Forum Thread

Summary

Years before the founding of Skylanders Academy, before the Giants were rediscovered, there were two active Portal Masters; Master Eon and his student, Costanza. While Master Eon’s magic was limited to the Portal of Power, Costanza’s magical abilities were not, as he could create portals out of thin air. He could even give any Skylander a boost of power when they went through one of his portals. Eon took it upon himself to train Costanza so he could both assist the Skylanders, and gain a better leash on his own powers.

However, when Kaos attacked the Core of Light, everyone was separated. While Eon was turned into a spirit, and the Skylanders scattered and sent to one Earth, Costanza was sent to another.

Meanwhile, an ordinary teenage cafe worker's life becomes a little bit more interesting.

This is the story of Costanza, the lost Portal Master.

Part 1 of 4

Title: Prologue

Skylands. A place full of magic and adventure. A peaceful realm, all things considered.

On this particular day, a teenaged boy not much older than sixteen ran through the halls of Eon’s Citadel, buzzing with excitement. Currently, he was wearing a lilac-colored hooded cloak, with the different symbols for the Elements etched into it in gold thread. Underneath, a simple white shirt and grey sweats, with similar lilac colored boots. His ginger hair was ruffling as he ran, a couple strands narrowly missing his blue eyes.

He turned the corner, almost running into a familiar purple dragon.

“Sorry, Spyro,” he apologized, pausing so he could compose himself. The dragon, who had flown backwards into the air thanks to his wings, simply smiled confidently in response, “No worries, Costanza. Just try to be a little more careful.”

Still hovering in front of the young Portal Master, Spyro asked, “So where are you off to in such a hurry?”

The excitement that he had worked on calming suddenly flared to life again, and Costanza couldn’t help himself.

“Master Eon’s finally letting me go with you guys on patrol!”

The purple dragon suddenly flew circles around his friend, Costanza’s excitement clearly being infectious, “Costanza, that’s awesome!” He came to a stop, hovering in front of the young Portal Master again, and the two started giggling. “I’m gonna have so much fun, even if nothing happens.”

“Well, try not to be late. I’ll catch up with you later,” Spyro ended the conversation, and took off down the hall. He waved before he disappeared around another corner, and Costanza waved back, “I’m never late, remember?”

He then resumed his rush down the hall, eventually coming across one room in particular. The red wooden door was closed, keeping the sounds from the hall from leaking into the room that laid beyond it.

“This is it,” he told himself, entering the room. It was a library, filled with all sorts of books. From historical to fiction, this one had it all.

However, he wasn’t here to read. Not today, at least. He passed by the many shelves of books, passing glances at a couple of them. Sheep and Why They’re Evil by Blind Beard, a book that Hugo kept reading, citing it as a reason why he fears sheep. Skylands Myths by various authors, a book Costanza read on a daily basis.

He reached the end of the room with ease, and was greeted by two friends. One was a Mabu wearing a green explorer’s coat, a backpack full of maps and history books, and a pair of glasses. The other was a human wearing a blue robe with a sash that had the symbols of the Elements etched into it in their corresponding colors. On his head, a horned helmet with a single, blue jewel sat atop it. His hair and beard were both white, a sign of aging.

“Hello, Hugo! Hello, Master Eon,” he greeted, smiling wide. Both of them turned, and Eon greeted him back, “Welcome, Costanza.”

And, with that, Costanza immediately let out his excitement.

“What’s the mission? Where are we going? Is it cool? Do I get to fight bad guys?”

Master Eon raised a hand, and Costanza went silent, putting a leash on his enthusiasm.

“It’s a simple scouting mission. I know you’re likely well prepared to fight, but I want you and Stealth Elf to spy on one of Kaos’ known bases, the Troll Warehouse, and see what we’re up against.”

The wise Portal Master then added, “Even though this mission is dangerous, this should be somewhat easy, even for you, Costanza.”

He thought it over. Sure the Troll Warehouse was most likely heavily guarded and challenging if a Skylander tackled it alone, but, with Stealth Elf’s, well, stealth, and his Portal magic, it would be a piece of cake.

“Cool! This way, we’ll be one step ahead of Kaos.”

Master Eon nodded, “Agreed. Now, I believe you’ll find Stealth Elf near the Core of Light. Go ahead and let her know I’ve assigned the two of you on a mission.”

Satisfied, Costanza left the room, presumably to head to the Core of Light, leaving Eon and Hugo in silence.

“M-Master Eon,” Hugo stuttered. “Are you sure he’s up to it?”

