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Here is the 2nd Installment for The Malefor Chronicles. I hope that this sooths you Dragoune... because if it doesn't, nothing will! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Bittersweet Memories

Dragon Realms, Uncharted System

April 3rd 2204

0822 Hours

Cave near Dragon Temple

Malefor awoke with a yawn. He stretched his legs and picked his head up. This had been the first time he had ever slept the night while being good. He sighed. He didn't want to think about it. He saw that Eatherine wasn't in the cave, though there were some fruit. He ate a few but left some for Eatherine.

He walked outside of the room he was in and found Eatherine inside of the large entrance lying in the water. She lay underneath the waterfall and she let the falling water clean her. He averted his eyes; he didn't need to see her shower after all. He walked back to the room he had been in and sat down. So this was his life? Confined to a cave? He used to be loved and welcomed, now he was wanted dead.

He looked around the room and saw a small shimmer. He walked over and saw a small black weapon lying on the ground. It was a human M6 Pistol. He moved it with his claws. While being the Dark Master, he learned how to shoot one of these things. It was awkward, but he could shoot one. He placed his hand on the grip and strained his talon to enter the pistol's trigger ring. After a bit of nudging, he got it in there. The pistol's .40 caliber rounds were pretty powerful, they could even kill him. He looked at it's hard black steel and pondered just how it worked. He wondered what it would take to make one of these things and then an idea popped into his head. If things were really going so bad for him, he could just end it, right here, right now. All it would take would be one shot, through the head and it would be over. Spyro's job would be done and this monster would be laid to rest at last.

"Now that isn't so wise." Malefor heard a voice, a sort of echo. He turned sharply and saw a blue dragon with a white underbelly. His eyes were golden. It was his father.

"Dad, is that really you?" Malefor asked.

"Yes son, it is me. You know that weapon your holding is just the easy way out."

_ _ "But I've done so much that is wrong... I deserve to be punished... it was Spyro's job to defeat me and kill me... I'm only finishing the job..."

"Spyro's job was to restore peace to the realms and leave his mark on that age. So far, he has done that. We all make choices my dear boy. Sometimes they are good, and sometimes they are not. Sometimes we are forced to make them. However, it's not how we start things, but how we finish them. It is up to us to make that choice. Will you make that choice, or will you let it choose you? So far, you're letting destiny take you. We can let destiny take us, or we can intervene. History is never set in stone my dear boy." The dragon walked over and talked in soft, loving words. Malefor set the weapon down on the cave floor.

"But how am I going to show them that I am good? They all want me dead, how will I show them father?"

_ "Son, sometimes some people are mislead. It is up to you find your path. It is up to you to show them who you truly are. Not an evil dragon set on destroying the realms, but a peaceful, loving dragon. My son, which one are you?"_

"Peaceful and loving..."

_ "Then go out and show them. Remember son, in this conflict, you are not alone. You have an ally. Sometimes it is good to tell your allies all the information they need to know. It only gives them more recourses to help you with. Don't give up, or you have truly lost. Remember, trust your instincts and your allies."_ The dragon grasped Malefor's muzzle and brought their eyes together.

"And most importantly, never give up or give in. I must go now, take care..." The dragon disappeared in a gold light and the cave was filled with silence again. Malefor sighed. Could he really bring himself to tell her who he was? If he did, would she abandon him like everyone did? Would she turn him into Spyro and Cynder? All of this flew through his head as he tried to decide what to do.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Eatherine asked as she walked up. She was still a bit wet from the waterfall.

"Oh... it's nothing..."

"Still trying to remember who you are?" She asked.

"Yeah... hey, there is something I have been meaning to ask, don't you have any parents?" He asked. She frowned, sighed and looked at the floor with a sad look to her eyes.

"You mean they're..."

"Yeah... dead... Like many other dragons like me, my parents were killed by the Dark Master. They were killed a few years after I was born... they were overpowered by a group of apes and they killed both my father and mother. They also killed my older brother as he tried to protect me from them... so... I don't have a family. This is where I have been living since."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that..." Malefor gulped. There was no way he could tell her now. He felt horrible. Now this dragon was without parents because of him. He felt like someone had tied his throat into a knot. He felt cold all over and felt real uneasy.

"What about you? Did you have any parents?"

"I did, long ago... but they're dead now. I can't really remember how they died, but they just did... and then I just remember darkness..."

