Forward note by the author:

The first inklings of this idea began to stir in the lead up to the release of the Spyro reignited trilogy and the tenth anniversary of the Legend of Spyro series. Spyro fanfiction was something I used to read on a regular basis and all the build up of nostalgia gavee ideas for this. I've been particularly fascinated by the inside knowledge given to us by Jared Pullen, https://www.deviantart.com/that-spyro-guythe lead creative designer of the Legend of Spyro series, showing us what was planned and what might have been for the series. Its from some of his unused concepts that I have drawn inspiration as well as other sources. I freely admit that I have drawn some inspiration from The Lion King and as the story progresses I'm sure you will see certain parallels to the story but let me assure that this will not just be "the lion king with Spyro in it" in the same way that the Lion King is not "just Hamlet with Lions".

Replaying Dawn of the Dragon pretty much made me wish that the whole trilogy had been like that which is part of why what I'm planning on doing is a imagination of the TLOS story.I'm not going to try and retell the whole story of the entire trilogy, but broadly speaking retell the story of A New Beginning, but will include locations, characters and certain plot elements from across all three games.

I have decided to release the opening prologue in advance of intended release date. My intention is to begin uploading the story proper on June 18th this year on my birthday.

That is still a while to wait I know, but my hope is that by that time I will have given myself enough of a head start to be able to keep posts coming regularly with at least one new chapter per month, though I do intend to upload at least a few chapters on my birthday to give a solid opening into the main story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little teaser and I hope that you will be here on June 18th when the story will properly launch!

(Thumbnail does not belong to me. Sourced from Spyrowiki)




The Legend of Spyro: Four Pillars of Aether



“In the year of the dragon, in a world beyond the realms, I like all the others awaited the birth of the dragon of whom the prophecies foretold. Just like we had once before.

In our world, the struggle between the forces of darkness and the forces of light is not merely a poetic spin or a romanticized simplification of the social constructs of morality, but something that is the at the centre of our very universe. A struggle as old as time and one that perhaps will never be fully resolved.

Our world is one filled with many wonders and many calamities. Of great beauty and great monstrosity. A world of magic and myth. A world of Legend.

Every Legend has a beginning and some have an end, but not all. Some will stand the test of time and be spoken of for millennia to come. Some inspire courage and hope while others inspire fear and dismay. It is one such Legend that we place all of our hope upon, to be the light that will shine through the darkness of our times and turn the tide of this struggle.To be the balance to another Legend whom we once too had placed our hopes but who left behind his calling to follow the path of destruction.

This world is one where the elements of nature; fire, ice, lightning, wind and earth exist not as extensions of the climate, but as malleable sources of power of which the dragons call their own. Each dragon is born to such an element, the ability to breath and harness the power of it, some to extraordinary levels. We dragons sustain and enhance our abilities by channeling the power of the Spirit gems, clumps of magical stones that grow from the earth, a gift left behind by our ancestors. Some dragons, like myself, if proved worthy will become the selected guardian of their respective element, become leaders and teachers and pass their knowledge and ability onto the next generation.

But a force even greater than these exists; a force of which all other sources of power is based. It is the very spiritual matter that our universe is made of. The power of the cosmos, of the sun and gravity, the righteous might of comets passing through the sky. The power that all the elements are derived from; Aether. For ten generations of dragons all we knew of it was what our ancestors had written of it, what the astronomers and mystics of our past had bickered and wondered at. It had been the mysterious element that we as a race had been unable to harness. Many doubted it really existed. It was only a myth. Another Legend among many others.

Yet from these Legends and myths there was one that stood out from the rest, one which stood out to me. An ancient prophecy that spoke of a time yet to come. A prophecy that spoke of a dragon that would put a stamp on the darkness of the world and lead to a new age of peace. A dragon that would be far greater than any before; a purple dragon; the living embodiment of the mystical powers of Aether. A dragon who would become the Legend to end all Legends. And then, at long last, it seemed the prophecy had come true. That was when Malefor was born.

The first dragon of Aether. The first purple dragon. The only dragon who could wield and master all of the elements. But his true power came from Aether, a power beyond any other living being. His birth was unprecedented, his raw power far greater than anyone could have foreseen or could have imagined. His arrival was taken as a sign from the ancestors, a miracle that would finally bring an everlasting peace to the world. He was reared from a hatchling to believe this was his purpose and as he grew older he was further encouraged, the elders passing down all the secrets they had learned of elemental mastery. He was indeed becoming a Legend, but alas not the Legend that we had hoped for. For we had misunderstood the nature of Aether, not been wary enough of its secrets. Just as fire can bring light and warmth, it can bring death and destruction. We made the mistake of assuming that Aether was different.

