AoH Karma and Convexity 27 pt1

Amp rolled through the air as he dodged an ice spike from Terra. The lightning guardian banked to avoid another and spat a bolt of lightning at her. Terra ducked and breathed a thick cloud of frost into the air, shrouding herself in the icy mist. Amp smirked and headed straight for it, where upon entering the cloud he began emitting a small electrical charge. The current of his electric energy carried through the ice particles as he tried to sense were his fiancée was hiding. When he could not find her he began to look around with a puzzled look.
"Gotcha!" Terra shouted as she dove at him from above. Amp looked up and beat his wings hard, propelling himself out of the mist as the grey dragoness shot past him.
"Not quite." Amp chuckled as his mate came to hover below him. "Close though. You almost got me there."
"Oh didn't I?" Terra raised a skeptical brow and nudged at her shoulder. Amp tilted his head curiously and felt his jaw rub up against something cold. Much to his surprise, Terra had managed to concentrate the ice particles in the air to form a frozen cast over his shoulder.
Amp sighed in irritation. "And here I thought I was getting better."
"It's not your fault," Terra said, trying to comfort him as they flew to rejoin one another. "If it weren't for... you know... that incident at the academy, you would be a much better fighter."
Before Amp could say anything a thunderous roar echoed through the air. The reverberations were intense and the two young dragons grit their teeth as the sound rang in their ears.
Down on the ground, Crona stood before Certo. The black dragon's wings were spread wide, his membranes nearly ready to split at any moment. His head was lowered to the ground and his legs spread wide. A dust devil surrounded the two older dragons, all the while picking up speed, spiraling higher and higher into the sky. The roar that had caught Amp and Terra's attention lingered in the back of Certo's throat. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and his teeth ground against each other.
"Open your eyes Certo!" Crona shouted over the whirling wind. "I can't see if you're making any progress with your eyes closed!"
The black dragon turned his eyes to her and the wind began to lose power. "What do my eyes have to do with this? I thought you said you wanted me to concentrate!"
"I do!" Crona nodded, thrusting her chest out in front of her. "But you have to do it with your eyes open. If you want to be able to summon this power in a fight then you need to have your eyes on your opponent."
"Neros doesn't use his sight to see," Certo pointed out. "He feels the wind."
"But you've mentioned before that you can counteract the wind's current," Crona continued. "If you can do that, then I have little doubt your brother has figured out how to as well."
"So what do you bloody want me to do?" Certo snapped; his temper was starting to get the better of him now. He had been following the white dragoness's so-called training routine for almost two days now. He had not expected it to be this difficult; not that he had expected it to be easy either. But now her routines of always having to concentrate, keep a level head and focus on things he would just as soon forget about was beginning to press on his last nerve.
"Use the fact that you can see far better than your brother to your advantage!" Crona ordered. "I have to use all of my senses when I use my..." Crona could feel Amp and Terra's eyes on her. "You know. You have to do the same."
"I'm not like you Crona!" Certo shot back. "I have no experience with this sort of magic usage or whatever the heck it's called! You can't expect me to get it right away."
Crona sighed. He definitely had a point. She was involving him in a task that had taken her years to master and even now she still had trouble controlling this ability of hers. She knew what fueled his energy, so why was it not working when she ordered him to think about all the horrible things going on around him? Was it that when he thought about them he felt other emotions besides anger? Was he feeling the wrong emotions? She could only imagine how much it must have been hurting him to think of his lost family and those around him who had suffered so much.
The white dragoness's thoughts drifted to her own past. When her mother had died she remembered feeling alone, helpless to try and save her mother's life. Maybe there could have been something she could have done to protect her. If it had not been for the war and the forces under the Dark Master's command, her mother and Arcadia would still be alive today. As she stared at Certo she began to feel the emotions intensify inside her very soul. It was this dragon's brother who had initiated this whole genocide against dragon-kind. It was because of Neros to begin with. And here Certo was claiming that he was helpless to stop him despite having a power that could somehow match the might of convexity.
"So you're just going to give up is that it?" Crona muttered as she stared at her paws. An idea was beginning to form in her mind.
"What did you say?" Certo asked, squinting at her.
Crona looked up at him and Certo's head jerked back when he saw the heated glare in her fierce, icy blue eyes. Those eyes, when they were angry, looked like they should have belonged to a fire dragon. The fury that blazed behind them intimidated even the black dragon himself.
"I asked if you are going to give up. Just because of a little snag getting in your way?"
"No, I just..."
"Just what, Certo?" Crona demanded, bringing her snout right up to his and locking in her stare. "Just want to take a break? Rest for a little while? I never got to take breaks when I was growing up! I always had to fend for myself when out on my own! Are you saying that just because of a little stress you're not willing to find a way to solve this problem?"
"I never said anything like that!" Certo snapped, pressing his snout back against hers.
"Oh yeah?" Crona pushed back. "Well it sure seems like you are! Just because you don't say it out loud, doesn't mean your actions don't speak for themselves!" She pulled away and turned her back on him. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're scared."
"What!?" Certo snarled with his teeth bared.
"Think about it, Certo. If you were any bit as tough as you act then you would already have mastered this new power of yours. But I think you don't have what it takes to face Neros. You're scared of him."
"I am not!" Certo shouted furiously.
"Oh, no?" Crona raised a brow skeptically; her plan was working. "Then prove me wrong! Show me you're not the coward you're acting like right now!"
"That's it!" Certo fumed, stamping the ground with his front paws. "I will not be treated like an inferior any more! I'll show you who is scared here! I'll shut you up permanently by going out and killing Neros right now!" Another roar erupted from Certo's throat. His bad eye suddenly became ablaze with crimson energy and his scars lit up, sending his body temperature skyrocketing. Overhead the sky turned deep crimson as the dirt devil picked up once more. The cloud of dust engulfed the black dragon and white dragoness shrouding them in a tornado of fiery red energy.