"So you don't have any either huh? Well I guess that's something we have in common."

"Yeah... I guess it is..." He felt a bit awkward. He hadn't spoken to a girl in literally years. He sighed. Girls were regular dragons like everybody else. He shouldn't try to make them different.

"So how long do you think you were in that darkness?" Eatherine asked, now looking at him.

"To be honest, I don't know." He responded.

"Maybe you were born long ago and just now were released from the Dark Master's grip." She proposed.

"Maybe... I just wish I could undo everything I did while under his control..."

"Well, nothing that you may have done would have been anywhere as bad as what the Dark Master did. Now he did horrible things and I don't think even I could forgive him. I don't think I will ever forgive him for my parents and my brother's deaths. I hope he rots in hell." She said with hatred.

"Yeah... he did a lot of bad things... I hate him too..." Malefor felt the warmth flush from him. If she ever did find out, he was through. Things weren't looking good for him. Though the longer he kept it a secret from her, the more of a chance he had to survive. Though how could he live a lie? He would have to tell them his real name eventually. When that day came, well... Malefor dreaded that day.

Eatherine saw a sad look on his face.

"Ah don't worry, we'll make sure Spyro and Cynder see that you're not bad anymore."

"Yeah..." He started remembering more and more of what happened before he had become evil. Things were still a blur to him from that time and he was starting to remember more and more. Though every time he did, an image of him killing or of terrified dragons and dying dragoness and dead or dying younglings kept popping into his head. His pupils contracted as more memories came in. They were horrifying. Images of injured younglings, and of himself, laughing at them in their moment of torture. It was too much. Eatherine saw his eyes and she got worried.

"Hey, something wrong?" Her question brought him to and he snapped to look at her.

"Oh, nothing... I was just... thinking..." He said, trying to hide his previous recoil.

"Of what? You looked like you had seen a ghost!" She exclaimed.

"It was just some... memories..." He said back, a bit shaken still from the memories.

"Memories? Of what?" She saw a tear fall from his eye.

"Horrible memories... I don't want to talk about it..." He said as he closed his eyes and moved his head to where it wasn't facing her.

"Come on, you can tell me. They can't be that bad."

"I... I... can't tell you."

"Well I cannot help you until you tell me what is wrong with you."

"Why do you care anyway?! I am just some dragon who's done horrible stuff! Spyro and Cynder should have killed me!"

"They shouldn't have, don't say that. They don't know you!"

"You don't know me either. Why are you helping me, why do you care?!" She didn't answer. It was a valid question. Why did she care? Why was she helping him? Was it because he was like her? Alone? Young? Scared? She had been alone in her life ever since her parents were killed long ago. This cave near the temple was where she had been hiding ever since. It wasn't until the Final Solution fired that she really went out of her cave and visited the temple. She was so close to the temple, yet up until now she had never been there or even knew that there were dragons there. It kind of made her feel silly.

Though it did help her in the sense that it taught her to live on her own. She managed to learn how to fight when apes did come to her cave, though there were very little times due to the cave's hidden entrance. She had survived on her own ever since the apes killed her brother right after her parents died.

This young dragon had probably been through the same hardships she had. If not, worse. He had been a servant to the Dark Master. True, she had felt the Dark Master before, and he felt like him, but he was nothing like that monster. He was nothing like the evil servant Spyro and Cynder played him to be. They shared so much in common, yet the question kept arising: Why was she helping him?

They had a lot in common, but she never would have just helped him like that. She then realized she had been staring at him and hadn't answered him for a while.

"Oh so you don't want my help now?" She huffed back.

"I-"

"Ah typical boys to reject help!" She got up and left the cave. She felt really bad for leaving. Part of her wanted to help him and another told her not to trust him. However, the part that wanted to help was louder then the other. She sighed and headed towards the Dragon Temple.

Malefor sighed. He was sick of being left alone. He had felt alone ever since he had become that monster. More and more memories came back. One finally surfaced of his past love... a lovely fire dragoness by the name of Combinia.

The memory took a hold of him and he felt like he was reliving that fateful day once again... He didn't want to remember that day. It racked his senses and brought him pain... however, the events played out before him like a movie. He couldn't help but watch.

__________________________________

Malefor walked through an archway and went to the side of the building. He was at the side of the Dragon Temple and he had just returned from his meeting with that creature that had wanted to see him. He felt power flowing through him... it was unbelievable. He never felt so much power! This could really help him with his duties. If he really wanted to keep the realms safe, he needed to be a stronger dragon.

