The morning after our curious trio meets an interesting pair of gryphons, finds them waking without a trace of the pair, as if their meeting had been but a dream. The ruins in which they sought refuge for the night, an empty tattered mass of stone and aether. Once impermeable granite pillars are now porous, filled with malleable aether. Distraught, viscous purple corruption oozing from the pores bored into the stone, staining the dirt and grass beneath. Though it felt like morning to our three candid adventurers, there was nary a ray of sun in the sky, only clouds of purple hanging suspended in their aetheral prison. 

Sylvie, our ever cautious mother of the group, wakes first, though she finds it strange that the other creatures have all but disappeared, she makes no real fuss about it as they’ve done all they can do for the pair. She and Cookie Dough still had to find Theseus. After their battle against the primal called Spectral Matriarch, they had gotten separated. And loathe she was to admit it, she missed her fluffy obsidian coat, with hit aquamarine colored markings, how her red eyes were piercing but never frightening. 

Archimedes, sensing her longing, came to nuzzle against the hard plates of Syvlie’s cheek. The small fluffy kitten, that nearly matched their aether suspended environment, always knew when she was in need of affection. She had found Archimedes when she found Cookie Dough’s egg, and so after raising the two together, it was only a matter of time that the kitten would grow to protect not just her, but their small wonderful Cookie Dough as well. Nuzzling the small creature, Sylvie stands, stretching as she releases a yawning roar. 

“Huh! Whahappen!?!” Ciodel, her pearly colored abyssal companion sat up, startled awake by her yawn.

Gesturing him to quiet down, “It’s just us Ciodel, don’t worry.”

Though as the words fell from her maw, their quaint morning was quickly interrupted by the heavy thud and a gust of wind sweeping through the ruins. Hidden behind the crumbling stone wall, a burly mass of fur slowly stalks around. Sylvie scoops up Archemedes, swinging herself to stand between the giant creature and her daughter, Ciodel just off to her right. His  many eyes wide in awe, lit up with enthusiasm. A look Sylvie had yet seen in any of the dragon’s she’s crossed paths with, it was intriguing but also worrisome. 

Although she had seen Theseus fight, she never had such a gleeful expression. She fought to protect while this candy caned abyssal seemed to fight for fun. Even confused as she was, she knew that whatever had descended upon them was not there to make friends, if the aether around them was still this strong. None of the other primals had been able to best the corruptive properties that lie dormant in the deceptively beautiful aura, there’s little reason to believe that this one would be any less aggressive. 

Answering her question, finally rounding the stone ruins, stands before them the proud, and regal primal known to the other gryphons as Kronos. His lustrous topaz and raven coat would have been beautiful to see had it not had vibrant blue cyan and emerald fur tangled within. At the sight of the fur of her friend embedded in the primals chest fur, ignites the blaze within our brilliantly azurite abyssal, her subtle ether eyes react in kind, the smoke growing, circling up along her horns, her once stoic demeanor disrupted by this revelation.

“Where is she?” Sylvie growls out. “What have you done?!” Her growl is low, precise.

Ciodel smiles at Sylvie, knowing her anger. “Welcome to the fight Sylvie. Let us avenge and find your friend. If she fights as well as you, I’m sure she’s fine.” Clearly goading Sylvie into attacking recklessly with him.

“We shall see.” Slow, deliberate, taunting, Kronos booms over the two abyssals, dragging his talons against the corrupted stone pillars. “Face me.”

The taunting and goading work to get Sylvie to react, charging just behind Ciodel, the two abyssals attempt to flank the giant gryphon. Icicles fly from Ciodel’s maw as he closes in along the fuzzy left side of Kronos, tucking in his wings to avoid getting caught by the massive talons. Unleashing her thunderous flames into Kronos’ right flank, Sylvie’s tail also finds its home digging into his front leg, dragging along behind her devastating breath attack.

The clashing breaths and booming voice of Kronos wake Cookie Dough from her slumber. Stretching as Archemedes hisses in the direction of the commotion, she looks up just in time to see the synchronized attack shared between her mother and their newfound companion. Unsure as to why the two are attacking, she decides that they must have a good reason, though her mother can fight, she’s not one to attack without reason.

Taking flight, Cookie Dough takes to the skies, an attempt to take the offensive in her own way, delivering a haunting roar as she climbs above the clouds. As she dives she prepares her breath attack, the frigid cold welling in her chest, the inky shadow seeping from her maw. Just before Cookie Dough gets into range for her attack, she watches as the feathered primal spins attempting to pierce Sylvie with his horn. The sight drives Cookie Dough to her limits unleashing a massive attack, coupled with another eerily haunting roar, before swooping around and landing in front of Kronos, determination in her eyes.

“You’ll regret coming here today Kronos. We only wanted to help you all! I only wanted to help but you and the other primals are beyond help!” Screaming at the primal as she sheds tears at the sight of her mother’s injury and as the dust settles, the realization that he had already fought Theseus, still she continues. “My friends are not yours to take, it is time for you to rest now!” 

The last of her words reverberate through Sylvie, bringing her back to reason long enough to see her darling daughter, tears in her eyes, charging headstrong against their opponent. For the moment she couldn’t be prouder that her daughter had found her voice, later she would scold her for being so reckless, just as she knew her daughter would scold her as well.