Crona smiled and walked towards Certo. "That's the way. You're doing it Certo!"
The black dragon blinked and the wind began to die down again; but this time the glowing of his scars and eye remained. "I am?"
Crona nodded, her smile growing wider by the second. "Look at you. I think you've got it." She eyed his glowing form up and down as he looked over his body at the sizzling energy coming from inside his body.
"Wow." Amp gasped as he and Terra glided down beside the white dragoness to get a better look at Certo. "What did you do to him?"
"It's just as I thought," Crona pondered aloud. "When he was concentrating before, his mind may have been too jumbled with other miscellaneous thoughts that he could not, for lack of a better term, grasp his emotions properly. But when I started taunting him he completely forgot about what he was doing and his instinct took over, thus letting his power react to his feelings."
"That's actually kind of scary in a way if you think about it," Terra pointed out and moved closer to Amp. Seeing Certo like this frightened her a little. "If you say it takes anger to trigger this... power of his, it must take a lot of it in order for this to happen."
Crona walked away and over to a shady apple tree where her scrolls and brushes waited to be used again. The three other dragons came over and watched as she scribbled down her notes for this session with brisk, deliberate precision. "I think what Certo will have to do in order to control his power is retain, in his mind, the initial feeling that triggers his intense anger. If he focuses on that he should be able to control this power and ultimately be able to use it against Neros when he attacks again."
"Well I can only hope that it won't be any time soon," Amp muttered, flexing his once-wounded leg.
"Which is why..." Crona finished writing her notes and set the scroll up to dry. The wind caused by the black dragon's intense emotions helped to dry the ink quickly throughout the past couple days. "We need to continue training." She got up and walked past Certo, giving him a slight brush with her shoulder. "Ready? Let's do it again."
Certo bent down into his fighting stance and his scars and eye blazed bright. "I'm not letting Neros get the best of me!" He shouted in his mind. "I'll kill him even if it's the last thing I do."
As a rush of hot air blew across the field, Sabre ducked back into her hiding place beneath a grove of trees. She had been watching Certo and Crona constantly for the past couple days, brooding over the idea that was in her mind. There was a big chance that it would backfire; but also there was a tiny sliver of hope in her eyes that it could work out to her benefit. Her only problem was that she had no way of tracking down the dragon she was looking for.

Crona's recovery went along quickly and smoothly over the next three days. All the while, Ignitus continued to care for her and keep her sheltered within the old temple. The two seemed to enjoy the other's presence quite a bit and Crona took great interest in the fire guardian's tales from his lifetime.
At one point Crona had gotten bold enough to ask about the report she had heard from Bracken back at her home city. Much to her dismay Ignitus was able to confirm the fact that the other guardians had indeed been captured. The battle had been unexpected, but the dragon forces had been prepared either way, and were on the verge of victory. However, the tide of the battle had quickly turned when an enormous black dragoness appeared out of nowhere, decimating the dragon warriors and overwhelming the guardians.
Crona had been dumbstruck to hear that the report had been true after all. What dragon would help the Dark Master? Ignitus only waved a paw dismissively with a sad expression on his face. To Crona it looked like he was feeling guilty for something, but what, she would never know.
It was during this time that the guardian of fire revealed to Crona a new development in the war. While hiding here in the mushroom forest he had encountered another young dragon, only a little younger than Crona herself. Crona had perked up at this and sat extremely still as she listened to the guardian's story.
A young purple dragon had been wandering about in the forest before running into Ignitus, not too long before Crona had met him herself. Despite his wild, untrained nature, he had proven himself capable of breathing fire; therefore Ignitus had been compelled to teach him more about how to use the element as he did. What had astonished Crona the most was when she had asked what this looked like.  
"A purple dragon?" She squeaked as her mouth fell open. "Are you sure?" The only purple dragon she had heard of until this point was the Dark Master himself; the malignant tyrant who wanted to bring nothing but death and despair to the world.
Ignitus nodded. "As sure as the blood that flows through this old body. I fear that Spyro may be our only hope to save us all from the wrath of the Dark Master."
"What!" Crona nearly choked on her own air. "That can't be right! He's just a child! Sure he he's a purple dragon, but... he can't face up to all of Malefor's forces!"
"Crona, I know this may sound hard to believe." Ignitus sighed, resting a paw on her shoulder. "But seeing the pure-hearted dragon that Spyro is, and his ability to learn quickly while under pressure, I have a strong faith that he will be able to succeed in bringing an end to this dreadful war."
"An end to the war?" Crona repeated, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide in awe. Like her father she had known nothing but war. She had always longed for peace, but now, just hearing that there was a chance for it to happen, she could hardly imagine what the experience would be like. "Is there anything we may do to help him? Surely there has to be something the other dragons can do."
Ignitus shook his head. "I have thought that question over myself. It was once told that another purple dragon would be born to defeat the Dark Master and his armies, but that the egg had been destroyed when this temple was attacked." Crona looked around the room in surprise. She had read about that prophecy before in the city's archives but she had not imagined that this was the place it all had happened. "Some were fearful of the purple dragon being born again after what had happened with Malefor," Ignitus continued. "Some said that it would be the end of the world for us all if this egg were to hatch. Others were hopeful that it would bring about an age of peace. One that has not been bestowed upon us dragons for over a thousand years." He looked down at Crona with a sudden fire of hope blazing in his eyes. "It will not be long until the word of the other guardians' capture reaches all the cities that remain. But it is also my belief that when Spyro succeeds in rescuing them, the morale of our kind will increase dramatically and we will be able to at last defeat the Dark Master and his armies once and for all."