“I’m sure,” he replied, not moving his gaze from the door. “He’ll need all the experience he can get if he’s to take my place.”

He could sense him coming. He just hoped Costanza made it out in time.

---

When Costanza found Stealth Elf, she was training outside near the Core of Light, right where Master Eon said she was. He leaned on the railing, watching for a moment before getting bored.

“Hey, Stealth Elf,” he called out. The young elf stopped in the middle of her training and turned around. When she spotted Costanza, she waved, “Greetings, Costanza. I assume you need me?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Master Eon said that you and I will be scouting the Troll Warehouse.” Stealth Elf gave him a thumbs up, “Good. Make sure to come down when you’re ready.”

Costanza nodded, looking at the Core of Light. He always felt calm and protected near it, since it kept the Darkness at bay.

“I see you haven’t left yet,” he heard Master Eon speak behind him. He turned around to face his mentor, noticing Trigger Happy and Spyro had also joined them.

“Just want to get another look at the Core of Light. I feel safe knowing it’s protecting us all.”

A silence fell over the group, and Costanza returned his gaze to the Core of Light, “Besides, with the Skylanders by our sides, us Portal Masters should have nothing to fear. We have the best of the best.”

Though, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. He scanned the courtyard for anything out of the ordinary. When he saw nothing wrong, he would look up. It was then that he spotted something in the sky. The sky had been nearly spotless, with few clouds in sight. However, approaching them at an alarming speed, was a mass of dark clouds, a roaring noise that almost sounded like thunder emanating from it.

“Eh, was there supposed to be a storm today…?” he asked, refusing to remove his gaze from it.

There had to be something wrong with those clouds. Something was… off about them. Unnatural, even.

“Master Eon! Those clouds! Is something wrong?” a scared Hugo asked as he ran up to them. He sighed, “Have you ever known dark boiling ominous clouds to be a good thing, Hugo?”

The two shared a look, then looked back up. Costanza could hear the sound of a flying ship of some sort before it came into view. It appeared to be a flying castle, the machinery on it keeping it afloat amongst the dark clouds, which had parted enough to reveal it.

Master Eon wasted no time, “Take your station, Hugo.” The Mabu nodded, rushing off to presumably hide, while Master Eon turned to the Skylanders.

“Skylanders! The Darkness has come. Prepare for battle!”

Costanza nearly jumped down, but a hand on his shoulder held him back. He looked at Master Eon pleadingly, but his mentor shook his head, so he stayed.

As the Skylanders filtered onto the balcony and into the yard, a giant, blue floating head projection appeared before them.

“Behold,” it bellowed, “it is I, Kaos! Long have I waited for this day to take my revenge! Soon, you will all bow down before me!”

It leaned forwards, adding, “Kaos! K-A-O-S!”

“Kaos,” Eon challenged. “I might’ve known that- what happened to your head? It looks ridiculous!”

Costanza chuckled as Kaos went on an angry tangent about his head and how they should fear it. This was the infamous Kaos everyone feared? He had to be some sort of joke. When the rant ended, he pulled himself together.

“You thought you had banished me to the Outlands!?” he laughed. “I, Kaos, have returned to destroy the Core of Light and rule Skylands as its emperor! And you are so old and weak now, Eon. There is nothing you or your pathetic excuse of an apprentice can do about it!”

Costanza’s face scrunched up in anger. Pathetic!? I’ll show him pathe-

“I’ve told you before, Kaos. You and the Darkness have no power here!” Eon stated, inadvertently interrupting Costanza’s thought. He looked at his master, seeing that he showed no fear towards his enemy.

“Oh, is that so?” he replied in a cocky tone. “We’ll just see about that. Minions!”

Suddenly, Trolls, Drows, and Cyclopes imbued with the Darkness began to teleport near the Core of Light en masse. As they started drawing near, Eon wasted no time with his order, “Skylanders!”

Spyro was the first to jump onto the Portal and attack, despite Stealth Elf being down there already. He immediately charged forwards, sending them flying in the air, subsequently defeating the ones he managed to hit within seconds. He was soon followed by the rest of the Skylanders, turning the attack into an all out brawl for the Core of Light. Costanza had lost track of where everyone was in the sea of enemies. But, it didn’t appear that they were losing, and that was something he could feel good about.

“Just tell me what to do,” he told Eon.

“Stay up here. It’s too dangerous,” Eon sternly replied, and Costanza didn’t argue. Instead, he watched as the Skylanders steadily fought off Kaos’ minions. At one point, he saw Spyro charge into a large group of Darkness-infested Drow, bowling them over like they were nothing.

