LoS: Heart of Power: Ch 9

A Matter Of Time


"Another Purple Dragon!? Here!?" exclaimed Spyro in disbelief. "But that is…"
"Impossible, yes" completed the Observer his sentence. "Malefor is dead and the next Purple Dragon is not due for many hundred years. For one to be here, one we could not see no less is impossible."

"Is it?" asked Ravina questionably. "If one night here equals ten years outside would it then not be possible for a Purple Dragon to live far beyond its normal age by staying here? Could it not be a very old Purple Dragon?"

"No" said the Observer firmly. "Every single Purple Dragon I led here fell to the traps of this place. It might off course be a Purple Dragon who stumbled across this place without me but I highly doubt it since knowledge of this place is virtually nonexistent. Also if there was truly a Purple Dragon here we would never have been able to enter. This place only allows one Purple Dragon inside and remains closed until that dragon succeeds or dies. It simply cannot be a Purple Dragon even if that was what I felt."

"It does not change the fact that something was here though" said Cynder slowly even as she still looked a bit shaken from what had happened. "And it was not here in good intentions I am almost certain about that."

The Observer chuckled. "That you are right in Black Dragoness" said the Observer as he raised his head and smiled. "Something was here and I am going to find out what. You three go on and defeat the next Guardian; I will try to find out more about this."

Without even waiting for an answer the Observer started walking back through the corridor they were in. Spyro was just about to say something when the Observer spoke again.

"I will find you once you deal with the Guardian" said the Observer without looking back. "Remember time is of the essence…at least for you"

Spyro, Cynder and Ravina watched him for a moment, but then Spyro and Cynder turned back towards the door. "Indeed there is no time to waste" said Spyro and pushed against the door, opening it slowly.

Ravina stood looking after the Observer for a moment longer before she turned around walked through the door after Spyro and Cynder.

The room they found them in was similar to the last room they had fought a Guardian in. It was large and circular without any notable decorations except for a large crystal statue standing in the middle of the room.

The statue was enormous like the last one, this time resembling one the worms they had eaten in the desolate wasteland back in their world. It lay curled up around itself, perfectly still. But instead of being muddy brown like the real worms, this one had a dark red hide which seemed to almost crackle and shift like the surface of lava. It yellow/orange crystal stomach seemed to shift and dance as well like burning flames.

Spyro, Cynder and Ravina had only just taken one step forward into the room when the door behind them disappeared.

Immediately Lava started flowing from the walls seeping down towards the floor. They all jumped into the air and hovered as they watched the lava cover the floor and seep around the statue. Slowly it started filling the room.

Then suddenly the lava levels stopped rising and instead the worm began moving, uncurling slowly its head scanning the room. Its purple glowing eyes fell upon the three dragons hovering in the room and it opened its triangular mouth in a roar, before diving under the lava.

Spyro, Cynder and Ravina immediately began watching the lava for any signs of the worm.

Elsewhere the Observer was walking quickly through the corridors of the complex. He was following the lingering aura of whatever had been near them and judging by how the aura was getting stronger, he was catching up.

Even as he walked there following the aura he felt something he had not felt for a long time. The fact that he once again had a genuine mystery, something he did not already know made him strangely excited and happy. He did not remember when he had last felt this way.

But at the same time he knew that this mystery represented a potential threat to everything, an unknown factor in everything he was trying to gain. He had to judge what this factor was and plan for it accordingly.

He finally reached a small round room, one of the many dead ends in the complex. In the room he could feel the lingering aura as strong as when it had been near them and mixed in with was a lingering feeling of hate and bloodlust. He stood for a moment in the middle of the room, his eyes closed, just trying to identify the aura.

After a moment he opened his eyes again. There was no longer any doubt, it was a Purple Dragon, but he could not identify which.

"I know you are there" said the Observer out loud looking straight ahead at the crystal wall.

At first nothing happened, but then suddenly a voice sounded from all around the Observer. But the voice itself was not a dragon. It was a ringing voice like that of many crystals vibrating at different intensities and together creating a crescendo of sound forming the words. It was like the walls themselves were speaking.

"Off course you know I am here" said the voice. "The question is do you know who I am?"

Suddenly the wall of the place turned and a pair of dark yellow glowing eyes appeared in the darkness in front of the Observer. They watched him for a moment and then suddenly more eyes appeared, opening all around the Observer until every wall in the room was covered in glowing yellow eyes.

"You can spare yourself the display, I am not one to get frightened by such simple tricks" said the Observer calmly his eyes meeting the first pair of Purple eyes which had appeared.

A chuckle filled the room and all the eyes except the ones in front of the Observer closed.

"Who are you?" asked the Observer coldly.

"A Purple Dragon" answered the voice.

"What Purple Dragon?" asked the Observer.

"One that you never considered willing to aid you in what you are doing now and in that you were right. We never truly meet, but I took some interest in you nonetheless" said the voice.

"What kind of interest?" asked the Observer.

"You are unique just like me and you are bound to our legacy, a eternal watcher. Who will remain eternal if I have my say in it" said the voice.

"What interest do you have in me living?" asked the Observer.

"Oh please don't be stupid" said the voice with a chuckle. "You may have been able to fool them by only telling them what they need to know, but I know what price my legacy has to pay for your death."

The Observer was silent for a long moment. He did not know who he was talking too and it frustrated him. But it also made him feel more alive than he had done for a long time.

"What's wrong?" asked the voice in a mocking tone. "Beginning to have doubts? You were created to be forever, an Observer of events. You are not even alive, you are just a construct. Do not think you can be free of this, ever."

The Observer sighed deeply before answering. "Perhaps, but after all this time I am willing to try anything to find rest."

