Though it was a beautiful day all around them, it seemed that Spyro couldn't find it in himself to enjoy it. He peered over the cliffs that loomed over Ancient's Peak's beach, or rather, the oceans where the Weapon Master rested. A tense aura formed around him, one that almost seemed to damper the cheer of the autumn leaves' colors as they rained down from the trees ahead. However, it did little to stop the sheer excitement that surrounded the area as everyone discussed the events to come.

"Can you believe it? We're so close to getting the Eternal Magic Source!"

"I'll be happy about it when we actually get it."

"Do you think they can get it?"

"Oh, I'm sure they can! I'd help if I could, but I've got missions coming up…"

Spyro couldn't help but glance behind and wince, all while a dull gray rain cloud manifested above his head and poured rain down on his crest. Despite the intense rain, Spyro hardly even noticed the cloud was there as he moved those golden eyes back on the Weapon Master.

"That's the guy who's supposed to take us to the Eternal Magic Source?" Spyro asked as he peered back up at Chihiro with a swift swish of his tail.

"Yep" Chihiro chirped as she nodded and brushed the rain cloud away from Spyro's head. "We just need to give him the word and we'll get our prize!" Chihiro grinned as she punched the skies. "And believe me, we're gonna get it!"

Chihiro's grin stretched even wider as she placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, all while she held the Eternal Magic Source's mechanical map in her hands. Even with the oncoming mission, she shone so cheerful and bright.

"After all, we've been on a winning streak lately! We got everything but this last thing for the core, Kaos's empire is practically nothing at this point, and most importantly—" Chihiro giggled as she pointed a thumb at herself "—I finished my last portal master exam! Once we get the Core fixed and I get my fancy graduation ceremony, I'll be a full-fledged portal master!"

Chihiro giggled in some sort of proud haze as she rubbed a fist against her chest; her optimism was so bright that it practically radiated around her. That is, until a tense air wafted through and turned her smile to a frown.

Beside her, Spyro didn't seem nearly as confident as she did. He pawed at the ground and swished his tail back and forth. His golden eyes trained on the Weapon Master like it was a threat, a bomb waiting to explode, or perhaps that was just Spyro himself? Well, if that wasn't evident enough, the mass of storm clouds that formed above him as his eyes flashed blue were definitely a clue. Spyro sighed as the storm clouds rumbled, but as the rain hit his scales, he yelped and vanquished them all away in an instant.

"Something up, Golden Boy?" Chihiro asked as she bent down to Spyro's height and laid a hand on his shoulders. "It seems like something's raining on your parade, so to speak."

Spyro yanked his head up in a bit of alarm, wide eyes and all, but that tension seemed to lift just a little the moment he turned and locked eyes on Chihiro. As his brows loosened up, he forced a laugh and looked aside.

"Well, yeah, I guess you could say that," Spyro admitted as he rested a paw against his cheek. "It's just… Well, to start with, we're super understaffed." Spyro peered up at Chihiro and folded his wings against his back. "With everyone else on missions, it's just the two of us and Drill Sergeant once he finishes patrolling the island."

Spyro leaned down as he turned his view back towards the Weapon Master, grabbed a rock off the ground, and tossed it into the ocean.

"But, that's not the biggest problem I've got. After all, Kaos has been awfully quiet lately." Spyro bit his lip as the rock splashed against the ocean waves with a surprising level of force, and looked back up to Chihiro. "In fact, he's been, well, too quiet, if you know what I mean. Something about this feels wrong!"

Chihiro paused for a moment, and her cheery aura turned gentle as she nodded and ran her hand down Spyro's back. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It almost feels like something bad's just waiting to happen," Chihiro said before she shook her head and lifted up Spyro's own, "but, we can't let worrying stop us now! I mean, look on the bright side!"

Chihiro got up and spun around as she gestured to the Core of Light in its shining, nearly-complete glory. "The Core of Light's almost done, and we've got a direct link to the Eternal Magic Source's hideout! Kaos is probably so quiet cause he's up to his face in books looking for it!"

Spyro's tension seemed to loosen up a bit as well; he made a small, gentle nod while his lips loosened and formed a small smile.

"Besides, even if it's just us, with the two of us together we're definitely gonna get this thing!" Chihiro grinned as she shoved her hands in her pockets. "I mean, with my super special portal master talents, and your smarts and skills, we make a pretty good team!" Chihiro lifted a finger out of her pocket and made a finger gun. "In fact, you could say it's pretty magical!"

Spyro placed a paw on his muzzle and stifled a laugh as Chihiro winked, but she definitely noticed it as she fell back down and wrapped her arms around him.