Crona felt a sense of worthlessness sweep over her. She wanted to help this Spyro and end this terrible war that had claimed the lives of so many innocent dragons. But wallowing in self pity would get her nowhere. The young dragoness decided right then and there she was going to help stop this war and find the Chronicler herself.

"What in the ancestor's name are you two doing?" Certo demanded as he walked over to Terra, who was firing ice spikes at Amp from the ground.
"Training. What does it look like?" Terra asked, a bit thrown off by his sudden attitude.
"You call that training?" Certo glanced at Amp who was high above, hovering in place, waiting for the next volley of ice spikes. "You're not doing anything but playing a game of hit or miss." He turned his attention to the young guardian overhead. "Amp, if you want to get better and actually stand a chance against Neros you can't be playing games like this! You won't get any experience unless you go tooth to claw with another dragon! What you're doing is nothing more than exercises!"
"Excuse me?" Terra snapped. "Where do you get the gall to say I'm just giving him exercise?" Off to the side, beneath her apple tree, Crona perked her head up to look at what was going on.
Certo whirled on the grey dragoness as a gust of wind blew across the field. "You as well, Terra. If you don't want to see Amp get hurt, you'll stop babying him and grind his snout in the dirt a bit. Otherwise he will have the same experience as the last time he faced Neros."
Terra's cheeks burned red with anger. "I am not babying him!" She protested.
Certo's brow jumped mockingly. "Oh, really? Try and hit me."
"What?"
"I said, hit me!" Certo snarled, his temper suddenly rising. "Right now! With everything you've got!"
"Fine!" Terra shot back. "Eat this!" She raised her paw to lash out with her talons but felt a heavy blow across her cheek. She staggered back and looked at Certo in surprise.
"Stop talking about what you're going to do and do it!" Certo said gruffly. "If you make your intentions known to your enemy, he'll be able to counter and then you will have wasted energy!"
"Waste this!" Amp shouted. Certo jumped to the side as a bolt of lightning struck the ground. He turned his gaze up as Amp barreled into him, knocking the black dragon to the ground. "No one strikes my Terra and gets away with it!"
"All I hear is talk right now, Amp!" Certo growled, striking the guardian across the face. The lightning dragon staggered back and bared his teeth at Certo. "If that's how you feel then come at me!"
Amp snarled and charged Certo, his quills buzzing with electric energy. The young dragon vaulted into the air and beat his wings, propelling himself at Certo like a rocket. The black dragon lunged for him and the two clashed in mid air. Amp recoiled from the blow and fell to the ground.
No sooner had he landed than Certo felt Terra pounce on him from behind. The ice dragoness dug her claws into him and bit down on his neck. Certo squalled angrily and hurled himself onto the ground, slamming Terra in the process. The ice dragoness released her vice grip, but kept her claws dug into Certo's hide. Amp got to his feet and dog-piled the black dragon, while Terra held him down. On instinct, Amp bit down on Certo's shoulder, causing him to bellow angrily. Certo drove his knee into Amp's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Amp's grip released enough for Certo to yank his shoulder free, and deliver a strong blow with the ball of his wrist to Amp's cheek.  Almost instantly, Terra bit down on Certo's wrist and shook her head violently. Certo opened his mouth as if to cry out but clamped his jaws down on the ice dragoness's neck.
Terra's scream hurt Amp's ears and set off a fire deep inside of him. He rolled and lunged for Certo's neck with his jaws open wide. Certo saw him coming and released his hold on Terra. The black dragon slammed the side of his head into Amp's muzzle, stunning him as he hit the ground. Certo followed up with a powerful kick of his hind legs, catching Terra in the ribs and sending her rolling across the ground.
Crona watched as the two younger dragons scraped themselves off the ground. Amp staggered, still seeing spots dance before him, while Terra wheezed as she tried to regain her lost wind.  
"You're both leaving yourselves open too much," Certo lectured as he sat down on his haunches, rolling his muscular shoulders. The bite and scratches burned but did little to phase his attitude. "You have to think about what your enemy might do if you launch a particular strike against them. That also goes when indicating what moves you plan on executing. You have to try to catch your opponent off guard."
Both Amp and Terra glanced at one another, still gasping for breath. Then, without warning, Amp jumped to his feet and fired a lightning bolt. Certo bared his teeth and braced himself for the hit as his eye and scars blazed with energy. Just before the bolt struck the black dragon, it deflected off a barrier of energy and ricochet back at Amp. The young dragon's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped before being hit full force with his own breath attack. Terra, Crona and Certo all wore a look of surprise as they watched Amp lay still on the ground.
Terra bounded over to her fiancée. "Amp! Are you alright? Are you seriously hurt?"
The young lightning dragon coughed hard. "That really hurt," he whined. The bolt of lightning had left a dark burn mark against his violet breast scales. The wound was not serious, but it would stay there for a good week or two.  
"I think they've had enough brawling for one day, Certo," Crona said, putting aside her notes and walking over to them. By now the black dragon's body had returned to normal and he released a long sigh. Almost immediately he began coughing hard, covering his mouth with the back of his paw. When the hacking continued for more than a couple minutes, Terra, Amp and Crona looked at him worriedly.
"Hey, are you okay, Certo?" Amp asked, as Terra helped him up off the ground, acting as a crutch for him.
Certo coughed hard and nodded. "I'll be fine," He wheezed, stifling another gasp. "I think I just breathed down the wrong tube."
"That cough sounds pretty bad though," Terra said worriedly. "Maybe you should have my mom look at you."