As he reached adulthood, Malefor finally unlocked this power within him. From that moment on, it consumed everything that he was. On blind faith still the elders encouraged him, their desire for knowledge and understanding outweighing the concerns of those who began to fear what Malefor was becoming. As he tapped further into the power of Aether, he discovered another dimension to it, another side of the coin. One which opened even more unimaginable levels of power; the power to corrupt the mind and the soul, to mould and manipulate conscience, the power to bring on the very end of the world. Dark Aether.

But for Malefor, distinctions between light and dark meant nothing to him. All he saw was power. Finally, the danger become too much to ignore and the elders demanded he show restraint. When he refused, he was cast into exile, banished from our kind and society. This was a mistake, for rather than removing the danger he posed we only emboldened it. He turned against his own kind, against his home and his destiny and became our greatest enemy. Free from the restraints of our laws, Malefor fully devoted himself to mastering Dark Aether, anointing himself in its poisonous lore, unlocking further powers most unnatural and sinister; fear, poison and shadow. He raised an army of the dragon’s oldest enemy; the apes. He taught them our secret knowledge, he taught them to artificially harness the power of the gems; our lifeforce. The gift left by our ancestors to teach and strengthen us was used as a weapon against us. Malefor adopted a new moniker for himself; the Dark Master.

Whether it was because his mind had been totally corrupted or if he had truly learned to master the ominous forces of darkness, no one can say for certain. But what followed was a reign of terror unlike ever seen before in our history; cities burned and entire species were driven to the brink of extinction. Never had the peace that had been prophesised to us seemed further away and our faith left waning. I was a younger dragon then, hoping one day to become guardian of fire, though I doubted if any of us would live long enough for that.

Yet here I am now, hundreds of years later, guardian of fire, once more putting my faith in one not yet born, a Legend yet to come. Some of us still believed the prophecy to be true, that the purple dragon who would bring balance to the world was still yet to come. But the Dark Master knew of this as well. I could never have known what the future would hold, what the events of that night would result in. One thing though has remained constant, even if my faith hasn’t; guilt. I languish in what might have been, what else I might have done. I should have hidden the eggs long before but I… I thought that we were ready. I thought they were safe.

Oh, how I was wrong…”



The heavy cloud parted away finally, revealing the face of the faintly crimson moon, Adrana. Its face was one comprised of prominent craters; on its right side a single massive crater covered a near quarter of its surface, branching into another smaller crater that topped its forehead, long cracks stretching out from it like the veins of an eye. Just separate to it on the left were three interconnected impressions, forming a roughly reversed ‘c’ shape, bulging in the centre like a well-fed caterpillar. The crimson light that beamed onto the world below cast an ominous atmosphere as the cloud parted further, giving way to Adrana’s sister; Zella.

The second moon came into being, a smaller ghoulish green entity sitting slightly above and to the left of the first. Zella’s surface was more linear, an odd pattern of similarly sized craters formed an almost path like trajectory, like the footprints of some strange monster that had once walked its surface. The Celestial moons as they were called came into full view as the clouds retreated from them, the combined glow settling across the land. The moons’ glow spread out further the more the clouds parted, illuminating the across the surface of the forests of giant orange mushrooms that covered nearly foot of the island. Some of the largest were perhaps fifty feet in diameter and towered more than a hundred feet high into the air, others lived beneath their mighty towers barely larger than a daisy. The gills or underside of each mushroom radiated a faint, shimmering violet. On some the gave out glowing spores into the air like swarms of purple firefly’s carried by the wind. Intermingled with them were rows of thick roots that swivelled and curled like vines to whatever they could reach, some forming web like enclaves that formed around sections of the undergrowth, shielding potentially predator or prey.

The Celestial light beamed through the gaps of one such enclave where two mushrooms, each only about ten feet tall, stood alone among the shelter of the roots and thick grass that grew among the roots. The light grasped further into the enclave, the darkness giving way as it settled over the only other source of light in the thicket; a cluster of green crystals growing out from the ground. The crystals formed a rough line, standing nearly as tall as the two nearby mushrooms, the cluster together forming a rough cone shape. The crystals possessed a strange texture to them as if they were filled with water or some other substance, but they were majestic nonetheless. The crystals seemed to sparkle as the Celestial light shone over them, reacting as if they were alive. A white glow barely the size of an apple appeared within the centre crystal, confirming it seemed that the stone was alive, reacting to is surroundings and its state of being or, perhaps, sensing a presence within the enclave.

