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Well, here is the much anticipated 3rd Installment of the Malefor series. I hope you enjoy this and Dragoune, I don't think this will sooth you... I think it will just make you angry and bit.

Chapter 3: Quest for the Truth

Dragon Realms, Uncharted System

April 3, 2204

1542 Hours

Celestial Caves of the White Isle

Spyro flew overhead, the waters slowly churning beneath him. He saw an island approaching in the distance and he descended to land. He touched down on the beaches of the island and felt the sand beneath his claws. He walked towards the opening cave. Remembering his last visit here, he passed through the caves with ease. He found that once he got to the tests, they were deactivated. He even found that the 4 elemental tests were in-active. Puzzled, he took the entrance into the Chroniclers lair and found him buried in the books. Upon entering, the old dragon lifted his head to see Spyro.

"Ah young dragon, it's good to see you again. I see that you have done the deep of dispatching the Dark Master again. Good work."

"Actually Chronicler, that is what I was here to ask."

"Oh, what is it that you seek young dragon?"

"Well, it's about this purple dragon... he appeared yesterday and we can feel the Dark Master all over him. He even knows how to channel dark energy. Cynder said that she saw him working for the Dark Master during her enslavement. I was wanting to know more about this purple dragon." Spyro explained. Once he finished, the Chronicler pushed his book aside and pulled out another. A much bigger book floated to him and he opened its pages.

"Another purple dragon you say? Well, would this happen to be him?" He showed him a picture and then Spyro realized something. It was the same image that the chronicler had shown him on one of his earlier visits. It was the Dark Master's younger self. It was Malefor.

"You mean that he is the Dark Master? I have to warn Eatherine! I have to get back and-"

"Calm down young dragon, calm down. Let's not be too hasty here."

"But he is the Dark Master!"

"He is also reverted to his younger self Spyro. This could mean one of two things. One, he is evil and is using this as a way to gain entrance into the temple, or two, he is like Cynder and has broken a once powerful grip on his mind."

"But, wouldn't the books have told you that?"

"I'm afraid that something has tampered with Malefor's book, particularly the part concerning the time that he turned evil. The pages are missing... So I cannot be sure for myself what has truly happened."

"Wait, tampered? Who could have tampered with these books?"

"Only a very powerful creature could have gotten past those tests, especially without me knowing of it."

"Well, they aren't working right now, I passed through them without even breaking a sweat."

"That is because I deactivated them because I knew that you were coming young dragon. There is no need to test one that has already passed. The creature that did this did it a long time ago. Far before you were born and had to have done it around the time that the events in the pages occurred. How he did it I cannot say but the creature responsible for it has to have a bigger part in this then we know."

"Well where can we find these pages then?"

"That, I leave to you young dragon. Trust your judgment and your feelings. Go where you think is necessary to go."

"I will go find those pages and learn the truth."

"Then go, and may the ancestors watch over you." Spyro nodded and dashed out of the room. He flew through the disabled tests and caves and out of the caves. He flew over the open waters of the ocean again and out back to the mainland. Where ever the truth lay, it was certainly there.

As he flew over the waters a few islands came into view. Half sunken ships lay in the water and pieces of wreckage scattered the waters. Spyro remembered where those came from. During his quest to defeat Gaul, he was captured and put on a pirate ship. During an ape attack on those ships, many were sent into the waters below.

He flew way over the waters until he reached the southern most regions of the Dragon Realms. He flew around but didn't really know where to start looking. He flew near the city of Dale near the southern tip of the Realms and wondered if he should look at its library.

He doubted that the pages would be there but kept flying. He could check back there later anyway. There was always a few other cities with libraries he could search. Hunter said Avalar contained a large library... maybe he could go there. There was a portal that lead there from a castle near the center of the Dragon Realms. Though that would be a few days flight. He needed a closer lead. He turned around and went back across the waters to the city of Dale. Maybe their library might have something.

As he flew he saw a speck come out of the clouds. He tilted his head upwards to get a better view of what it was. It looked like a dragon. As he got closer he saw that it was a blue dragon with a white underbelly. Its eyes shown gold and a golden white aura surrounded the creature. Spyro watched as it hovered in the air, watching his every move. Spyro headed in it's direction and suddenly it shot off.

He chased after the dragon and it kept shooting forward. Aggravated, Spyro increased his speed and shot even faster at it. Finally the dragon opened a portal in front of himself and flew into it. Spyro growled and followed it into the portal. He flew out of the opposite end and found himself hovering over Cynder's old palace.