"I'll be fine, really," Certo assured her. "It'll pass in a minute."
"Well either way, I think we should call it a day," Crona said, turning back to go get her notes. "We can continue with your training again tomorrow, Certo. In the meantime I want to get back to the city and organize my work."
"You guys go on ahead," Certo said, taking a few steps away from the group. "I want to spend a little time on my own out here, while I can enjoy the quiet."
Crona stopped and turned to stare hard at Certo. He was not sounding like himself all of a sudden and it made her extremely suspicious. The black dragon could feel her eyes on him and stared at her just as intently. Off in the bushes, Sabre watched with intense interest, but also a feeling of panic in her heart.
"Don't be too long," Terra warned as she helped Amp along. "It will be getting dark out soon."
"I won't be," Certo said turning towards the underbrush at the edge of the field. He glanced back at Crona who twitched her muzzle slightly but said nothing. The dragoness gathered up her notes, scrolls and writing tools before taking to the air in a bit of a flustered hurry. Certo waited until Amp and Terra were following after her before turning back to the forest behind him. "I know you're hiding there. Come out unless you want me to blow you out!"
Sabre's heart jumped and fluttered in her chest. Certo was not staring at her but he definitely seemed to be aware of another presence in the area. How had he figured out she was there? Why had he not said anything before hand? Was he waiting until they were alone to confront her on spying on them? And if so, how long had he known? She had been watching them for four days total now as Crona drilled Certo, over and over, and forced him to master that frightening power of his.
But now she had been found out. And if Certo was acting as if she were a threat then she had best come forth and reveal herself before he took drastic action.
Just as the ice dragoness moved, a trio of apes dropped from the trees and swung into the field, facing the young black dragon. Sabre's heart nearly stopped when she saw her black dragon staring them down, a fierce glare on his face. She crouched lower in the underbrush, trying her best to melt into the earth beneath her.
"So you really are the Master's brother," The leader growled; slobber dripping from his slacked jaw.
Certo curled his lip and the wind began to pick up. "Don't associate me with that scum-bag you consider a master, you flea-bitten savages." His sinister hiss carried with the wind, making the hair on their backs stand on end. "You can return to your so-called master, and tell him I'm ready for him whenever he wants to come out of hiding."
The apes exchanged uncertain looks before turning back to the black dragon. "And what if we chose to kill you ourselves right now?"
"No, we mustn't!" One of the apes whispered. "This one is for Master only."
The lead ape just scoffed and took a step towards Certo with his bone-blade drawn. "The Master said that the white one is to be brought back alive. He did not specify he wanted the black one to be spared."
"Then let me make that choice easier for you," Certo growled. The leader turned back in time to see Certo's body light up with crimson energy; and before he could make a move, a beam of crimson burned through his torso. The baboon squawked and gagged on his own blood before falling to the ground in a bloody heap. His two comrades stared at the body for a long moment before looking up at Certo. "You deliver my message and add this," Certo growled, taking a couple stalking steps forward. The apes loomed over him, but the black dragon's sudden transformation frightened them so much they were too numb to move. "I have no idea what he wants with Crona. Maybe he has some grudge against her for getting away from him, I don't know. But you tell him that if he so much as touches her, I will be there to remove his head from his shoulders before he can think twice about what he's done! You got it?"
The two apes nodded vigorously and turned to leave.
"Hey!" Certo snapped, stopping them in their tracks. "Take your garbage with you!" The apes looked down at their dead companion and then each other. "Now!" Certo barked, and the apes scurried to gather up the body and disappear into the growing darkness of the forest.
When they were gone Certo turned to face Sabre's hiding spot. He could feel the chill in the air which gave away her presence. It was not nearly as cold at this time of year, but the ice dragoness's nervous energy made the wind chill that much greater.
"Don't stay out here too long, Sabre," Certo called over to her. "I don't want anything happening to you when I'm not around."
The ice dragoness jolted in response, but all she could do was watch as Certo walked to the edge of the field before taking to the air, heading back towards the city.
Sabre stared at the black dragon until he disappeared over the horizon. When he was gone she crept out from her hiding spot and crept over to where the fallen ape had hit the dirt. She flicked her tongue out to taste the particles in the air, her Jacobs gland picking up the trail of fresh blood, leading back to where the apes had come from. She gave one last quick glance over her shoulder, pausing to think about her next course of action. Certo had just said he did not want anything to happen to her. Did that mean he did care for her? If so, did he not want Crona to know? The thought of the white dragoness made a wave of jealousy crash over her. The blue dragoness gave an angry huff before ducking back into the underbrush and following after the fleeing apes.

The black dragon flew back towards the city at a quickened pace. He had wanted so desperately to kill the apes that had been spying on them. Never before had the urge to kill been so great. The fact that the leader had gone down with a single attack gave the young dragon such an adrenaline rush he could hardly keep himself from tearing into the other two.
He was in the middle of his homicidal thoughts when he suddenly felt a lump in his throat and he began to cough and gag. Whatever was in his throat did not want to come out. After several failed attempts, Certo finally gave a violent roar, dislodging a large glob from his throat. The sudden taste of mercury filled his mouth and a split second later a large blob of blood fell from his open maw. Certo's eyes were wide with horror as he watched his own blood fall to the ground below.
The first thing that hit him was panic. This was not normal for any dragon. But then again, since when was he considered normal? At least by the standards of those around him. As he flew over the Silver River, he dove down for a quick drink to wash the taste of blood out of his mouth. For some reason he found himself thinking of the white dragoness, and if he should tell her about this or not. After thinking for the rest of his flight he decided against it. She had enough to think about with helping him learn this on her own. The least he could do was not bog her down with more worries and concerns. Though why she cared he still needed to find out.
