Immune to the Illusions: Chapter 1
Not this again, the hedgehog thought.
Here he was, standing next to the emerald he had risen from.
His pale blue quills rustled with the breeze, green eyes scanning the area.
Something was amiss. The Guardian wasn't around to defend the Master Emerald.
...Where was the emerald?
The entity turned his head, taking off and flying to try and find the source of ultimate energy.
After a quick, thorough search, he flew high into the sky, squinting to see if he could get a better view of the island from above.
It turns out he wasn't on Angel Island at all. He was in the outskirts of a ruined city, one that was overrun by what seemed to be robot enforcers.
He stealthily flew down towards the metropolis, hiding behind buildings where he would go unnoticed. The entity promptly recognized the logo on each system.
It belonged to none other than Doctor Eggman.
Oddly enough, the old man's forces were winning.
The hedgehog rubbed his temples, a furious snarl on his face. How was this pathetic excuse for an opponent taking over a city with such ease? How was he destroying the rebelling army?
After further analyzation of the carnage below, it finally struck him.
Sonic nor his allies were in the fight. A competent bunch of fighters, but none strong enough to truly be able to defeat the robots.
The being lowered himself onto the roof of a smaller tower, sitting on the edge and watching the fight.
He felt the urge to destroy the currently winning team himself and be regarded as a savior, only to turn on those praising him by killing them off as well.
He smirked cruelly at the idea, absentmindedly kicking his legs and chuckling.
They won't stand a chance, he thought. They should be thankful I'm too entertained by the battle to exterminate them.
As time went on, the rebels fell back, many of them bruised and battered from the tough fight.
Various robots were damaged beyond repair, but others were still "alive" and kicking.
The hedgehog found it quite amusing.
The battle had finally concluded. Soon bored by the lack of visual stimuli, he stood up, dusting off his legs for a moment before freezing.
He heard a piercing, almost metallic sort of sound coming from behind.
He whipped his head to look at the source, an aggravated scowl on his muzzle.
A masked mobian with long, flowing white hair appeared before him. There was a large red gem placed on his chest that almost seemed like an emerald.
However, Nazo couldn't sense its energy. Disappointingly enough, it wasn't exactly something he could use for himself.
"Pray tell, what are you doing here, hedgehog?" the newcomer growled lowly, subconsciously pushing his mask back. He scrutinized the deity with his golden eye, their immense power striking both fear and excitement in him. The doctor would love a soldier with this much strength, he thought.
Upon being questioned, the other replied.
"It is none of your business." He crossed his arms, scowling at the nosy jackal. "Leave me to myself before I am forced to take action against you."
"Tch." The canine ignored their demands, instead choosing to slowly approach them. His steps nearly echoed, his own overwhelming presence leaving the pale hedgehog perturbed.
"I can taste your apprehension, your fear." He smirked beneath the mask, leaning closer to their ear. They were tall enough to tower over him, and yet, they were frozen stiff from his hypnotic tone.
"Ohoho, it's simply delicious. Tell me, what is your name?" He pried.
"...Nazo." They responded, not daring to glance at the jackal to their right. Nazo was hesitant with his response, though he remembered he initially didn't want to tell them anything.
What were they doing to him?
"Nazo….I will remember your name and face. Now, do tell. What were you doing?"
"I was simply spectating." He quietly swallowed. The metallic noise was heard again, giving the hedgehog a slight headache.
"I saw the destruction and was drawn to it, but chose not to participate."
He could feel his hands getting clammy, the fabric of his gloves becoming almost unbearable. He was so busy staring off into space that he was oblivious to his surroundings changing. He was backed up against a wall, his ankles and arms bound to it.
"And, what exactly is your name?" The hedgehog managed to mumble in his stunned state.
Their masked face only got closer, a gleam of intimidation in his eye. His thick tail gave a swish, the jackal audibly chuckling while he spoke. "Heheh. I am Infinite, the most powerful individual you will ever face."
Nazo bit his lip. Was this being really the most powerful? There was no possible way!
The only person that had struck this much fear into him was Shadic, but even then he was able to fight back.
Here, he felt cornered, chained to the ground, unable to think of a way to escape.
….Impossible!
"Let me go, Infinite." He snarled upon realizing that he had been fooled into feeling something that wasn't real.
He yanked away at his surprisingly realistic binds, ripping them off with ease. "You cannot trick me!"
The jackal was impressed, though he still wanted to gain the upper hand in this volatile situation.
His immediate reaction was to grab the hedgehog by the chin, claws just barely piercing their flesh. "Relax," he murmured, "I won't hurt you. You're quite the interesting specimen."
They let out a feral growl, though they didn't struggle or tear his hand away. Infinite seemed true to his word, doing nothing other than attempting to pacify his possible new ally.
"You're a force of nature." He continued with an entertained croon, letting go of them. "An admirable and ideal trait in a warrior."
At this, Nazo raised an eyebrow. He was no warrior! He was a conqueror, destined to become the true ultimate life form, unlike Shadow the hedgehog.
