Before they began their journey to the mountains, Spyro suggested they shouldn't go unarmed, just in case another ambush like the one in the treehouse happened. Aria agreed, and he made a quick stop at his house, going inside to grab something. When he returned, he held two cloth-like bands in his hand.
As he got back into the car, he handed one to Aria. She noticed symbols drawn on the cloth.
"What are these?" she asked.
Before Spyro could answer, Simon cut in. "They're for protection against fire—fire elements, fire magic…" He glanced pointedly at Spyro before adding, "and dragon fire."
Spyro nodded. "Normally, these symbols would be tattooed onto the skin, but modern magic has made it easier." Simon raised his shirt, showing them the same symbol tattooed just below his abs.
Aria eyed the tattoo. "Who exactly are you?"
"A guard," he replied with a cocky smile.
Spyro raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing you don't need one of these, then." He turned back to Aria. "You'll need to tie it somewhere comfortable."
"All right." She raised her arm, and Spyro carefully tied the band around her upper arm.
"We ready?" he asked, looking between them.
"Yeah," Aria nodded.
The drive resumed, the trees whipping past as they sped along. Aria gazed out the window, her mind racing. What would she do if they found the woman? Would she kill her? Or was this all more complex than she had assumed? Her pulse quickened.
"You should try to rest," Spyro suggested, snapping her back to reality. "Calm yourself down."
She took a deep breath and leaned back, closing her eyes. Simon was already asleep beside her, his breathing even, and soon, she too drifted off.
When the car eventually slowed to a stop, Aria stirred and adjusted in her seat. They had arrived. She followed Simon out, shutting the door behind her as they faced a small clearing, a worn mountain trail stretching ahead.
"This place feels abandoned," she noted, sniffing the air. "No one hikes here anymore, do they?"
"If you heard that a dangerous person was wandering around these woods, would you still come here?" Simon replied, already starting up the trail.
"Fair point," Aria muttered, glancing at her watch. It was a little past one in the afternoon. She slung her quiver over her shoulder, fastened her knife to her thigh, and took her bow in hand, ready to go.
Simon was a few steps ahead, with Spyro close behind, so she hurried to catch up.
The deeper they went into the forest, the emptier it felt. The only sounds were the crunch of their boots and the occasional gust of wind rustling the trees.
"It's getting cold," Aria whispered.
"It's always cold in the mountains," Simon replied, Spyro nodding in agreement.
Spyro pulled out a few photos the hiker had taken before running away, handing one to Aria and another to Simon. "The guy took these because he said the forest felt… wrong, just before he saw the creature."
"Why didn't he just snap a picture of the thing itself?" Simon grumbled.
"Probably freaked out," Spyro shrugged.
"This might turn into a wild goose chase," Simon complained, visibly irritated.
"If you didn't want to come along, you could've stayed in the car," Spyro muttered, annoyed.
"I'm here to protect Aria. That's my job."
"Then do your job."
Aria had stopped, her gaze fixed on an odd carving on a rock. Spyro and Simon were ahead, still bickering, but Spyro noticed her absence and turned back.
"Aria, something wrong?"
She stepped closer to the rock, her fingers tracing the symbol. "This symbol…"
Spyro's eyes widened. "That symbol… was on your brother's body."
Aria's breath came out in short, shaky puffs. "I knew I wasn't imagining it…"
"I studied that symbol so much while investigating its origin that it's burned into my mind," Spyro said grimly.
Aria looked up at him, her eyes determined. "Does this mean we're close?"
"I don't know."
Simon raised the photo Spyro had given him and froze. At the edge of the image, a figure lurked, looking disturbingly similar to the one that had attacked them at the treehouse. And the background of the photo matched the area they now stood in.
Spyro's senses flared. "Something's wrong." He reached out, pulling Aria behind him just as Simon drew his sword, his expression fierce.
"Something's watching us," Simon said, his voice steely.
"I can feel it too," Spyro replied.
"In one of those pictures, I'm sure I saw that figure," Simon added.
"I didn't see it…" Spyro admitted.
"Neither did I," Aria said, pulling an arrow from her quiver and pressing her back against Spyro's.
"Can you tell where it is?" Aria asked Spyro, her voice tense.
He shook his head. "No."
They stood back-to-back, eyes scanning every corner, waiting for a sign.
"It's waiting for us to move first," Spyro muttered, eyes narrowed. "Then it'll strike."
"Show yourself!" Simon shouted, his voice cutting through the cold air.
Aria's grip on her bow tightened. "Come out and face us!"
Just then, a droplet of something wet landed on Aria's shoulder. Her breathing stopped. "G-Guys…" she stammered.
"Hmm?" they replied in unison.
"It's… above us…"
In a split second, they all jumped back, spinning to see a twisted creature perched in the branches, snarling down at them. Aria, realizing her advantage with her bow, quickly pulled back and fired an arrow. But the creature dodged, leaping down from the tree with a terrifying roar.
The creature looked like something straight out of a nightmare—its head resembled a dog or wolf, while its body was humanoid, but its size was monstrous, almost bear-like. It bounded toward Aria with inhuman speed. She reached for her knife, but Simon was quicker, intercepting the creature and slashing at its arms, forcing it back. Taking advantage, Spyro lunged forward, grabbing the creature's head and channeling fire from his palms. The creature's head ignited, and it collapsed, lifeless, as black blood pooled around it.
Aria, shaken, dropped to her knees and vomited. Spyro knelt beside her, holding her hair back and patting her shoulder.
Simon stepped closer to the creature, examining the symbol marked on its back.
"I've seen this before," he said coldly. "It's a summon."
Spyro's expression darkened. "Which means the summoner is probably nearby."
"Or fled," Simon muttered, sheathing his sword. "Coward."
But then, the creature's blood began to move, creeping toward Simon's boots and wrapping around them. The leather began to dissolve as Simon quickly jumped back, yanking off his boots as the ground beneath him melted.
"What the—?" His eyes widened.
Spyro grabbed both Simon and Aria, his wings bursting from his back as he took off into the sky. Aria clung to his arm, watching in horror as the ground below dissolved, the black blood spreading rapidly across the forest floor.
Spyro flew them over a stone bridge and touched down on the other side moments before the dark ooze consumed it. He set them down on solid ground, folding his wings back as he transformed into his human form again.
Simon looked back at the dissolving forest, then turned to Spyro. "That was close. Too close."
Aria clutched her chest, catching her breath. "What… what was that thing?"
Spyro's gaze was grim as he turned back to the forest. "A summoned creature, but one with deadly intent. Whoever's sending these creatures wants us out—or worse."
"Looks like they know we're getting close," Simon added, his jaw clenched. "And they're not playing around."
Aria felt a chill run down her spine, but determination quickly overtook it. "We can't stop now." Her fingers went to the band around her arm, tracing the symbols.
Spyro nodded. "We won't. But we'll stay cautious. Whoever's behind this won't scare us off that easily."
They shared a silent look of agreement, gathering their weapons as they turned back to the trail. They'd come too far to turn back. With one last glance at the decaying forest, they pressed on, ready to face whatever waited in the shadows ahead.