When Certo returned to the library, he found Amp and Terra leaving to head home. He nodded to both of them, apologizing for his harsh lesson earlier. The two friends just waved him off understandingly and forgave him with bright smiles. Once he entered the library, he found Crona at the table in the middle of the room. She had her notes spread out across the table before Cytros, Verona, Stratus and Kia. All their heads lifted when Certo walked into the room.
"Good, you made it back safely." Kia chirped with a smile. "Crona was beginning to worry."
"I was not," Crona mumbled, glaring at the air dragoness. Kia only chuckled and flashed her a wink.
"We've got a problem," Certo reported darkly, ignoring the former air guardian's comment. He fixed his gaze upon Cytros who straightened up almost immediately. "Sabre's been spying on us."
"She has?" Cytros glanced at Verona worriedly.
Certo nodded. "But that's not the problem," he continued.
"It's not?" Crona asked skeptically with a raised brow.
"We also had apes watching us." Certo growled. The other dragons glanced worriedly at one another.
"Is that why you stayed behind?" Crona asked, stepping away from her notes to stand face to face with the black dragon.
Certo bobbed his head in response. "Don't worry, I'm fine. They didn't cause us any trouble. They were only spying as well."
Crona narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. Something about him suddenly seemed different, and every instinct in her body screamed at her to find out what. "Is that all they were doing?"
"Pretty much. I sent them packing without much trouble."
"Certo, I don't think you realize how dangerous your actions were." Stratus pointed out. The young dragon cocked his head and waited to hear the elder finish his explanation. "If there had been more enemies lurking about, not only could you have been hurt, but Sabre as well. And there would have been no one else around to provide any support."
The black dragon was silent for a moment. He did not think Stratus realized the true extent of his combat capabilities now that he had learned how to summon his new power. However, he did value the head librarian's insight, and nodded understandingly. "I guess you're right. Perhaps I'm getting too cocky with all this power swelling up inside me. It's... It just feels like I finally have the power, not just the will, to make a difference. I finally have the power needed to fight against Neros. And... it feels..."
"Overwhelming?" Crona interrupting him, only to receive a nod from the black dragon.
"Yes. Like it's almost too much for me to handle and I just want to burst at any moment." Crona scrunched her muzzle into a slight frown as she thought over his words. After a second she turned away and went back to her notes to jot down a couple of private thoughts.
"That is a wise observation young dragon," Stratus pointed out, pulling Certo's attention back to him. "With everything we learn in this world, we have to be aware of what is going on around us and inside us. This is what we failed to remember when we first met you, if you recall."
Certo frowned. He had just about forgotten about those days when every set of eyes in this city looked at him like the outsider he was and scorned him for his very existence.
"In the meantime, we had best go make sure Sabre has returned home and prepare the guards for their night shift." Cytros piped up; his metal armor clinked as he got to his feet. "In the meantime, you take care and sleep soundly, milady." He leaned in and gave Verona an affectionate nuzzle against her cheek. The librarian cooed, delighted to have the contact and rubbed her cheek against his facial armor.
"I'm going to come with you tonight," Certo demanded. "If there's more apes lurking about then you're going to need me there to help deal with them."
"Oh, no, you don't Certo," Crona said. "I think you've had enough for one day as well. As soon as I'm done with my notes you and I are going to hit the hay."
"Alright then." Certo sighed, not wanting to listen to her ordering him around. He could have sworn she was taking more pleasure in having complete control over his training routines as of late. "Come get me when you're done." He gave a sly smirk as he turned and followed Cytros outside.
Crona's mouth hung open as she watched him disappear into the darkness of the city. This was possibly the one time where he had made a retort that she could not answer to. Kia, Verona and Stratus all chuckled, knowing full well what the young male was getting at. Crona looked up at them with a mixed expression of puzzlement and dismay that she could not come back with a clever reply.
"He seems to know you better than you give him credit for." Stratus smirked. Crona only stuck out her lip and turned back to her notes, sulking as she mulled over them.
Outside, Certo marched proudly beside Cytros as they patrolled the streets. The fire guard was silent but continued to glance at the young dragon as they walked along. Certo definitely seemed to have changed in the past several days. He was not acting like the strong, silent, yet compassionate dragon he used to be. He was more bold, and out-going; and the sudden overconfidence almost made him worried.
"Certo, if I may speak forwardly with you," Cytros started, breaking the silence between them. "How clearly do you have your goals set in your mind?"
"What do you mean?" Certo asked skeptically, raising a brow. "Are you asking if I'm sure about what I want to do to my brother? Because if so, then the answer is yes."
Cytros frowned. "Just like that, is it? You've made up your mind to take his life, without any possible chance of peacefully resolving this conflict?"
Certo's limbs flexed in irritation. Why were these dragons always questioning his decision? "I know my brother better than all of you put together." He growled, trying to hide his frustration. "He won't listen to words and reason only makes things worse for us. The best way to deal with this situation is to deal away with Neros."
Cytros continued to stare at him. "How much did you love your brother? Before things started getting bad between you?" Certo scowled and turned away from Cytros. Seeing the young dragon's reaction gave the guard the answer he had expected. "You claim that you are able to kill him, but should that time come, would you be able to do it?"
"I have to," Certo grumbled.
"I was not asking if you should do it, I was asking if you could!" Cytros suddenly snapped, whirling on the young dragon. Certo jolted in surprise and his eyes widened as he expected the fire breather to pounce on him directly. "Anyone can say that they can take the life of another creature, and very few can bring themselves to say that about one of their own kind. But what kind of dragon can actually follow through with such an act, especially one against someone of their same family?"