"Come on, that made you laugh, I know it!" Chihiro chuckled as she poked Spyro's snout. "You don't have to hide it, I know I'm a master of punnery~"

Spyro made a few more stifled chuckles, but finally he lifted his paw away and broke out into pure laughter! It was so infectious that it made its way to Chihiro, and she burst into laughs too! The two of them just sat there in their own, happy little bubble for moments, their worries completely forgotten as they laughed together. Chihiro bolted forward and wrapped Spyro in a tight hug; Spyro blinked for a few moments, but it didn't break his laughter as he nuzzled her cheek just a bit, while those blue eyes of his flashed back to their warm, welcoming gold.

"Excuse me, sirs, but why exactly are you laughing?" Drill Sergeant asked as he rolled up to Spyro and Chihiro.

Spyro and Chihiro's laughter came to a sharp close, and the two of them yanked away from each other as they shoved their hands (or paws, in Spyro's case) behind their backs.

"NOTHING!" Spyro and Chihiro both shouted as they looked aside.

As the two of them sighed and regained their composure, Drill Sergeant raised a suspicious eyebrow at Spyro and Chihiro, but finally he made the best shrug a robot of his model could make and beeped.

"Anyways, I have finished my island patrol protocol, sirs." Drill Sergeant's engine whirred as his eyes lit up a brighter shade of yellow than before. "Are you ready to leave for the Eternal Magic Source mission, sirs?"

"I suppose so," Spyro sighed as he turned his head back down to the beach. "Still kinda wish it wasn't just the three of us though, just in ca—"

"WAIT, WAIT, STOP THE BALLOON!" cried a familiarly shrill voice as leaves tossed everywhere behind Spyro, Chihiro and Drill Sergeant. "DON'T LEAVE US JUST YET!"

Spyro, Drill Sergeant and Chihiro all perked their heads up as they turned back to the voices' source, but their confused looks quickly turned to grins as they found just who it came from!

"Double Trouble, Wrecking Ball!" Spyro shouted as he leaped forward and approached the voices' owners. "You're back this early?"

Sure enough, there in front of Spyro were none other than Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball! The two of them seemed awful tired as they leaned down and panted, but the very question Spyro shot them was enough to freeze them completely with a new sense of alertness! Double Trouble frantically waved his head as he rambled on, while Wrecking Ball hastily nodded and forced a grin as wide as his entire round little body!

"Yeah, yeah, what he said!" Wrecking Ball blabbered. "We, er, we finished our mission early, so we're gonna help get the Magic Source!"

Spyro grinned as his eyes grew large with glee. "That's great! Good timing, too, we were just about to shove off!"

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball both grinned as they turned back at each other.

"By the way, how'd that mission go? You're back awfully quick for something as hard as taking down an entire singular of giga-boars. And for that matter, where's Dark?"

The two of them jolted up once more, and those smiles of theirs turned tense and clenched as they grinned back at Spyro.

"Well, er, you see, those giga-boars, they were of absolutely no problem to us!" Wrecking Ball proclaimed as he pattered against the autumn ground. "Though they might have been ravenous, ferocious, absolutely nightmarish mammoths of swine, I took a rolling start and—" Wrecking Ball cried out as Double Trouble's staff bonked him on the head "—I mean, it was no problem for us, yeah, yeah!"

Spyro clenched his jaw and frowned. "Wrecking Ball, when did you start talking so fancy?"

Wrecking Ball hissed and broke into an even more furious sweat as he walked back, and this time, it was Double Trouble who swept in front of him and mediated with a quick explanation!

"Oh, Wrecking Ball got into your potions and Dark's staying behind to check things over?" Spyro repeated before he grinned and rolled his eyes. "Figures." With a flap of his wings, Spyro took to the skies and soared down the stairs that lead to the beach. "Anyways, we'd better get going! The Eternal Magic Source isn't going to wait all day!"

Chihiro grinned as she tapped Drill Sergeant on the shoulder, and as he turned around, she bolted for the stairs and raced down two at a time.

"Wait for me, Golden Boy!" Chihiro cried as she disappeared down the staircase.

Right as Chihiro vanished, Drill Sergeant made a mechanical noise that vaguely sounded like a gasp, and zoomed over to the top of the staircase!

"Please halt for me as well!" Drill Sergeant beeped as he wheeled a bit forward towards the steps, winced and wheeled back. "Unfortunately, a robot of my model was not made for traversing stairs."

Drill Sergeant beeped and sighed yet again as he rolled backwards, yet sputtered and squealed as he a cyan glow lifted him off the ground! He swerved around as he tried to loosen himself from its grasp, and screamed as he soared right down onto the sandy surface of the beach! Drill Sergeant landed on the beach with a drop so intense it kicked sand everywhere, beeped and whipped around.