The presence came from beyond the shadows behind the two mushrooms, a towering figure of enormous weight lumbered slowly into view. A pair of crimson eyes settled on the white glow that had appeared within the cluster of crystal and which seem to beckon them. The colour of the eyes matched with the body of their owner as an enormous dragon stepped into the light towards the green crystals. The dragon strode forward with a slow but powerful step, the claws of his four feet leaving their impressions in the dirt as his full form came into view. His head was roughly triangular, yet rounded. Two long prominent horns grew out from his head as two smaller ones grew just below from the sides of his head.

His eyebrows were sharp and pointed, as were the dark red spines that grew from between the two horns and continued intermittently down his neck and back, as well from his cheek bones and shoulders. The red dragon’s wings stretched out from his back similar to a bat’s, with leather like orange membrane between their crimson arms. His underbelly was of the same colour, his mighty chest scarred from battle, a worn slash from a sword or claw ran diagonally across his centre. His thick tail was nearly the length of his whole body and stayed just a few inches above the ground, its end spiked with same red spines that ran on his back.

The dragon approached the green crystal, eyes set on the white glow that seemed to grow stronger with every step he took. The peak of the tallest crystal reached nearly to the red dragon’s chin as he stopped just before the cluster, his head tilting down slightly to the ball of white light which began to shimmer like a caged star. From within the crystal the ball of light rose up to the peak and all at once, the entire green gem was filled with brilliant white light that outshone even the moons peering through. From the light materialized a ring of green gemstones that suspended themselves in the air, encircling the glowing cluster as the red dragon stood by unphased, his head tilting up expectedly. The ring of gems, a dozen or so pumpkin sized stones expanded their radius to include the red dragon as he stood and watched, eyes unflinching. From inside the white glow another form began to materialize, one not unlike the red dragon standing before it. It appeared at first as a blank, white silhouette of a dragon before its features came clear.

The apparition that appeared glowed with a blue hue, his size equal to that of the red dragon, but his face was aged well in excess. Though similar is shape, it was more birdlike in its details. White, feather like strands of hair grew out from his face, a long white goatee hung down from his chin tied with a golden bracelet. His top horns were shaped much the same as the red dragon, though his second pair grew downwards similar to a ram’s horns. Suspended from his neck was a thick gold necklace inscribed with ancient runes, a blue crystal dangling from its centre.
The apparition blinked, its eyes turning to those of the red dragon who had stood by and not blinked until this moment.

“You knew I would return,” said the red dragon perceptively.

“Indeed I did, Ignitus,” the apparition conceded, a hint of disappointment in his voice. The red dragon, Ignitus, lowered his head slightly, avoiding the gaze of the apparition.

“And you know why?” he asked lowly.

“You are troubled by my advice,” the apparition answered knowingly.

“Did your books tell you this as well, Chronicler?” Ignitus asked with a touch of scorn. The apparition, the Chronicler, raised his ancient eyebrows slightly. Ignitus glared at him, his red eyes gradually softening as he shook his head with repent.

“I’m sorry,” he said apologetically, “I forget with whom I am­….”

“No, I understand,” the Chronicler replied assuredly, “But just so you know, my books did not tell me you would return. I sensed from our last meeting that you were still troubled by my words."

“I am, Chronicler,” Ignitus nodded despairingly, “I am troubled by the secrecy, not telling the others about you seeking me out. About what you have told me, about what you say must happen…”

“It is not easy telling you what I have,” the Chronicler said dispassionately, “Nor easy for you to hear. I have only tried to give you the best advice that I can. I have spent too long simply watching and waiting and letting events unfold. I took a chance by contacting you, hoping I might be able to influence the present to help influence the future.”

“But why now?” asked Ignitus, “Why not before? How can you be sure that this year will be the right one? How do you know this egg is the one the prophecy spoke of? How can we be sure… it won’t be another Malefor?"

The Chronicler sighed thoughtfully, “In all my years of watching history unfold, of recording every glimpse of the future that I can, their have been very few things that I can say I have predicted with any real certainty. But after a millennia of study and seeing fragments of the future, this is the closest I have come to such certainty.”

“Closest to?” Ignitus queried frailly. The Chronicler lowered his head but kept his eyes level with him. Ignitus nodded grimly.