Certo felt his heart sink lower. He sighed and stared down at the street beneath his paws. The moonlight caught the glossiness of his black scales, giving him a clear view of his deep scars that were etched across his body. He hated those scars. He hated how he had gotten them. He hated what they reminded him of. He hated even more of what they stood for. A history of nothing but pain, hurt and bigotry. But one question would always linger in his mind: was it his fault? He had tried to treat his twin as an equal and even a superior. And what had he gotten for it? A dead family? A permanently mauled body? None of these so-called punishments fit the crimes committed against Neros. But he had been the one to initiate this extreme act of genocide, thus enticing every dragon in the world to rally against him and his barbaric minions.
Cytros waited patiently for an answer. "Well young Certo? What have you to say?"
"I..." Certo stammered, suddenly feeling out of breath. "My answer... my answer is..." He closed his eyes tight as he struggled to find the words. "The kind of dragon that can bring himself to desire the life of another of his kind, especially of his same family, is a dragon who has reached the end of his existence and has nothing left to lose." He looked up at Cytros, his eyes suddenly becoming glossy in the soft moonlight.
Cytros sighed sadly. He had hoped the youngster had not been able to answer the difficult question.  But he raised a paw none the less and placed it over the scars on Certo's right shoulder.
"You have not reached the end of your existence yet, Certo," He explained in a gentler tone than before. "You are a young male far from being in your prime. You have years to live and a life to create. Do not cut yourself short so soon. I never thought I would find another mate like my first until you came along. If it were not for you trying to save Crona's life, I would have never considered librarian Verona for the wonderful dragoness she is." The fire dragon bobbed his head as his muzzle pulled back into a soft smile. "You made me believe in second chances after losing my first."
Certo only stared at him, feeling like an empty shell more than anything. Cytros could see it in his eyes, that he was nowhere near being convinced about his point. "Those who choose to place themselves in your company care for you much more than you realize."
Certo glared at the fire dragon and his claws scraped against the stone streets. "If you're implying that Crona likes me in any way I can be the first to tell you that you have the wrong idea. And I sure as heck don't feel anything towards her either. "
"Don't be so sure," Cytros replied with a smirk. "She's more like you than you think. Shy. Scared. Afraid to show how she really feels towards someone else like her."
"I don't believe that for a half second," Certo nearly spat. "I already said that I don't want anyone to care about and I mean it."
"But what about her feelings?" Cytros asked, keeping his temper about him. He was never one to take the attitude of younger dragons before a superior. "Do you care nothing about what she might be feeling? She may need a friend more than you know and when you say things like that, you may be causing her more pain than you realize."
Certo turned sharply to face the captain of the guard. "I know nothing about Crona! Just because she's always around me doesn't mean I know the slightest thing about her."
"Then take some time to get to know the closest friend you have," Cytros ordered. "It's the least you can do since she seems to try and understand you so much."
"We're completely different dragons!" Certo protested. "She wants to know everything about everything. I don't want to know about her because I don't plan on being around long enough to care!"
"Well maybe you should!" Cytros snarled, bringing his face threateningly close to Certo's. "If you don't start taking the feelings of your companions into consideration, then you are going to become far lonelier than you ever were before!"
Certo narrowed his eyes at the adult male. "I've been alone my whole life. I thought I had someone who would stand beside me, but that was just a wasted delusion on my part. I've never had anyone and that will never change."
"Do you honestly believe that?" Cytros asked, sitting down and inflating his chest to make himself look more dominant before the black dragon. Certo fell silent. He had no answer that he could be definitely certain was what he truly believed. "That's what I thought," Cytros muttered, seeing that the youngster was not going to be able to answer him any time soon. "You should return to the library now. I'm sure you have quite a bit to think about."
Certo looked up again as Cytros got to his feet. He stared at Certo with a stern fierceness in his orange eyes. Certo felt defeated; like no matter what he wanted, he could never get it. The feeling of emptiness weighed heavily on his shoulders, and his wings drooped, almost touching the ground.
Cytros turned to leave. He did not like having to lecture a youngster that was not his own, but like Titanus, Certo needed to learn certain things about those around him. He was about to leave the black dragon when a voice called out to him.
"Captain!" Both Cytros and Certo turned to see Voltrus walking up the hill towards them. Cytros was about to respond when a tiny head poked out from under the cover of the guard's wing.
"Vixen?"
"Daddy!" The young fire dragoness bounced over to her father. She hugged his massive forelimb, thankful to be near him again. "Sabre's gone? She hasn't been home all day!"
"She's been spying on us for the past couple days," Certo explained taking a step towards her. "Last I saw her was just before heading back."
"Did she follow you?" Cytros asked as he placed a comforting paw over his daughter's back.
"I would expect that she did." Certo shrugged. He was beginning to feel uneasy about the situation, now that he realized what might be at stake. "Why wouldn't she?"
Cytros frowned and turned back to Voltrus. "Organize a search party. I want this entire city searched from top to bottom. We have to find her."
"Understood." Vultrus saluted with a wing and took to the air.
Cytros watched him go before turning to his daughter. "Come Vixen. I'll escort you home."
"But I want to help!" Vixen protested, taking a stance beside Certo, hoping that he would be her back-up should her father disapprove.
"You can help by waiting at home," Cytros spoke softly, clearly trying to hide his frustration. "If Sabre does come back then we need someone there to welcome her."
Vixen looked to Certo who only nodded his agreement. The young fire dragoness looked saddened that she could not help as she pleased. "Alright Daddy. I'll go."
"That's my girl." Cytros leaned down to nuzzle her affectionately.
"What should I do?" Certo asked.