He saw Combinia sitting next to some plants and he ran over quickly. She heard him behind her and she turned swiftly to see him.

"Oh hey Mali! Where did you run off to, I was looking for you!" Malefor felt happy at the sound of his nickname.

"Sorry, I was off talking to this creature that was going to help me with my powers."

"What did he do?"

"I can't really tell you that. He told me not to tell."

"Oh alright." She said with a sad look in her eyes. Malefor laughed. She smiled and he walked beside her.

"Thanks." He said to her. She looked at him inquisitively.

"What did I do?"

"You didn't ask."

"Oh, you're welcome." She said with a smile.

"Hey Com, I made this with my new ability." He grabbed a small ice shard that he formed using his breathe.

"Oh wow, that's beautiful!" She said to him. She took it in her talons and examined it. It started to melt a bit from her heat and Malefor took it again, also placing his paw on her arm.

He breathed more ice onto it and he felt something surge over him. He felt a pulse of energy and he over blew on the crystal.

"Ouch!" She said. Malefor wondered what had hurt her when he realized that his claws had gone through her scales and into her skin. Blood came from her wounds.

"Oh crap! I'm so sorry Com! I don't know what came over me!" He withdrew his paw and held it with his other paw, horrified with what he did. The crystal fell to the ground and shattered.

"Oh it's alright Mali... ah, it hurts though..." She said as she examined the wound.

Malefor felt something else surge through him and he grasped his head as he felt something rush into his mind. He bore his teeth as he felt his head sting with pain and something, like a powerful heartbeat, flow through him. He didn't even realize he was growling.

"Mali? What's wrong... you're scaring me..." He snapped to his senses.

"Something's wrong Com... I don't know what... but something..." He gasped as something once again flowed through him. The ground underneath his paws burn as his body heated up tremendously. Smoke came from his nostrils and he bore his teeth as he felt something inside of him pull at his muscles.

"Mali?! Mali what's wrong!" She walked near him and Malefor backed off.

"Com... don't come any closer... please... I don't want to hurt you..." He said as something washed over him once again. He felt his limns grow a little numb and he felt a dark presence manifest inside of him. What was going on? Why was this happening? What had that creature done to him in the forest?! Something was horribly wrong!

"Mali, calm down please ca-" Combinia stopped and there was a wet sound followed by a gurgle. The blood drained from Malefor's face as he realized what had just occurred. Combinia stood motionless as she was impaled on his forearm. His talons had grown substantially and had gone through her scales and deep into her. He slowly withdrew his arm and looked horrified into her eyes as they slowly came to look at him. She used her strength to grab him and brought him into a hug.

"Mali... I-I still... love y-you... it's n-not your fault... we can s-still help... you..." With that her breathing stopped and her eyes became fixed and her body lay motionless in Malefor's grasp.

"No... no... NO! NO! NO! Please Com! No, don't leave me Com! Come back! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" He shook her body as it went limp and he cried tears of sorrow. She didn't even care that she was mortally wounded. All she cared about was Malefor and now she was gone! This was all his fault! He felt the dark presence surge through him and he grabbed onto his head as it flushed through him. He roared as he felt himself being pushed to the farthest regions of his mind. He laughed a sinister laugh as he looked around. Combinia's blood stained his claws and he licked it off. He savored the taste and smelled her body.

Little did Malefor know it at the time, but moment, the true Dark Master had been born.

__________________________________________

Malefor cringed at the memory. He already had to live that hell once, why was he doing it again? This was one of the most painful memories that he had to endure so far. He had loved her and she had loved him dearly. Now she was gone. She had been gone for a very long time now. He doubted that she would even still be alive if those events had not taken place. Yet, he couldn't help but feel his deepest sorrows for her. More memories flooded into his mind.

More images of him and Combinia together filled his head. He sighed. He banished those memories only to have them be replaced of dragons, once his dearest friends, being tortured and killed before his very eyes. He remembered the dragon army, fighting to keep the realms safe. His army of apes washed over them, only to have them get pushed back by the dragons.

He remembered himself flying over the battle, killing the dragons and paving the way for his army. It was a terrible sight. He banished these thoughts and sighed. He thought of Combinia again. Her and Eatherine were so alike, especially in the fact that he drove them both away. He wished he could finally have someone he could finally be with. He missed Combinia so much.