“Yeah! Go, Spyro!” he cheered as the purple dragon continued fighting. One of the Cyclops had climbed up to attack the Portal Masters during the chaos, but Costanza instead punched it in the eye, stunning it briefly before he sent it through a portal. It landed on the battlefield, right into the path of Terrafin. The dirt shark lunged out of the ground, making quick work of it before punching several others.

The dark mass of minions had begun to shrink, and he could see all of the other Skylanders again. The Skylanders were winning, and Kaos was being beaten.

Or so they had thought.

After the invading forces were seemingly defeated, with power orbs from the fallen scattered across the grounds, and with only a small handful still standing, growls could be heard gradually becoming louder, along with the sound of a weapon charging up. The shadow of a four-headed beast fell over them as Eon fearfully muttered, “Not the Core.”

The Portal Masters and the Skylanders had all frozen in their places, the fear of knowing that whatever that thing was going to do couldn’t be stopped holding them hostage.

When the charging reached its peak, Eon shouted, “No!”

Costanza had backed up, his mind in too much of a panic to formulate a plan. His portals weren’t powerful enough to stop whatever that was.

And, at that moment, the explosion hit.

The Core of Light was gone in an instant, and supposedly the Skylanders, too, in a flash of blue light. He and Eon were pulled back by the Portal of Power, as if it were trying to save them. Eon had quicker thinking than him, managing to push Costanza so he entered first.

Finding himself tumbling downwards, flailing about, he shouted, “Master Eon! Help!”

He could see his mentor desperately falling, too, the explosion chasing after them through the Portal’s entrance. Costanza continued to flail about, until something grabbed him. He struggled against it, but to no avail. He looked at it, seeing that it was an ethereal hand of some sort of beast. It appeared a ghostly light purple, but the finer details were obscured. He looked back up to Eon in fear.

“Master Eon,” he cried, but it had no effect as, in horror, he watched the explosion engulf him, and Costanza was dragged out of the Portal’s ‘tunnel’ by the hand, never to be seen in Skylands again.

Meanwhile, on another Earth, the Skylanders had been shrunk and transformed into smaller figurines of themselves for a pair of siblings to discover. That, though, is another story for another time.

Title: Chapter 1

When Costanza was released by the ethereal hand, he was flung, landing harshly on the ground before rolling to a stop on his side. He could feel the pavement beneath him, the shadows surrounding him from the light hitting a building, and the sounds of nearby vehicles could be heard in the distance. He could hear the portal closing behind him, and he hastily got up, ignoring the following bout of dizziness. He frantically rushed to the portal, reaching his hand out as he leapt, desperate to get back.

“MASTER EON!” he screamed, desperation clear in his voice. But, it was all in vain, as the portal closed, and he collapsed on the ground again, his hope draining from his face.

He stayed on the ground, curling up as the realization that he was quite possibly on an unfamiliar island, far from the Citadel. Tears fell as he began to cry for the loss of his mentor, the Skylanders he called his friends, and his home.

He didn’t have anything, anymore. He was all alone.

And so, he stayed there on the ground for awhile, hoping that, if he kept his eyes shut long enough, he’d wake up in his own bed, the events a passing nightmare. That was how they usually worked, right?

But, when he opened them, he was still in the same spot he was left at.

He was never going home.

He glanced up, looking around. He was in a dirty alleyway, the smell of garbage strong enough to almost make him gag. He really didn’t want to be here, but what choice did he have?

He got up, sniffling as he wiped the tears from his face. The city, he presumed, was loud. He was used to the calm of the Citadel, and his hometown, so he was hesitant to leave the small comfort of the alley he had been thrown into.

He had to leave the alley sometime. However, he wasn’t quite brave enough yet. The alley was the closest thing to calm he had so far. Maybe he could take a peek, then go from there. Surely, the world outside the alley wasn’t bad.

Taking several cautious steps towards the entrance to the alley, he could see shapes walking by, and the vehicles, which he assumed were cars, zooming by. He backed away, scared of what the outside of the alley was like. For all he knew, anyone or anything outside that alley could be dangerous. He would try again tomorrow when he had his confidence back.

He took to looking around the alley for a place to take shelter for the night that was yet to come. The smell, as he noticed before, was disgusting. Unclean. There were garbage bins, and he quickly made the deduction that that was where the smell was coming from.

Though, he had smelled worse. He could handle this.