"Chihiro, sir? Was that your doing?"

Chihiro wasn't there to answer, for she and Spyro already darted over to the shoreline! Chihiro grinned, and snapped her fingers as a magical raft made entirely of translucent cyan logs poofed into existence and landed in the water with a splash.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around, waved, and hopped on the raft herself. "We'll leave you behind if you don't~"

"We're not actually gonna leave anyone behind, Chi!" Spyro shouted back as he hopped on the raft and took a seat.

Drill Sergeant's eyes went wide as his blaster popped out of his head without him even realizing. It slammed back down as he dashed across the sands with such fury that an entire wave of sand stormed up behind him and crashed against the cliffside!

"PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME BEHIND, SIRS!" Drill Sergeant as he bolted towards the raft!

Spyro and Chihiro both gasped and leaned back as Drill Sergeant screeched onto the raft. He hit the breaks maybe a little too fast, given that his stop leaned the raft down into the ocean! As the ocean waters lapped against their feet, Spyro and Chihiro scrambled up and pushed the other half of the raft down—and in the process, sent Drill Sergeant sliding towards the deep blue! Drill Sergeant beeped as he slid down, but the moment his eyes locked on the seas, he screeched and tried his best to wheel his way back up.

"NO, NOT THE WATER!" Drill Sergeant cried as the ocean waves splashed dangerously close to his wheels. "I AM MANY THINGS, BUT NOT WATERPROOF!"

CRACK! Drill Sergeant froze as the raft bobbed back down onto the water, breathed a sigh of relief, but beeped as water caressed his wheels.

"Is it just me, or is it somewhat wet, beep boop?"

The three of them turned their eyes back down at the center of the raft, and screamed as a pillar of water emerged from a massive hole in the heart of the raft!

"NO, STAY AWAY, YOU AWFUL WATER!" Drill Sergeant cried as he spun around in place while rapid beeps and boops and all sorts of panicked, mechanical noises emitted around him. "I AM NEITHER WATERPROOF OR BUOYANT! I DO NOT WISH TO BE TRAPPED IN YOUR DEPTHS, OR TO MEET DAVY JONES IN HIS LOCKER, OR ANYONE ELSE'S LOCKER! I WAS ALREADY LOCKED IN THE EARTH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, I—"

"Drill Sergeant, calm down!" Spyro cried as he grabbed Drill Sergeant's shoulder and gestured to the center of the raft. "Chihiro's already taken care of it!"

Drill Sergeant froze, and beeped as he whipped around to find that Spyro was right! Chihiro smoothed down a magical bandage at the center of the raft, lifted her head up and gave Drill Sergeant a thumbs up.

"Er, nevermind, beep boop!"

Spyro sighed and shook his head as Drill Sergeant let out a series of reluctant beeps and whistles, but Chihiro only giggled as she patted Drill Sergeant on the head. While they basked in the moment, Double Trouble manifested onto the raft with a pop. Wrecking Ball leaped on the raft next, and with such force thatit dipped the raft into the ocean with another splash as Drill Sergeant beeped in panic!

"Alright, looks like everyone's on board!" Chihiro cried as she summoned a magical paddle and dipped it into the water. "Now…"

Chihiro cleared her throat and grinned as she pointed across the ocean. "Thank you for riding the S. R. Hatsuki!" Chihiro proclaimed with the gusto and cheer of a captain on their ship's maiden voyage. "Next stop, the Weapon Master's rock, platform, thingie!"

As the paddle magically animated itself and pushed the raft across the ocean, the five of them stood silent while their raft drew closer and closer to where the Weapon Master stood. As they drew closer, their eagerness and smiles faded to steely, silent anticipation. After all, what they sought now wasn't just the last Eternal Source, but the Core of Light's last component as a whole! Who knew what could be up ahead?

Surely, that's what they all thought as their raft finally docked and allowed them to leave. All of them were silent as Chihiro walked up to the Weapon Master, who in turn, turned around and gave her an almost anticipating stare. Chihiro bit her lip, dug into her pocket and pulled out the map; a kind of tense air surrounded her, but not one that came from awkwardness or sudden shock. Rather, it was a kind of broiling anticipation, the tension that came with finally being faced with a long-awaited challenge.

"Weapon Master, it's time," Chihiro proclaimed as she narrowed her eyes and held out the map, which glowed with a faint light in tandem with her words. A steely glow rang around her as she unfolded the Weapon Master's hand and nestled the map within his palm. "Take us to the Eternal Magic Source!"