With those words the Observer turned around and began walking out of the room. Behind him he heard a cold laughter which filled the room before subsiding. It was followed by the voice saying "you and I are both eternal and must remain so."

The Observer stopped and turned around, but the aura and the yellow eyes were already gone. However that last sentence made the Observer smile coldly. "We shall see about that."

In the meantime Spyro, Cynder and Ravina were fighting against the giant crystal worm.

"Beneath you!" yelled Ravina to Spyro having seen the lava beneath shift and bubble just beneath Spyro, something they had quickly learned preceded the worm's emergence.  

Spyro gazed downwards just as the massive worm appeared, it triangular maw opened wide and the dagger like teeth gleaming like burning opals in the light of the lava as it jumped up towards him.  

Spyro flew upwards to get away from the worm, but it was quickly getting closer and soon the triangular maw would envelop him.

Reacting quickly Spyro conjured up a large stone projectile beneath him and fired it downwards with all the force he could muster.

The worm stopped its jump abruptly as the projectile struck the back of its mouth with immense force. It hang still in the air for a moment and then fell back down towards the lava.

Cynder swept in low as it fell trying to attack it before it disappeared, but she was not fast enough and it disappeared into the lava before she reached it.
"Damn it, we can't get it as long as it keeps hiding down there" she snarled irritated.

She quickly flew upwards again just as the lava beneath her started to bubble. The worm jumped after her but she was ready for that and easily maneuvered out of its way just as Spyro and Ravina tried to sweep in for an attack.

But the worm managed to get under the surface of the lava again just before a blast of ice and four fear projectiles hit the lava where it disappeared.

The worm jumped after them a few times more. Each time they avoided it without much trouble but was unable to score more than glancing hits, only scratching the surface of it and at most putting a small crack in its crystal hide.

"Is there not something we can do to keep it above the lava?" asked Cynder as they dodged another jump from it. "We would only need a few seconds."

"I don't know" said Ravina. "Say Spyro could you create a plate of rock beneath it the next time it jumps to keep it up?"

Spyro shook his head. "It is too big, I could not create something with the right size and hardness quickly enough, it would just fall right through it" said Spyro and was silent for a moment. Suddenly his eyes brightened however and he said "But perhaps I could…"

"Here it comes again" said Cynder as the lava beneath them began shifting and bubbling. They immediately split up just as a giant pillar of flame erupted from the lava.

"What the..!" exclaimed Spyro as he looked at the pillar, but his attention was soon caught as the worm jumped out of the lava behind Cynder.

"Cynder behind you!" yelled Ravina desperately, but it was too late and they could only watch helplessly as the massive maw engulfed Cynder and closed.

"Cynder!" cried out Spyro in terror as the worm disappeared beneath the lava.

They watched where the worm had disappeared, Spyro in complete silence and horror. It could not be true, it could not be true!

"Spyro!" yelled Ravina suddenly as the worm jumped out of the lava towards Spyro.
Spyro saw the worm coming towards him and roared in anger and immediately a purple light surrounded him. The same light also surrounded the worm and stopped it in midair.

Even as Ravina watched the worm started to bend, passing the breaking points as its crystal body began to crack and rip and larger and larger chunks fell of the worm.

But even as the worm was being ripped apart, a dark wave suddenly cut through the body near the middle. More waves followed and the worm was ripped apart at the middle revealing a black mist which reformed into Cynder.

Spyro saw her and his anger subsided into deep relief. The light around him and the worm disappeared. The two parts of the worm fell into the lava, but soon appeared again floating on the surface, unmoving. But Spyro did not even notice that.

Spyro slowly flew over too Cynder who also came towards him. He could see that she was unhurt and he felt happiness rise inside him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Cynder with a smile. "It will take more than that to bring me down…even if it did get a little hot in there." She was also heaving for breath though indicating it had not been quite so easy.

"How…?" was all Ravina could say as she also reached Cynder and Spyro.

"I dispersed my body into the black mist just as it ate me up. As such I was not hurt and I could eventually attack it from the inside" explained Cynder. "But it looks like you were tearing it up anyhow" continued Cynder with a smile looking at Spyro.

Spyro nodded, but then also felt weariness wash over him. He had never used the crystal element to manipulate something so big and even if it was only for a moment he had done it, he now felt like he could barely fly.

Beneath them the room was being emptied of lava following the defeat of the worm and Spyro could soon land on the floor. He almost immediately collapsed.
"Spyro!" exclaimed Cynder and Ravina together.

Spyro forced himself to smile. "Don't worry, I am just tired. Give me a few seconds and I'll be ready again."

"You are going to need more than a few seconds" said a cold voice they immediately recognized.

The Observer walked towards them, glancing shortly at the worm which was transforming into an hourglass.

"Looks like you did well" said the Observer. "But you need to rest now, Purple Dragon."

"I can´t do that" said Spyro firmly as he slowly got to his feet. "We don't have much time I can't waste it on resting." He almost immediately collapsed again however.

The Observer sighed. "Look at the hourglass, it has not even run one fourth through. You have been quick so far and there is time to rest" he said almost gently.
"But…" started Spyro, but was interrupted by Ravina.

"Get some rest, Spyro" she said in a gentle but firm tone. "It would not benefit anyone if you fell over due to fatigue in the middle of a fight."

Spyro was about to protest, but meeting Ravina´s eyes he found them firm and he found it strangely hard to say no to her. He then looked at Cynder trying to get support.

"I will make sure that you don't rest for too long, but you need it now" said Cynder also firmly.

He sighed deeply and then lay down. At first he was certain he could not rest at all, his mind on the time…but then his weariness overcame him and he thought just a few minutes would not hurt. Slowly he drifted off.