He noticed the wooden planks sticking out of one of the garbage bins, and, after giving it some thought, he made a decent plan. He would use the planks as a sort of roofing as soon as he found a spot in the alley to rest. Grabbing the planks, he wrestled them out of the bin, nearly falling backwards when he successfully got them out. He looked around again, not wanting to be spotted. He would have a hard time explaining why he took planks out of the trash, or how he got there.

Bringing the planks further into the alley, he found that it came to a deadend, surrounded by three buildings made of brick or cement. There were wooden boxes, which seemed to have been unused for a while, stacked almost neatly in the corner. He stared at the boxes, then at the planks he was holding, and then back to the boxes.

“Yeah,” he said. “I can make this work.”

He put the planks down before he started working on moving the boxes. They were a bit heavy, most likely filled with various contents. Costanza made sure he was careful not to make as much noise as possible. Eventually, he got the boxes into two groups of two by one. Then, he picked up the two planks he had found and placed them on top of the boxes. He even used the extra fifth box as a partial wall which he could hide behind. Dusting off his hands and cloak, he stared at his work, wanting to feel proud.

However, when he looked at it, he felt saddened.

His life had suddenly been reduced to whatever this was. He was alone, and without a home.

He was homeless.

He could feel tears welling up, and it took almost all of his willpower not to cry as he crawled underneath the planks, taking off his cloak so he could use it as a sort of blanket. The sun was setting, and so would he. He would need to save his strength for tomorrow, where he would set out and scout this new world. He needed to know where he was, and how to survive.

He just felt so tired, and he welcomed sleep as he closed his eyes.

---

“Mama, mama!”

“Yes, Costanza?”

“Look! Skylanders!”

“Hm? Oh! They came! That’s a good thing.”

“It is?”

“Oh, yes. Those Trolls have been causing trouble for an entire week. The Skylanders are here to help.”

“I wanna help, mama!”

“Costanza, it’s too dangerous for you. Maybe when you’re older-”

“But I can help! I have my magic!”

“Costanza, sweetie, you’re still a child. Those Trolls are nasty and mean. I’d hate for you to get hurt.”

“... Okay, mama.”

“That’s my boy.”

---

When Costanza woke up, it was in the middle of the night. It felt cold, and he shifted, bringing his cloak closer to him. He would go back to sleep soon. It was just the cold. Nothing he couldn’t handle.

He closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to return.

Only it didn’t.

Opening his eyes, he groaned and crawled out from his ‘camp’. It was still dark outside, with the entrance to the alley being illuminated by streetlights. Fewer cars were active, though whenever they passed, the momentarily lit up the alley even more. When he looked up, he could see only a few stars dotting the sky. He had read something months ago that, because of his location, this was due to light pollution and other factors.

He sighed, deciding that he would go out and explore while the city was currently at its quietest. Grabbing his cloak and slinging it over his shoulder, he cautiously approached the alley’s entrance.

There were very few people walking about. The first thing he noticed was that everyone here was human. No Mabu, no Elves, no Foxes, just humans.

Costanza would fit right in, and no one would suspect that he didn’t belong here.

Exiting the alley, he made sure to get a good look at the surrounding area. He would need to remember it for when he had to return.

There was what he assumed was a cafe to his left, a sign hanging that spelled out “Rise & Shine” in a fancy font. He didn’t question how he could read it, since the writing was close enough to Skylandian, somehow. The cafe appeared to be closed, with the lights being off. Across the street was a convenient store, its lights on most likely twenty four seven. To his right, apartment buildings, some lights were on, the rest of them off.

Turning left, he started walking. He would only walk a few blocks, then turn around and head back. Past the cafe and further down the street. It was peaceful, for the most part. It made his mind wander. Back to Skylands, before he became Eon’s student, back when he lived in Twinleaf Town in Sinn’oh.

Back then, he didn’t need to worry about fending for himself. He had his mother and his friends to protect him. And then later, his mentor and the Skylanders.

Now, he had no one but himself.

He sighed, crossing his arms as he hunched over, the weight of grief hanging over him.

Things were never going to be the same.

He didn’t acknowledge the glances of passersby towards him, the strange looks they were giving him. Some even whispered to their companions or partners, quiet enough that Costanza couldn’t hear, but he could guess that they were whispering about a strange boy walking on the streets. He didn’t exactly fit in. But he couldn’t worry about that now.