He saw the dragon land on the top of her palace, the very place where he had fought Cynder only a few years before. He saw another portal materialize in front of the dragon when he touched a purple crystal on the roof of the castle. He darted down and landed where the blue dragon had only moments before. He growled and dashed into the portal. He flew through the tunnel and came out an opposite end.

He landed on a small platform. He looked around. He was on a suspended walkway that leads into a large citadel. The surrounding landscape was covered in crystals and cratered landscape. Black clouds covered as far as the eye could see and lightning rained down from them. Mountains rose from the rocky, non-green ground and smoke pillars rose from the horizon. The mountains were jagged and looked like claws rather then mountains.

Some of the ground looked cracked and a blue liquid rested beneath it. It felt cold and Spyro saw small snow flakes falling from the black clouds. It felt like all the warmth in this world had been sucked out so many years ago.

"Where am I?" Spyro asked as he started to walk slowly on the walkway towards the citadel.

"You are in the Dark Realms..." A voice said from behind. Spyro turned around quickly and found that dragon that he had been following right behind him.

"Whoa! Who are you?!"

"My name is Spiritus. Right now who I am is not important young dragon. What is important is where you are..." The dragon said. The dragon didn't even open his mouth, the words just... came out. It was hard to say, but he was talking without opening his mouth.

"Well what is and where are the Dark Realms?" Spyro asked.

"The Dark Realms is the birthplace of all evil. It is a cruel world forged by the black hearts of so many corrupted creatures who have roamed these areas. This is also where the answer to your questions lie Spyro. This is where you come from..."

_ _ "Wait... what?!" Spyro asked. This was confusing... he was from the dragon realms, not the dark realms! What the hell is going on here?!"

"This land was once where all life existed. This is where life began. This is where the precursors... or rather the ancestors resided. This was once our home." The dragon explained.

"Well what happened and how is this related to me? I was born during the time of the Great War. According to Rithul, the ancestors existed before even I did."

"Are you sure he's telling you everything?"

"Yes I do. He is my father. I trust him with my life."

_ "Rithul is a great warrior. Though... he has a secret that I cannot tell you. You must find that out on your own. This is why I brought you here, for you to find the truth."_

"The truth in what?"

"Of what happened to Malefor, my son. Also, you are here to learn something that has been an underlying secret in yours and Malefor's past for as long as anyone can remember. This is the one thing Rithul could never tell you. I am here to show it to you and to show you your destiny."

"Well why isn't Rithul showing it to me then?" Spyro asked, getting a bit frustrated at Spiritus.

"In due time the answer will become clear young dragon. Your true destiny is behind the doors of that citadel, along with the destiny of Malefor, Cynder and all the chosen ones. Your true path lies behind those doors. Take it and find out the secrets to what is going on..."

Spyro sighed and walked slowly into the citadel. Something was telling him that whatever lay beyond that door he wasn't going to like. He went anyway though and the doors opened before him. He entered and they shut behind him. He looked ahead and walked.

He sighed as lights slowly lit his path through the halls. The halls were made out of a black material and dim purple fires lit his way through flights of stairs and other hallways. He walked through a hallway with what looked like cells. They were holding cells. As he passed by each one, he looked inside and saw the dead remains of a dragon... as well as corpses of Lakadors, Marines, and more dragons.

He kept going and came to a fairly large room where on the opposite ends there were two flights of stairs that were positioned on the left and right sides of the room. The both lead to a central platform that was several meters in the air. On that platform, a large figure stood. Upon entering, the figure vanished in a black haze. Dumbfounded, Spyro got in a battle ready stance and looked around the room cautiously.

"Well, it seems as though we have ourselves a guest..." A voice said from behind. Spyro quickly doubled around and found himself almost face to face with the figure. It was the same figure he had encountered before! When they were trying to regroup with the second task force of Marines back when he was fighting the Dark Master, he had encountered that mysterious figure that had almost made him go evil! It was the same guy!

[Version Delta]

"Hey you're that guy who tried to-"

"Help you?"

"Help me?! You tried to make me go evil!"

"I did not do anything of the sort Spyro. I tried to give you access to a power that would help you over throw the Dark Master. You were too arrogant at the time to see that the power was going to your head. You could greatly benefit from that power."

"You wanted to make me the next Dark Master! How could you have been helping me!"

"Spyro... the 'Dark Master' is merely a title. It doesn't mean that you are an evil creature bent on destroying anything! Malefor turned out like that because he was consumed by the power and let it control him."