“Certainty is perhaps the hardest thing to come by these days. Even from those like you. More so than hope,” the red dragon grimaced.

“The events of tonight must play out as I have told you,” The Chronicler said firmly though sadly, “There can be no deviation if the path we desire is to be laid out for us.”

“Not at all?” Ignitus asked with despair, “What about the others? Are they meant to die?”

“I cannot say who will live or die to tonight. Only that if the seeds of tomorrow are not sewn tonight, the future dies for all of us.”

Ignitus closed his eyes dolefully, hanging his head down low as his whole body pressed down onto the ground, the weight of the world it seemed choosing to rest upon him. The Chronicler watched the Fire Guardian fall down in distraught, the moonlight seemingly blotted out by the clouds in response. Darkness returned to the enclave except for the light of the mushrooms and what his apparition granted.

“I know it does not help, friend, but I wish that you did not have to carry this burden. I wish that I were not so certain…”

“Yet you cannot even say with absolute certainty most of what you have told me,” Ignitus remarked blackly. The Chronicler did not react, regarding him with heavy sympathy. He watched as Ignitus rose to his feet again, his head rocking slowly side to side like the pendulum, “Only that the worst will happen if I do not take your advice. But even then, at what cost?"
The Chronicler swallowed hard; his ancient face was worn by time but not his heart. He knew there was little he could do to console the red fire dragon, choosing instead to play his hand at emphasizing the bigger picture.

“The path we walk in life is not always the one we choose. Sometimes our paths are chosen for us and it is our destiny to follow, wherever it may lead. You know this perhaps better than I do, Ignitus."
Ignitus looked up at the Chronicler, observing the earnest light in his eyes and knowing full well in his heart that his own path had not always been of his choosing, just as now. He inhaled deeply and straightened his stance.

“You humble me, Chronicler, for choosing me to trust this knowledge to. I will abide by it to the best of my ability."

“It has been my honour,” the Chronicler replied equally, “Though I wish I could say it was a pleasure but what I’ve had to tell you hasn’t been pleasant. I shall not return here. One day we will meet face to face, I hope."

“I hope so too. Farewell, Chronicler.”

“Farewell and good luck, Ignitus.”

With his final word, the Chronicler’s apparition flashed white once more before it vanished entirely, the green spirit gems returning to their usual colour, leaving the Fire Guardian standing alone in the moonlight. Ignitus sighed deeply, deliberately, closing his eyes and letting his mind process all he had seen and heard. The faint rhythm of the crickets chirping outside was the only sound now as he slowly opened his eyes. Having spent enough time in contemplation, Ignitus turned his massive body around to the right, looking up at the moonlight peering through the twisted web of roots. He eyed the Celestial moons staring back at him and then, as if they had just insulted him, he hunched down as if to pounce, his great wings fanning outwards. With a snarl of exertion, he launched himself into air, his wings snapping out a mighty whoosh as he crashed through the web of vines, breaking as if they were mere twigs and flying out into the night air. He flew upwards perhaps a hundred feet or more before banking hard to his right, straightening out level and flying northwards purposefully.

The flight through the serene night time sky did nothing to settle Ignitus’ emotions. Even with his promise to take the Chronicler’s advice, he could not escape the thoughts which told him to do otherwise. But with so many uncertainties already what did it matter to add on one more? What troubled him more so was the promise to keep their meetings a secret; secrets were one thing that was not supposed to exist between guardians. But the Chronicler was a legend, a literal one in the minds of the dragons, a story told through the ages that had long since stop being believed in. An ancient dragon of immeasurable wisdom who was said to hold the knowledge of all history, who possessed the ability to see into the future. It was this trait that had led to him seeking out the fire guardian, to warn him of the coming calamities and the events that would shape the future. To be granted such hidden knowledge was a blessing and a curse. At the Chronicler’s request, he had sworn himself to secrecy, to keep the Chronicler a myth in the minds of others, to protect the knowledge that he was told would spell disaster for the inhabitants of the realms if the Dark Armies were to discover it.

In too short a time, his spied the first drastic change in the landscape. Flying above the canopy of the mushroom forest, he spied the tall plateau that was the most prominent feature of the island. Rising above the rest of the forest, the treacherous cliffs were covered by the same expanse of mushrooms as the rest of the island, the cliffs stretching for several miles as they looped around again and met. Ignitus flew higher, angling himself upwards as his wings tilted back and he swept over the oncoming cliff face. He levelled out, his claws nearly touching the heads of the enormous mushrooms that swept underneath him. His destination came into view, taking the form of prominent domed structure peeking out amongst the mushroom canopy.