Costanza didn’t stop until he reached what he believed to be the end of the block. The street stretched on in three other directions, like a four way intersection. He could’ve kept going straight and headed across the street and explored a bit more. However, he found that he didn’t necessarily want to, and instead, turned around so he could head back, bumping into someone in the process.

“S-sorry,” he apologized, and attempted to move past them. The stranger put a hand on his shoulder, gently holding him back.

“Hey, dude,” the stranger asked, and Costanza froze, looking up at his face. He looked like a teenager, just like him, though maybe a couple years older, probably eighteen. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and he looked concerned. “Are you alright?”

Caught off guard, he took a moment to process the question.

A part of him wanted to tell the teenager that he wasn’t okay. That he needed help. He wanted someone to confess to.

But the only thing he could say was-

“I’m fine.”

Breaking free from his grip, he hurried into the small crowd behind him and down the street, ignoring anything the teen was saying to him. Soon, he couldn’t hear him anymore. Soon, he spotted the Rise and Shine sign, and in an instant, he made a break for the alley. Once he was there, he ran for his camp, tucking himself into the corner to hide.

His mind began racing with many thoughts, some of them asking why he didn’t just tell the teenager about his situation. Others were yelling at him for making such a risky move. Costanza squeezed his eyes shut, trying to shut out the thoughts.

He messed up.

Shadows walked by the alley, and he took to watching the shadows as a way to help calm down. Something else to focus on that wasn’t his own failures.

First one shadow passed by. Then three, then two, then three again. The crowd had eventually dissipated, and a lone figure stood at the alleyway’s entrance. He held his breath, silently praying for it to go away. A faint beeping noise went off from far away, and the figure left. When it disappeared, he sighed in relief.

Eventually, he began to grow tired, his body wanting to go back to sleep. And he would allow it.

Tomorrow was another day.

---

Jerry had just left his apartment to go for a midnight walk when he spotted him.

The kid looked to be about fifteen, though he could easily have been sixteen. He just suddenly appeared from the alley that stood between the apartment and his work, and it looked like he was sad about… something.

He looked around, before walking past the cafe in the direction he was going.

Jerry, feeling worried about the kid, decided he would follow him, at least for a little bit, to see if he could talk to him. He started walking, but not at too quick of a pace, in the same direction as the kid. He noticed he was carrying a purple jacket of some kind. It looked well taken care of, as well as the kid’s clothing, so he must’ve just been kicked out recently. That, or he had stolen the clothes. Though, he’d never seen a jacket like that before, and could have easily been a handmade hand-me-down.

The more he thought about it, the more he began to worry for the kid. He wouldn’t make it out there all alone.

As he watched the kid walk, he noticed that his shoulders sagged, like something was weighing him down.

“Weird kid,” he heard someone mutter as the kid walked past them.

Another one chimed in quietly, “Where are his parents?”

“Hope the kid’s alright,” he murmured to himself as they were reaching the corner of the street.

Maybe if he could just talk to him, he could help-

He ended up colliding into the kid as he turned around, neither of them having paid attention to their surroundings.

“S-sorry,” the kid apologized, and attempted to move past Jerry. Instead, Jerry laid a hand on his shoulder, gently holding him back, “Hey, dude.”

The kid snapped his head up to look at him, and he could just see he was hurting. He was also scared.

Jerry couldn’t stop himself from asking the kid a single question, “Are you alright?”

The kid seemed taken aback by the question, and somewhat confused. Then-

“I’m fine.” He’s lying.

The kid slipped out of his grasp, quickly walking away and disappearing into the crowd that had formed behind him. Jerry, not wanting to lose track of him, called out, “Kid, wait! Kid!”

His words fell on deaf ears, so he did his best to get past the crowd and reach the kid. But, when he got past the crowd, he found himself in front of the alley between his apartment and the cafe, with no sign of the kid. It was almost like he had vanished. But he couldn’t have gone far, right?

He took a passing glance down the alley. Perhaps he went down that way?

He didn’t get the chance to walk down the alley when a small, but loud, beeping noise went off. Looking at his watch, he realized he would be late to bed, and thus, have little energy for work, and he quietly sighed. He would find the kid again when he had the chance.

He would also probably have to explain to his boss the situation, and they could figure out how to solve it.

In the end, he entered the apartment complex, where he would head to his room, sleep nearly being elusive.

He couldn’t help but replay the event in his mind.

The kid’s eyes. They held so much pain that he wanted to help him. He wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything would be alright.

Eventually, he would fall asleep with the thoughts of the kid’s wellbeing ceaselessly swarming inside his head.