"Wait, you know Malefor?"

"Yes, I do. I once tried to help him, but he let that power go to his head and he let it take everything he had once loved away from him. See for yourself." The creature moved his hand and the floor became an image of the past. Spyro watched as Malefor met with Combinia on that fateful day. He watched in horror as he killed his own mate by accident... a mistake from his over eagerness to gain power.

"He wanted that power to become more powerful. Instead, he became a creature of Darkness..." The creature commented as he watched Malefor kill Combinia.

"So... he's not evil anymore?"

"No... he's not. Do not worry Spyro. Malefor does not have that darkness inside of him anymore. He can do better now."

"So why did Malefor seek that power?"

"He wanted to be a better protector for the Realms. He thought he could control it but in the end, his power controlled him. Spyro... being a Dark Master doesn't mean you're a creature of Darkness... it merely means that you can control the darkness and all of its powers."

"Is there a way to learn darkness without becoming a monster?"

"Yes there is, but it takes effort. I can show you how to harness your dark energy powers. I cannot give you any more power... you wouldn't be able to handle it. Follow me..." The figure motioned for Spyro to follow and he did. They went and walked up the stairs and up to the central platform where the figure was. Up on the platform was a door which slid open. Spyro and the figure walked inside.

"So just who are you and why are you here in the Dark Realms?" Spyro asked.

"Spyro... My name is the Shadow. I have resided here for a very long time. I am a Dark User. My race used to reside alongside the Precursors here in the Dark Realms. This place used to be a place of beauty and prosperity. However, many years ago, the Precursors waged a terrible war against my people. They were lead by a dragon. This dragon was a special dragon, even more special then you Spyro. After they destroyed my species I was left here and the remaining dragons and humans went to the current Dragon and Human Realms and set up the Council and the Ancients were born."

"Why did they wipe out your race?"

"They feared we would become corrupted in our power and they attacked us."

"So what have you been doing this whole time?"

"For eons now I have been trying to reconstruct my race. However, that seems impossible now that there are no females to mate with. Now I teach the talents of darkness to any who are willing to listen." They both stopped in front of a large door and it opened up to reveal and enormous dojo. Spyro looked in awe as it was much larger then dragon dojo.

A target slid up from the floor and the Shadow pointed to it.

"Let's see how your command of the basic Dark Powers are..." Spyro nodded and charged up dark energy in his muzzle. He unleashed it and it flew towards the target. It hit and the target exploded in a fury of dark electricity and haze.

"Very good. Using Dark Energy is a very good way to inflict damage very fast. Though Dark Energy usage does come with a price. Those who aren't born to use it suffer from corruption. You have to keep it balanced with Light and you have to be strong minded to keep your sanity when using Dark Powers."

"Thanks." Spyro said as he focused. He felt a bit of Darkness in him, but he felt a Light presence inside of him push it back and keep him in control. Another target came up and Spyro fired another ball of energy at it. It too exploded in a fury of energy and sparks.

"Now let's see how you fair against a moving target." Shadow said. A creature came up on an elevator. This creature looked like the Shadow, though he was smaller and looked less of a challenge. Spyro readied himself and the creature sprung to life. It came at Spyro and he slid to the side as it skidded by.

"Watch yourself now... this is one of my Drones. I think you can take him." The Shadow commented. Spyro nodded and fired a burst of Dark Energy at the creature. It hit and the creature shattered and chunks of black crystalline pieces slid across the floor.

"Very well done. Now let's move onto the Dark Fury. I know you have used this before but let's try it without you being corrupted." A large amount of Drones spawned up and Spyro sat in the middle of them. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The air around him shimmered and a bit of dark electricity flowed around him. His figure floated up in the air and a column of darkness surrounded him. He opened his eyes and they shown a pure white. His scales turned black and his chest turned darker. Suddenly the column exploded outwards and hit the Drones. The Drones were shattered by the dark energy and a second wave followed suit.

After expending that energy, Spyro came back down to the floor and his scales returned to normal.

"Very nicely done Spyro. There is nothing more for me to teach you for now." The Shadow said as he walked up.

"How will I get back?" Spyro asked as he walked up to the Shadow."

"There are few ways to traverse between the Dark Realms and the regular Realms. Though we are on a planet, it is far from any Human worlds or even the Dragon Realms. Allow me to send you there." He lifted his finger and dark energy glowed around Spyro and he vanished in an instant.