Cytros's frown returned as he looked up at the black dragon. "You can return to the library and inform the others of what is going on. Then I suggest you get some rest. If you're going to be any help to us at all you need to be fresh. Is that understood?"
"Y-yes..." Certo mumbled, staring at his feet. He knew it was his fault that this was happening. If only he had been more aware, more careful, Sabre would be safe at home right now.
The black dragon stood and watched as the two fire dragons walked back down the hill towards their home. Each time Vixen glanced over her shoulder at him, Certo felt a new twinge of guilt in his heart.
"Damn me," He cursed silently before taking off back towards the library.
Back inside, Crona hurried to scribble down her finished notes. She was still feeling rather irritated about Certo's earlier comment, and now she was hustling to try and put the black dragon in his place once again. But each time she paused to think about what she had written out, a new idea would come to mind and she would start writing all over again.
Across the table, Verona was organizing a stack of old, dusty books she had brought for Kia and Stratus to inspect. But the ice dragoness was more focused on Crona furiously scribbling away before her.
Kia seemed to notice and smiled, nudging the librarian with her wing. "She's like that," She whispered. Crona was so deep into her work that she did not even hear the comment. Kia chuckled, seeing that her former student had not changed entirely since graduating from her class.
The sudden flutter of wings grabbed their attention. Certo shot into the room and came to a sliding halt across the marble floor. Right away Kia could tell the young male was distressed.
"Sabre's gone missing!" He reported before anyone could speak. Crona's head perked up at hearing the ice dragoness's name. On instinct she looked around the room to see if there was any extra pair of eyes watching them. "Cytros is having a search party put together so we can try and find her."
"I'll go inform Nitrus," Kia spoke quickly before getting up to leave.
"I'll begin searching the library," Stratus grunted as he lifted himself off the floor. "Perhaps she is around here somewhere."
"I'll begin searching on the upper levels," Verona reported, then turned to Certo and Crona. "Let us know if you see anything."
"Will do." Certo nodded. As soon as they had gone he let out a long sigh that seemed like he had been holding for a while. "Crona, I'm sorry."
The sudden apology caught the dragoness off guard. "Wh-what are you apologizing for? I didn't say anything."
"No but you were implying the entire time." Certo shook his head as he walked over to her. "I was becoming too arrogant. I was being blinded by this... this new power of mine. I was becoming cocky and because of that I failed to realize what was really important here."
He looked Crona in the eyes and the dragoness felt her face grow hot. It was times like this she had always hated having white skin, because the blood showed against it far too easily. "A-and that would be...?"
"The lives and safety of those I should be trying to protect," Certo replied, breaking his stare. "I should have made sure Sabre would get home safely rather than assuming she'd follow after me. And now the city will be in a panic trying to find her. And if something has happened to her..."
A sudden paw clamped his mouth shut. Certo looked into Crona's sky-blue eyes and she shook her head. "Don't even think about it," She ordered, narrowing her eyes at him. "We will deal with it as time goes on. Until then, we just have to focus on finding her."
Crona released Certo's muzzle and his mouth fell open slightly. "Alright. I trust you," He murmured.
"I'm glad." Crona bobbed her head, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Seeing her calm complexion seemed to settle Certo's nerves. He let out another sigh, rustling her notes and sending a chill down her spine. "I'd better rest up. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow." He started walking towards his room, looking back at her over his shoulder. "You can take your time with your notes. I know they're important to you." Now it was Crona's turn to be speechless. She took a quick glance at her papers and ink, then back to Certo. The black dragon was smiling at her; forcing it, but smiling none the less. "Good night. Don't be up too late." With that he disappeared into the back room to curl up, cold and alone.
Crona sat beside the table staring at the empty doorway. She made several glances between the table full of notes, and the back room. For some reason she felt conflicted. Like she wanted to continue with her work, but also that Certo wanted her to follow him. At least that may have been what he wanted. But often he was a hard dragon to read. He said so many things, often hurtful, with such intent, that she, more often than not, found it hard to believe the words were his.
A long pause followed after she was certain he had bed down for the night. Her stomach churned as she thought about what to do. She wanted to help him but also she knew that he needed his space sometimes. And after reflecting on how hard she had been pushing him the past four days, she turned back to the table and picked up her writing tool.
"He'll be fine." She thought to herself as she went back to writing, at a considerably slower pace. "He'll be fine."

The day finally came when Crona was well enough to depart from Ignitus' company. She had enjoyed being with him as she made her speedy recovery. The elder dragon was every bit as kind and wise as she had heard and more. The guardian had even gathered extra food to fill her tattered travel bags, so she would not have to worry about foraging as much, being too young to hunt on her own. After wishing her well, Ignitus pointed her off in the direction of the arctic regions of Dante's freezer. This was where he had last sent Spyro; it was also where the Dark Master's dragon general had taken the guardian of lightning, Volteer. Crona thanked him and headed out on her own.
It took several weeks to reach the frozen tundra of Dante's Freezer. The journey had been littered with danger as the Dark Master's forces proceeded to sweep across the burned landscape. Seeing the massive armies for herself was enough to make Crona want to flee for her home and the safety of her father's company. However, each time she had been able to bypass the occasional patrol or evade a platoon of the armored savages, she became more and more confident in her survival instincts.
Very rarely did she have to confront the demons of her past. Much to her relief, her only major oppositions were strays who had gone out on patrol, away from the camps. Crona quickly began to realize that the closer she drew towards her destination, the more fortified the apes' defenses became.
As Crona reached the top of a frozen cliff, she found herself staring out at a vast river of ice. Her jaw dropped as she took in the sight before her. All along the route, enemy battle emplacements lay in ruins. Catapults, cannons, watch towers and navy yards burned. But what surprised Crona the most was the fact that they were still burning. Whatever attack that had taken place here had been recent.