It was a colossal, three hundred feet tall circular stone building; the dragon temple, the traditional home of the dragon guardians. The temple shone a dull grey in the dark, betraying that it was actually a golden orange colour in the daylight. The rest of the structure was hidden beneath the mushroom canopy and encompassed several other buildings and rooms. It was built on the edge of the northern plateau with an outside balcony that extended far out from the edge of the cliff. The distinctive dome roof was comprised of an ornate glass skylight of which a tiny figure was standing atop of. Ignitus knew the profile well of the short, hairy and stubby biped peering through an almost comically oversized spyglass in the opposite direction.

It was one of the temple lookouts and one of dragonkinds oldest ally’s, a member of the Molefolk, an extremely small but industrious and intelligent race. They had lived and worked alongside the dragons for centuries, their oddly matched yet comparable qualities making for a partnership perhaps the world had never seen. The Moles serving in the military were collectively referred to as ‘Mole-at-Arms’, what they lacked in stature, standing only a few feet tall, the made up for in bravery and tenacity. The ears of the lookout perked up as he suddenly swung around one hundred and eighty degrees, the spyglass and thick spectacles of which he peered through magnifying the face of the red fire dragon speeding towards him.

“Eeeek!” The Mole shrieked in fright as he dived onto his belly as Ignitus, who would normally have been amused, shot overtop of him to the other side of the temple’s dome. The row of Mole archers standing on the edges of the roof looked up as Ignitus passed overhead, the edge of the plateau diving away beneath him. Down below the mushroom forest continued on towards the sea on the horizon, snaking through the vegetation was the gleaming Silver river that ran for most of the island’s length. A ramp extended out from the temple’s outside doorway and ended with the ring-shaped balcony that his eyes were fixed on. Several other Mole at arms were standing along the ramp and rushed towards the balcony as his wings became still, fanning out wide as he entered a sharp glide, circling around the ring of the balcony twice before he lined himself up and landed gingerly in its centre, facing the temple.

At once, the Mole soldiers encircled him, bracing the pikes firmly as they stood to attention around the edge of the circle, with the exception of the Mole Captain who stood before Ignitus. He looked up at the red dragon and saluted.

“Sir!”

“At ease,” Ignitus replied warily, “Have you heard any news?”

“No, sir. We’ve had no news from anywhere and so far, no sightings.”

Ignitus nodded slowly, “Very well then, return to your duties. And might I suggest an extra lookout or two on the roof? One cannot look in all directions at once.”

“Very good, sir!” the Mole Captain saluted once more before stepping aside to allow Ignitus passage. Ignitus nodded to him a last time before he began walking up the ramp towards the temple as the Captain began shouting orders behind him. He passed under the decorative stone archway that marked the beginning of the circular platform, it matched the archway that rose above the circular door to the temple. An elongated horse shoe shape that featured elegant stone carvings of more ancient runes that resembled inverted ‘e’ shapes.

The top of the arch reached the edge of the temple roof, three orange glowing lights inside circular carvings adorned both of them, one at the top and one opposite each other before they formed the bend of the arch. He approached the large wooden door which had the same trio of glowing carvings top and bottom and one more in the centre. Without a word or signal, the rounded doors slid open automatically, disappearing inside the walls as the Fire guardian walked through them.

He entered into the training dojo, a large circular room where dragons would train in mortal combat and elemental mastery. Standing proudly before Ignitus was an enormous stone sculpture in the likeness of a dragon which took up much of the centre of the room. The sculpture was intricately detailed and looked as though it would come to life any moment, sitting on its haunches with its wings folded like a cloak around itself as the two orbs that formed its eyes glowed a murky orange back at Ignitus. He stared back for only a moment before continuing on.
The floor around the base of the sculpture was covered by an intricate, spherical mosaic that was mirrored by the glass ceiling above. Its details and magical runes were mostly buried under stacks of boxes and supplies, barrels of gunpowder, water and ale, swords, shields crossbows, arrows and harvested clusters of spirit gems that were scattered all about the room. Numerous Mole at arms and dragon warriors were unloading boxes or readying weapons as Ignitus entered, all promptly stopped and stood to attention to which he simply told them to carry on as they were.

