Dark Cloud: The Dragon Stream on Bloody August
The air inside the ancient stone corridor was thick with the scent of old dust and dying tallow.
"And soon, the night of eternal darkness shall be upon us," Kyogi Kagimi said, his voice echoing off the damp walls. "Evil spirits will once again roam our land. Even now, our enemies prepare to take over the temple."
Masaki Kurusu didn't answer immediately. He leaned against a pillar, his eyes tracking the strange, shifting energy in the center of the chamber. Beside him stood Spyro, the purple dragon's horns gleaming in the low light, and right behind him was Gnasty Gnorc. Once a menace to the Dragon Realms, Gnasty now stood tall as an unlikely hero, his massive spiked club resting peacefully—for now—against his armored shoulder.
They all stared at the glowing glyph etched into the floor. It was a manifestation circle, a volatile tear in reality.
"Whatever they can think of appears in the circle," Masaki muttered, watching a phantom blade materialize and vanish within the light.
Kyogi stepped fully into the dimly lit temple hallway, his gaze sweeping over the bizarre assembly of heroes and reformed villains. "Which side do you intend to take in this little brawl?" he asked, his tone dripping with calculated curiosity.
"You haven't made your position clear either, Sorceress Stabber."
The voice belonged to Orphen. He stepped out of the deeper recesses of the room, the flames of candle light dancing in the shadows across his sharp features.
Kyogi offered a cold, slight smirk. "I'll take whatever side I like best, as always."
"Perhaps I should say that sounds like you," Orphen said, turning his back to Kagimi to face the glowing circle. His expression darkened. "But will the Bloody August Dragon kill Makubex and Sparx if it doesn't get the sword? You can't give it the sword. But you can't just let them die, either."
"We aren't letting anyone die," Spyro snapped, his tail lashing. The mention of his dragonfly companion, Sparx, being in danger set his scales on fire. Gnasty Gnorc let out a low, sympathetic grunt, nodding in agreement.
Before Orphen could counter, the heavy wooden doors at the end of the hall creaked open. Tatsuma Hiyuu entered the room alongside Tendo Kozuno. Both men looked exhausted, yet radiant with a strange, ambient energy.
"It's already happening," Tatsuma said, raising his hand. Faint, golden tendrils of light were visibly pulsing beneath his skin. "There was all that light gathering inside him... whatever that power was, it flowed into all of us."
Tendo closed his eyes, feeling the ambient temperature in the temple rapidly shifting. The air pressure dropped, and the manifestation circle in the center of the room flared violently, casting long, frantic shadows against the stone.
"The time of the dragon stream draws nigh," Tendo whispered.
The temple trembled. The eternal night was coming, and whether they were ready or not, the brawl for the fate of both worlds had just begun.
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