Crona took to the air and wearily flew over the glacier flow. All around, apes struggled to regain their scattered and wounded forces from the burning structures. Crona began to wonder how large of a force had attack this frozen fortress. "But, Ignitus said he only sent Spyro," She pondered aloud to herself. "You can't tell me he did all this. Just on his own."
As she drew closer to the mainland, she continued to see more increasing signs of the ensuing battle. An explosion burst from beyond the outer wall and a cloud of fire burst into the air.
"He's still here!" Crona gasped, her eyes wide in shock. She had not seen power of that magnitude since she discovered her ability to manipulate magic. The white dragoness banked towards the black cloud of smoke, hoping that she was not too late. Just as she was about to reach the courtyard where the battle was, another explosion rocked the fortress and the agonized howl of wounded apes filled the air. This explosion had happened deeper in; whoever this Spyro was, he was moving fast and hitting hard. Crona was about to turn in the new direction when a stray fireball shot up out of the fortress. The dragoness squeaked in surprise and dove towards the ground. The fireball struck a hill nearby, burning a deep crater into the once frozen rock.
Crona landed and took off running as fast as her legs could carry her. If any more stray fireballs were to hit her, she could forget about being any help to this Spyro character. The sounds of the battle raged in the distance; howls from the apes, roars from what she could not tell, and screeching monsters whose origin Crona did not wish to find out.
After several minutes the sounds of explosions and noise began to die away. Crona paused as she trudged up the side of a small mountain overlooking the interior of the fortress. All around, smoke and fire rose into the sky. "There's no way." The young dragoness shook her head. "There's no way this could have been done by just one dragon!"
"Hey, you!" Crona's head jerked to the side to see a battalion of apes coming towards her. They had been on station on the outer sectors of the fortress and were hurrying to investigate the commotion. They seemed rather surprised to find the little white dragoness all alone with no one to look after her.
"Get her!" The lead ape shouted and rushed her.
Crona's first instinct was to flee, but an unknown force held her. Without realizing it, she charged forward. Her onyx talons dug into the snow as she propelled herself up the mountainside towards her attackers. The path they were on was narrow and no place for the apes to be gathering in a mass.
The lead ape leaped into the air and swung his blade at Crona. The dragoness gave a quick burst of speed and darted underneath the smelly beast. Crona stiffened her neck and rammed the following ape in the solar plexus as hard as she could. The baboon felt the wind rush out of him and the ground disappear beneath his feet. Crona and several of the other apes watched as he, and two other barbarians fell to their deaths on the rocks below.
Now infuriated, the apes turned their dark, hateful eyes on the young dragoness. Crona braced herself before them. The squad leader hollered a battle cry and swung his cleaver. Sensing the impending attack coming, Crona was easily able to avoid the strike. She sidestepped as the weapon plunged into the icy ground, before raking the ape across the face with her talons. The ape hollered in pain as he staggered back, clutching at his bleeding face.
The small victory did not last long, for the other apes began pushing and shoving to get at the young dragoness. Crona began to panic as she watched them raise their spears. She soon began to realize that this was a fight beyond her capable abilities. Fearing this may be her last moment alive; Crona remembered her family, her father, her late mother and best friend. "I'm sorry Father," She whispered in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter as the apes drew closer. Crona wanted to crawl into a safe hole, away from these bloodthirsty monsters.
The nearest ape launched his spear at the young dragoness, hoping to impale her through in one strike. A loud crack rang through the air as the spear shattered against an energy barrier. Crona opened her eyes to see a light blue barrier of magic surrounding her. The apes glanced at one another, just as much in shock as she was.
Crona inhaled deeply. The barrier began to warp as the magic filled her lungs. The energy billowed around her like a stream of blue, misty energy, refreshing her once tired body and cleansing her mind of any doubts she had possessed.
The apes snarled and lurched forward. Crona hissed in response. The energy she erupted outward, blowing away a large portion of the squad off the cliff. The apes towards the rear of the formation stood, dumbstruck as they watched their comrades fall to their deaths below. All around, the wind began to pick of speed as Crona continued to harness the pure energy surrounding her.
The apes towards the very back of the line turned and fled.
"Come back you cowards!" One of the barbarians shouted furiously. He turned with the remaining three apes to stare down the lone, white dragoness.
Crona closed her eyes as she began to concentrate again. The blue mist was clearer than before, in her mind's eye. The energy coursed around the forms of the apes, making them clearly visible in the growing blizzard. Just as she was about to summon another surge of energy, a spark in the mist caught her attention; something she had never seen before since her first discovery of the magical winds. Colorful sparks began to flutter within the thick blue fog. At first they appeared as small yellow lights in the distance, but soon drew closer until they surrounded the captivated, white dragoness.  Crona reached out subconsciously and the light expanded, almost attaching itself to her paw. The energy hovered before her and Crona felt a slight stinging sensation in her arm. She yelped in surprise, practically slapping the ball of energy away. Much to her surprise it rocketed away from her in a bolt of lightning.
The young dragoness stared in astonishment as the apes convulsed before falling off the cliff ledge. The smell of burned fur and flesh hit her and she curled her lip in disgust. As she continued along the ledge, noticing the bloodstains in the snow, she found herself more confused about the skirmish than relieved.
"What was that?" She asked herself. The tingle still remained under her paw as she walked on. She paused and looked at her paw, trying to figure out what she had done. She knew she could manipulate magical energy, but this was totally new to her. Was it this place that had caused this to happen?
A sudden explosion in the background brought her back to reality. The white dragoness sighed in irritation; her questions and magical experiments would have to wait until later.