The Moles and dragons busied themselves with their tasks as Ignitus walked with a well masked effort to hide his troubled emotions. He passed by a wooden perch on which sat two immaculate Falcons; official messenger birds used for the quick delivery of messages over great distances. They were the gift of another dragon ally, the Cheetah’s who resided in the Valley of Avalar on the mainland. These proud avian predators wore thin leather collars complete with the black and white medallion denoting their official designation as messengers, along with the small metal tubes tied around their legs to carry said messages. The door into the next room was already open as he walked over towards it, standing in its doorway with his back to him was a familiar yellow dragon speaking expeditiously to a pair of dragon warriors just inside.

“I want you to let me know the moment, the very instant, the absolute second that he um…er…” the yellow dragon stammered as he suddenly sensed Ignitus’ presence, looking left over his shoulder and seeing the Fire Guardian. The yellow dragon’s eyes widened in surprise before he turned back to the two dragon warriors.

“That will no longer needed, erm, necessary, errr, required, ummm, you are dismissed!” he told them briskly, the two dragons nodding and turning away, Ignitus observing a flustered eyeroll from one of them as the yellow dragon turned to greet him.

“Ignitus! I was almost ready to send a search party for you! I feared something had happened."

“Nothing happened, Volteer,” he replied with feigned honesty. Volteer was a guardian dragon like himself, but master not of fire but of Electricity. He was a dragon of exceptional intellect and even larger vocabulary, his bright yellow scales a with light blue underbelly, horns and spines that ran from his head down his back. His face was more rectangular than Ignitus, with sharp cheekbones and even more pointed yellow spikes, three on each side, that grew from both sides of his head. His broad mouth that housed his electric tongue was prone to excessive smiling, but at the moment his expression was grim.

“I’d expected you sooner,” Volteer remarked, “But you are here now and that’s what matters."

“Yes,” Ignitus replied gloomily as Volteer steeped out of the doorway to allow him passage to the temple grotto. He and the Electric Guardian were in charge of the defence of the dragon temple whilst the others, Cyril the Ice Guardian and Terrador the Earth Guardian, were away on the mainland to the north, leading the defense of the dragon city of Warfang.

The room was again circular, with a row of flaming torches lining the edge of the grotto. Two other doorways, one straight across and one to the right lead to the other rooms of the temple. In the centre of the room was a golden disc shaped pool about half the size of the temple’s round doors. Its edge rose several inches above the ground and was filled with water, murky and indistinct yet it shimmered with a magical aura that rose from it like a faint mist. It was known as the Pool of Visions, a magical body of water that allowed for some dragons to see visions come forth. Thoughts, memories and dreams from themselves and from others and to see in faraway places. Ignitus was one of these dragons and the only one of the guardians gifted with such an ability but it was a mysterious and temperamental ability. It seemed to come and go like the wind, not always when convenient but useful when it did.

But the grotto’s most prized contents were not in this magical pool but what lay nested around the perimeter between the flaming torches like a garden bed that rounded the entire room. Laying in dense straw and their many colours reflected by the torchlight were dragon eggs; the future of the entire race. The eggs surface shone like polished stone yet were as fragile as any other egg and certainly more precious than any rare treasures. The grotto was traditionally where the dragons would bring their eggs to in a ceremony that took place every twelve years known as the ‘Year of the dragon’. The entire temple would be fitted out to accommodate the large number of eggs, but such was not the case this time and indeed had not been for a long time.

Ignitus stood just inside the room and glanced around the tiny unborn dragons that surrounded him, thinking how they had no idea the danger they were in as each one waited for the moment when they would hatch. For the Fire Guardian though and indeed the world, the birth of one of these dragons was at the forefront of his mind.

To his left, standing out from the rest was a single purple egg nested in a large golden bowl that fittingly resembled an oversized eggcup. The bowl was mounted atop a short flight of three steps adorned in purple carpet. On the wall behind it was a banner of the same colour hanging down, bearing the insignia of the element of Aether. None of the other eggs in the room shared the same colour, the rest mostly being solid blue, red, green or yellow though some were of mixed colours and patterns, indicating that the parents were of mixed elements. Ignitus strode over towards the purple egg, his eyes seeming to widen as they beheld the tiny object. He stood with his front paws resting atop the third step, looking down in wonder at the unborn male or female that so much hope had been placed. The Legendary purple dragon, able to master all of the elements, foretold by the ancient prophecy that would bring about a new world of peace and prosperity for all creatures. The dragon that they had once believed to be Malefor but now they hoped would set into motion his final defeat.

Or so they all hoped.