A Dragon out of Time, A Crash and Spyro Story

Chapter 9: The Spirit Aku-Aku

 Subject C1, or Crash as he identified himself in his heart later on, found his tiki mask on the beach of one of the Wumpa Islands. Crash was a lost soul, without purpose and struggling to survive the danger the monster who created him presented. In him, Aku-Aku, among the uncertainty and fear, also sensed an infallible sense of loyalty and courage. He would act selflessly, if the cause was something he believed in. Aku-Aku at first was adamant about putting his trust, and by extension, his faith in this creature. He was a creation, his sentience manufactured by a sick and demented mind that would eventually fall victim to his evil counterpart, Uka-Uka. But even though his life was synthetic and not naturally conceived, Crash found his own path because of his love for his family. He was so loyal to his fellow mutated bandicoots, he would betray his own creator to spare their lives. It's because of how much he cherished life, that Aku-Aku put his faith in this odd creature to stop Uka-Uka, who had found such a dangerous and ambitions man to do his evil bidding. Through Dr. Cortex, Uka-Uka could use him to gather the legendary Power Crystals and destroy all life on the planet, like how the Sorcerer and the Sorceress had done millennia ago. Which is what made Crash's rescue of a certain baby Dragon all the more suspicious to Aku-Aku.

The reign of Dragons and the reign of Man never intersected, but their discovery of Earthly Magic was the common thread between the two. The Dragons through the spirit of the Dragonflies which were natural conduits of magic, and Humans though the tools they created and the spirits they identified. Aku-Aku was an ancient spirit, who at one point was a man. So was his literal brother, Uka-Uka. They were the first who continued the passage of magic from the Dragons to Humans. Aku-Aku the spirit of order who adopted the Dragon's form of magic; Uka-Uka the spirit of chaos who adopted the Dinopotamus form of magic.

This is the burden of magic. It can either cause prosperity to those who wield it, or destruction to those who weaponized it. Which thus was the fate of the Dragons and the Dinopotamus who waged war with each other so long ago. Both their species eventually fell. Tragic as it was, as unfortunate and undeserving as it was for the Dragons who tried to live peacefully, evil took root in the hearts of the Sorcerer and the Sorceress who set their lives out to kill their rivals. This was what was so troubling about Crash's rescue of a Dragon. They were all supposed to be dead. What was even more troubling was that Spyro was a purple Dragon. The last purple Dragon, Malefor, had defeated the Sorcerer but then succumbed to the same evil that ravaged his opponent. But what if Malefor wasn't the last purple Dragon? What if the Dragon Crash rescued was born after him?

˂Coco would be right. It is unnatural to disturb the time continuum in any fashion, yet current events cause for you to meddle with time and retrieve Crystals. However, bringing that Dragon here was a mistake and not your right to do.˃

˂I saved his life, Aku-Aku. Was I supposed to let him die˃

˂You were not to interfere. But you acted with good intentions, and for that I commend you. When you learn the truth about your actions, however, you will find the courage to let him go.˃

Aku-Aku went silent and ignored Crash, for something had come to his attention. A magical source like none other he had sensed before. It reached out to him. The familiarity of the power, it was what once the Dragon's conduits to Earthly Magic. A Dragonfly. Aku-Aku knew this because, like his ability with Crash's mind, he sensed the Dragonfly's presence and understood him, as it did the same with him. There was nothing to hide and no secrets to keep.

˂I've come to guard Spyro.˃

˂Your slumber has been long and valiant, but in vain.˃

˂I'm not one to question the Fates, but it does seem strange how our fates have intertwined, along with Crash and Spyro's, a hundred thousand years from my creation. That the Power Crystals could be so powerful as to allow the distortion of time itself.˃

˂You know where I am? Good, come see Spyro with your own eyes. And maybe the Fate's will be kind enough to allow our chosen heroes to have a valiant purpose.˃

˂So you think it's possible for Spyro to save his kind?˃

˂If he wishes to. The only question is will he want to. I fear Crash's love for the creature will eventually impact Spyro's decision.˃

˂I can understand. And I do think the decision should be his. I'll support whatever decision Spyro chooses.˃

˂When you can, make the long journey to my location. Until then, god speed, Sparx the Dragonfly. May the Fates be kind indeed.˃

˂As with you, Spirit of Order: Aku-Aku.˃