's head. "...I have to get my family home, and we are starting to run a little late."

The cheetah family needs no other words, quickly thanking them again, and walking off with a very happy cub.

"You didn't have to do that, Dad." Malefor remarks, feeling that his father shooed them away because of his anxiousness to get home.

"We have plenty of time for this!"

"No Malefor...we don't, because I need to get one more thing for a very special dragon," Spyro says, and turns his son around to look him in the eye.

Malefor stares at his dad with pride, and Spyro shows the same gaze to him, until he nods his head to the right. The young dragon glances in the direction his father gestured his muzzle, and his eyes light up with what he sees.

"The sword shop!"

"I just need to pick up my son's birthday present."

"By the Ancestors!" Malefor yelps with joy, knowing exactly what this means, as his father saw him drooling over a very cool blade all week. However, its price was well over what the young dragon came to barter with, and his father refused to buy it.

"Are you gonna get me that sword, Dad?"

Spyro smiles, places a paw on his son's chin, and lifts it up very gently.

"NO!" He says sternly, before releasing his grip of Malefor's jaw and strolling over to the sword shop with a loud chuckle.

Malefor balks, but quickly follows his father, believing that his old man is just messing with him like usual. However, as Spyro walks in the door and right past the displayed blade, the young dragon starts to wonder.

"Master Spyro, your timing is impeccable!" A voice calls from the rear of the store.

The purple dragon's head pops up to find where the voice came from. He quickly spots the wolf-like creature he and Cynder made prior arrangements with.

"Is it ready, Sabre?" The Hero of Avalar replies, and Malefor is suddenly puzzled. He has been staring at the sword in the window of this shop all week, and never noticed his father entering the place once.

"It took some time, Master Guardian, but I think you'll like the finished product." He remarks, holding a large black sheath up in his left paw, showing off the custom titanium hilt and grip.

Unique to any other in the shop, it is quickly apparent to Malefor that this is his sword, just by the three holes on its handle.

"See if it fits your paw, Young Master," the gray-haired old wolf remarks, lowering the special grip down to Spyro's youngest. Malefor quickly threads his talons into the three holes, then squeezes his paw into a fist gripping the handle tightly.

"Please...draw the sword, Young Dragon. I want to make sure I got the angle on the handle correct for your grip," the proud blacksmith remarks, only wanting Malefor to remove his art work from its leather case.

The sound of the sword's metal scrapping against the mouth of the black sheath sends a chill down Malefor's spine, loving and appreciating this noise since beginning his study of sword fighting. However, it is the sight of the steel blade that sends his heart soaring with joy.

"By The Ancestors, are you kidding me?!" He says with dramatic shock, standing upon his hind legs, and holding the curved three foot long blade before his eyes.

"That is truly remarkable, Sabre."

Spyro, whom is not very interested in the art of swordsmanship, responds with the same amount of astonishment, seeing a blade that reminds him of his wife.

Springing straight out from the solid metal hilt and specialized handle, a stainless steel recreation of Cynder's tail blade is now being held before his purple eyes.

"It took some time to get the angles just righ,t Master Spyro, but that is a one hundred percent identical replica of the real thing."

Spyro nods his head in approval, knowing every inch of his wife's body, then looks down at his son.

"Well, Malefor! Do you still want that other sword in the window?" He asks sarcastically, and the young dragon looks up at his father with awe in his eyes.

"I can have him put that handle on the other one over there if you wish!"

Malefor places the sword and sheath upon the counter, and hugs his father a tight as he can.

"I guess we'll just take this one," Spyro remarks to the shopkeeper, handing him a very large satchel of gold coins, so large that Malefor's eyes open wide.

"Oh my goodness, Dad!" He says, again squeezing his father tightly. "I will pay you back for this one...I promise."

"It's a present, Son." The happy father replies, knowing Malefor is just shocked at the sight of this blade, and overwhelmed by a show of his dad's love. A very expensive showing of his love.

However, as his son continues to embrace his hero, Spyro's eyes focus on the blade the shopkeeper returns to its sheath. His mind suddenly changes gears, envisioning the dragoness whose body should be attached to this remarkable blade.

"I wonder what your mom is doing right now?"

Near the docks, a very special dragoness is receiving the royal treatment, as every citizen of Avalar bows to the newly appointed Spirit Elder. By no means is this thin black and scarlet red dragoness old, but over the past ten years her special power has grown stronger than Diamond's, and the old dragon was more than happy to step down as the Spirit Guardian.

Sensing only pride in the workers around her, the wife of Spyro enjoys a quiet stroll by herself, leaving her husband and son alone in the crowded square above.

"Ms. Cynder!" A voice suddenly calls from behind, forcing her to stop and turn around. Her green eyes focus upon a young adult cheetah warrior, and a smile lights up her face seeing one of the members of the group has returned.

"Stryder!" She replies to the large spotted cat, and Hunter's son quickly stops before her, showing off a new item in his paws.

"I bought this for my father." He says proudly, holding up an ornate dagger. "He said he always wanted a Dragoon Blade."

Cynder places a paw on Stryder's head, rubbing him behind the ears in a show of affection for her friend's son, then turns her attention to the knife in his paw.

"That is beautiful," she replies, staring at her reflection in the blade as it is polished to a mirror shine.

"I have never seen anything crafted like this in New War..."

Cynder suddenly stops speaking, feeling a deep emotional pain, and her green eyes focus hard upon a large space ship that just landed at the mouth of the bay. Her eyes stay locked upon this dark vessel as it slowly enters the harbor, docking alongside another large ship.

"Ms. Cynder! Is everything alright?" Stryder asks, wondering why she just stopped talking abruptly.

The dark dragoness shakes her head and returns her eyes to the young cheetah warrior.

"I'm . . . not sure," she replies with a bit of uneasiness in her voice and suddenly feels another sensation, one that strikes her heart.

"But someone on that ship is in great emotional pain."

The dark dragoness slowly strides closer, watching intently as several pirates emerge from the steel hull and begin mooring the ship to the dock.

"I'm pretty sure that's a Space Pirate's ship, Ma'am." Stryder says confidently, having a good deal of knowledge about the inner workings of Dragoon Bay, and the diverse groups that use her port for resupplying.

"I would say most of the crew aboard that ship is depressed."

The young cheetah laughs at his own joke, however, Cynder cannot break the feeling of sudden pain to her Spirit.

"Do me a favor, Stryder," She says, never taking her eyes from the large craft, as she is struck with deeper feelings of depression. "Find Spyro and Malefor. Let them know where I went."

"Where are you going?" He asks rhetorically, as he can see Cynder already striding towards the large space ship that just docked.

"I need to find out who that is Stryder." She replies, sensing such despair that every fiber in her soul begins burning.

"I cannot believe a Pirate would feel this depressed."

"Are you serious?" The young cheetah remarks, now showing concern as Cynder walks up to the gang plank extending down from the newest ship to enter Dragoon Bay.

"Yes!" She barks back with anger, sending a wave of fear shrieking with her voice and Stryder stands at attention.

"Now get going! Find my husband and my son, tell them to get over here quickly!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Stryder replies, leaving with great haste in his steps.

Cynder then returns her eyes to the large black ship, staring intently towards the rear cargo hold.

"I'm here, Young One." She says with her Spirit, feeling another desperate call for help burning in her soul.

"I promise I will help you."