He sighed and let out a small wail of pain as his heavy heart let out its cry.

Eatherine dashed out of the waterfall and onto a mushroom cap. She was furious at that dragon. Though why was she? He only asked why she was helping him. Then again he was just being ungrateful for all the help she had given him. Had she really had a reason to get mad at him? After all, he was just under the Dark Master's control this whole time. Why was she having this argument with herself? He's just some punk who thinks that he can last on his own. Let him get killed by Spyro and Cynder. She didn't care.

However, part of her did want to go in that cave and help him. Another didn't trust him at all. However, the part wanting to help was louder then the other. She looked back at the cave and started towards it. She didn't know what to do.

"Alright... I'll apologize and say... damnit... I can't do it!" She said growling in frustration. She couldn't believe how hard it was just to apologize. Why was it so hard though? He was only just a dragon after all. It wasn't like she was apologizing to a really, really cute boy after all... or was she...

She sighed and walked around a bit, trying to decide whether to go inside or not. Finally she decided she would go in and apologize when she heard wings behind her. She turned to see Spyro flying down and Cynder overhead, scanning the area below.

"Eatherine... we really need your help to find that dragon! You're lucky we don't hold that little fight the other day against you! We need to find him so we-"

"Can what? Kill him?" She cut it.

"Eatherine, he's dangerous. We can all feel the Dark Master in him." He said in reply.

"You just haven't seen him the way I have Spyro. I don't care if you can feel the Dark Master in him; he's not evil, not anymore at least. He wants a new life and you two hunting him down isn't helping much."

"Eatherine, he's tricking you! Don't fall for his tricks! The Dark Master probably wants him to infiltrate the temple to get information!"

"Spyro you defeated the Dark Master! How could he still be corrupting this dragon! He was freed of his influence after you defeated him and he's come back for a second chance!" Spyro didn't reply. Eatherine huffed and flapped her wings to go to the temple.

Spyro thought about what she had said. She raised a good point, how could the Dark Master have come back? It could only mean that something was amiss. They could feel the Dark Master in that purple dragon, there was no doubt about That meant he was still evil. He sighed. There was only one person he could really ask for the answer.

"Cynder, I'll be back. You keep searching for the dragon."

"Where are you going Spyro?"

"To find out what's really going on." With that he flew off to the Celestial Caves of the White Isle.

Eatherine flew to the temple and landed near the market area that they had erected next to it. She walked through and eyed some of the stands that were selling fruits and other foods.

She walked over and purchased a few fruits and meat with her remaining money and put it in a basket which she carried with her mouth. She walked through the market and saw a lot of dragons. She rarely came to the temple, though buying food was a lot easier then going to hunt it herself. She didn't really feel too comfortable with all these dragons though. After all, she had spent most of her life alone.

She moved to the garden behind the temple and took flight. She soared through the air and landed in front of the cave. She checked to make sure nobody was around and entered the cave, covering the basket so the water from the falls didn't get it wet. She waded through the small pond and halted outside the entrance to the next room. What would she say to him? Would he even want to see her? Is he even still here or did he take off?

Little did Eatherine know, but someone had seen her enter the cave. Cynder sat in the brush and smiled to herself. She had finally found that dragon. Now she could defeat the final servant to the Dark Master and peace would finally rain supreme over the Dragon Realms.

Though she had to wonder, where did Spyro run off to? He said he had to uncover something, but he didn't say what or how he was going to do this. Well, whatever it was, she had to attack this dragon now and show Eatherine just who he was. That dragon however, was curious. He didn't seem like he was too much of a threat, yet they can feel the Dark Master all over him. If that was the case then he's a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was probably here to gain the trust of the dragons and infiltrate the temple and do his evil work for the Dark Master. Something was wrong and Cynder was going to find out just what.

End of Chapter 2

Poor Malefor... that must suck knowing that you killed your own mate... Oh yea, sorry for it not being as long as some of my other works, but this is my first non-militaristic story after all and it is hard to write scenes that are peaceful, yet there is no romance or action involved. This is really hard for me especially since I am a military style writer by heart. Well I have a few ideas in store for this small 5-8 chaptered story. One idea involves that curious dragon that happens to be his father... he seems familiar... like maybe he made an appearance in my story before but I can't recall... lol.