"So you're ready, are you?" the Weapon Master asked as he gingerly wrapped his calcified metal fingers around the map. "Be warned, the Armored Vault is no ordinary vault. Being the host to some of our greatest treasures meant that we armed it to the extremes—there are many trials ahead of you, and none of them will be easy."

"But that's nothing we can't beat!" Chihiro's steely, serious look turned to a warm, confident grin as she slammed a fist against her chest. "We've taken down tons of nasty stuff! Whatever that vault has in store for us, we'll fight it off and be back before dinner!"

The Weapon Master chuckled, and clenched his hand as the map sunk into the center of his palm. "Very well then." The Weapon Master held out his palms, which glowed a bright red as opposed to their usual blue. "I will link the Chain of Eternity to the Armored Vault's location. Stand back now."

Right as the Weapon Master said this, a massive chain shot out of his hands and into the depths of the sky, fell down, and slammed against the ocean with a large splash!

Everybody else scattered from the ocean waves, but not Chihiro, who stood firm and fixed her eyes on the chain even as the water doused her. It was like all she could think about was her mission, was that Eternal Magic Source, was finally finishing the goal they all aimed for.

"You may now proceed," the Weapon Master said as he gestured towards the chain.

Chihiro skipped forward with a quick shake that dried her off completely, and bounded right onto the chain! She paused for a moment as she lifted a foot, and when it slammed back onto the chain like metal to a magnet, she grinned and dashed down! Spyro and Drill Sergeant followed suit as they dashed after her and trailed down the chain's massive metal links…

But Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball just shot each other giggles and smirks as they lingered on the platform! Something about them seemed more sinister than usual as they laughed among each other. The Weapon Master raised an eyebrow at them and frowned, and that sinister aura only grew as they froze in the moment.

"What are you two cackling about, exactly?" The Weapon Master asked.

Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball both forced coughs, jumped on and dashed down the chain with such speed that one’d be forgiven if one thought they were being chased!

But while they had made their leave, somebody else made their entrance back at the island's heart—Dark Spyro!

"Where are they?" Dark Spyro cried as he slammed the portal building's doors open and whipped his head around the heart of Ancient's Peak. All the while, a second Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball tailed after him!

"Hey, what's going on here?" Hugo cried as he stumbled out of the portal building with frazzled, disheveled fur and half-off glasses. He paused a moment to pat his fur down and push his glasses back onto his nose. "I could've sworn I saw Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball arrive from patrols a little while ago!"

But, none of them paid attention to Hugo! Instead, Double Trouble just dashed ahead of Dark Spyro and shouted out as he pointed his staff towards the massive oceans ahead! Dark Spyro flew up to the cliffs, peered over, and made a sharp gasp the moment his eyes fell on the chain!

"Crap, they already left!" Dark Spyro cried as he turned back to Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball, "Looks like we're gonna have to make this quick!" Dark Spyro plopped to the ground, flared out his wings and nudged his head towards the cliffs. "Hop on! We're taking the fastest way I know!"

Double Trouble floated up to Dark Spyro, winced and wrung his staff's base as he said something with a bit of a worried tone.

"Shadow travel, of course!" Dark Spyro grinned back as he flapped his wings!

Double Trouble's eyes widened as he presumably repeated what Dark Spyro said, and Dark narrowed his eyes and snarled.

"You'll be perfectly fine as long as you're with me!" Dark flapped his wings and huffed. "Now come on, we don't have time to just sit around!"

Double Trouble seemed like he wanted to protest further, for he snarled and wrung his staff tighter. Before he could, Dark dashed behind Double Trouble and tossed him in the air! Double Trouble screamed as he floated in the air, but his screams silenced as he crashed down onto Dark's back!

"Ooh, ooh, I like fast!" Wrecking Ball cried as he leaped on Dark Spyro's back. "Wait, what are we doing again?"

Dark Spyro grinned and flicked his wings. "I'll show you!"

Dark Spyro dove into the shadow of a nearby tree and dashed down the cliff! Though Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball's screams muffled underneath the shadow, they still faintly rang on the winds as their shadowy carriage leaped off the cliff face, and dashed across the sands of the beach!

The Weapon Master frowned and raised an eyebrow as his gaze trailed down the chain, where the faint notions of Chihiro, Spyro, Drill Sergeant, Double Trouble and Wrecking Ball could just barely be seen in the distance.

"Why were those two acting so strange?" the Weapon Master asked.

He paused and blinked for a few moments more, gasped, and leaned back as a shadow sleek and black dashed across the chain! The Weapon Master shook his head and blinked once more, but when he did, the shadow completely vanished.

"And for that matter, just what was that?" he asked as he turned back to the vast oceans.