Spyro reappeared at Cynder's old castle. He looked around. As he got up he began to wonder. What was his destiny that Spiritus was trying to tell him about. Was he supposed to help the Shadow? Why were there bodies of dead Marines, Dragons, and Lakadors in his prisons? What was Spyro's true destiny?

He sighed and flew off towards the Dragon Temple. He had to go there and tell everyone the truth about Malefor before it was too late.

Eatherine walked through the cave, trying not to alert the other dragon in there to her presence. She walked into the back room to find him asleep with a puddle of tears nearby. She sighed and sat down. He stirred and awoke and turned to find Eatherine standing there with a basket of fruits in her mouth. She sat them down.

"Listen... I... I'm sorry for what I said earlier... I shouldn't have done that. I guess I'm just not used to helping or even living with another."

"No... I should be sorry... I just don't trust anyone because of what I have seen and done over the years..." He sighed as he finished and Eatherine felt relived to finally get that off her chest. She still didn't know why she really did care about this dragon. She was better off by herself. Yet, she had to help him, it was unexplainable.

They were so busy in their apologies that they didn't notice a new dragon enter the cave.

"You'll both be sorry... Eatherine, get away from him!" Cynder said as she walked up. Eatherine walked in front of Malefor.

"Why won't you just leave him alone?" Eatherine asked in a violent manner.

"Because I won't forgive this dragon for what he has done as the Dark Master's slave! I can feel the Dark Master all over him which means he's still with him and could be plotting to destroy us all!"

"You don't know him like I do!" She couldn't believe she just said that. She blushed a bit as she noticed that slipped out.

"Well I don't want to. This ends here!" Cynder leapt forward and pushed Eatherine aside. She went right for Malefor and-

Malefor reacted fast. He had to do something or this was really going to get ugly. He used his ice powers and froze Cynder where she was. She was in mid-flight and her frozen form slid across the cave floor and came to a rest near the wall. She was frozen in her battle stance.

"Ah crap... now what are we going to do? She's going to thaw out and tell everybody about this!" Eatherine said as she walked over to the frozen dragoness.

"I know... we just have to set her somewhere where it will take her sometime to warn the others. We may have to find another cave." She nodded and helped Malefor move the Ice. When it proved too awkward to move, they just decided to leave her here and they would find another cave to take residence in. Malefor kept saying that he should go alone and Eatherine should just go by herself so she wouldn't be in trouble, but she kept with him.

Malefor knew that this would be very bad for them but they kept searching. Finally they found a cave that was in the grove of a cliff and it required that you land on a small ledge to get inside. The cave overlooked a valley and was less then a mile from the temple. Eatherine put the fruit down and Malefor sat down for a rest.

Malefor shot a glance at Eatherine and noticed that she looked rather pleasant. She reminded him a lot of Combinia. Combinia had always been caring and sweet. She was friends with him even when everyone else mocked him for his purple colors. They had always laughed at him and she always defended him. His heart sank as he remembered the fact that it had been him that killed her.

He sighed and looked at Eatherine again. He found her staring at him and she blushed and looked away. He frowned and looked away. Why had she been staring at him? He sighed again.

Ah crap, how could she have been so stupid? She was staring at him in awe when he caught her. Damn it she was so stupid! She mentally kicked herself for making that large mistake. Finally something hit her. Did she like him? She had been alone so long that she didn't really know what love felt like. Though, she doubted that he felt the same for her...

She racked her mind as how she would tell him. Would she tell him? Was it really love she felt? Was she just being stupid? Who really knew... she needed to ask somebody, but she had been a loner all her life. She didn't know if he liked her but she couldn't help but keep staring at him.

Malefor felt awkward knowing that she was looking at him. He sort of blushed and wondered why she was doing that. Why did he care really... However, the more he thought of her, the more she reminded him or Combinia. She really did resemble her appearance. The only thing was that her element was different and her name was changed but she still had that appearance to her. Before he knew it he was staring at her and she had been staring at him. Another thing that Malefor noted was that he felt something on his paw...

He recoiled and blushed heavily, as did Eatherine, as they realized that their paws had been touching the whole time. Malefor blushed, got up, and walked to the other side other side of the cave, embarrassed at what had just occurred. Eatherine laughed weakly and did the same. Her insides flared up and she had never felt so embarrassed in her life. What followed were several hours of awkward silence.

End of Chapter 3

There you go, I think this one actually raises more questions then answers contrary to its title. The next Spyro Wars chapter is incredibly slow going. That one is on hold until an idea comes into my head how to connect certain events. Until then, I will work on the next chapter of Malefor and the rewrite of The Spyro Chronicles.