His brows furrowed, a soft hiss in his tone. "I do not work for anyone. I am not owned."
"And who said anyone would own you?" Infinite howled with laughter. "You cannot be tamed so easily, nor can you be tied down for that matter."
His voice was quite alluring, but that aspect was outweighed by the threatening implications his words had.
Nazo analyzed what they said. They saw his unwillingness to work with them as a challenge.
They saw it as one that they would fight tooth and nail to win. Their misplaced confidence was adorable.
He grinned, leaning back and crossing his arms. "I wish you luck on your quest, Infinite. Your silly charms and mirages do not work on me. Come find me when you've gained enough strength to properly fight me!"
Nazo moved his left arm back, smacking their mask with a backhanded slap. The mask dug into Infinite's face, causing him to roar.
While he was distracted with adjusting the disguise, Nazo used chaos control to teleport to the real Angel Island.
The jackal knew he had failed miserably, sinking to the floor and howling.
"I'M NOT WEAK!"
To him, they were charms? Infinite pondered, his shoes clacking as he sauntered along the metallic corridor of the egg base. His rage had long since subsided, instead becoming replaced with interest.
He had to tell the doctor about what had happened. Someone with so much strength couldn't be left unchecked, especially in a world where everyone was out to get them in the struggle to be freed from their reins.
He darted through the halls, head swiveling left and right to peek into each room to check if Eggman was in them. Once he was assured that the man wasn't where he thought they were, he followed the path that had been ingrained into his memory.
He trekked down a large flight of stairs and ladders, soon finding himself in front of an iron laboratory door.
He inputted a series of numbers on a PIN pad to the right. It granted access to him after a camera recognized his face.
Infinite tapped his foot, arms crossing as he waited for the agonizingly slow door to open. As soon as it was wide enough for him to fit, he ran through, skidding to a stop at yet another security door. He sighed and rolled his eyes, focusing on a pad that seemed to be a sort of scanner. He took off his glove, practically slapping his hand onto it.
A green light moved up and down, confirming that he was a familiar and was allowed to go in.
He grumbled to himself, annoyed with the amount of security the doctor had. What if he needed to escape the lab in case of a fire or some other disaster? He realized that they would only get in the way. He'd need to talk about that with his superior too.
He looked side to side, scanning the parts of the massive room he was able to see. At this point, he was left scratching his head. Where was the doctor?
"Doctor Eggman?" The jackal called, gingerly pacing forward. "Over here, Infinite!" The familiar voice called from afar, a tad muffled.
He eagerly bounded towards the source, only to be blocked by a thick steel door. At least this one didn't need any sort of verification.
He heaved one of them to the right, huffing from how heavy it was. He almost didn't bother closing it once he entered, though his guardian urged him to.
"So, how did the invasion go?"
The latter asked, looking up from what he was working on. He wiped sweat off his brows with a handkerchief, setting it on the edge of his workspace table
In the middle was a diamond shaped piece, complete with wires and circuits. Behind the doctor's table was a desk/shelf attached to the wall, three monitors sitting on it side by side. Each screen had lines filled with complex code, connected by one small wire to a tiny metal piece on the diamond.
It glowed just a tad, emitting a soft light.
"It went well, your forces took down those measly freedom fighters. A few robots couldn't be returned." He informed.
"Excellent!" His superior grinned, brimming with joy at the victory. "I knew they would be strong enough!" He began to polish the hard side of the diamond, his eyes on the jackal.
Infinite nodded along, gently tapping his mask with a claw.
"Doctor, there was also something I believe you should know about. When I finished supervising the battle, I found a light blue hedgehog sitting on top of a tower. He was incredibly powerful, possibly rivaling the strength of Super Sonic!"
At this, Eggman stopped working completely. He set down the object on the table, face scrunching up out of both piqued curiosity and wariness. "He sounds….familiar. Go on."
They obeyed the instruction. "His name is Nazo. I attempted to force him into subordination, but he seemed to be immune to my illusions. Although, it may have been my fault I made it obvious." He began to ramble, his franticness thinly veiled.
"No, every time I change reality in front of people's faces, they still fall for it! Seeing is believing, but what is it about him that allows him to see through it all?"
It could have been that he was simply smarter than most. Or, there was more to him that met the eye.
"Don't forget to breathe," Eggman muttered, then continued normally. "What else was there that could've indicated his strength?"
"Well," they began once again, "He had a sort of energy to him. It was similar to that of the Chaos Emeralds'..." He pointed at an emerald that lay unattended on the desk near the diamond.
This made the doctor beam, a wicked smile on his face. "Oh, really? Do tell me more!"
"He hit my face." The jackal spoke flatly. "Though, I forced him to stay calm with my words and voice." He puffed up his chest a bit, sticking his snout into the air. "I managed to keep him in his place without violence."
"...Until he hit you? Or did that happen before you soothed him?" Eggman snarkily replied with a laugh.
The smaller one angrily huffed, crossing his arms and looking off to the side. "After. Then, he teleported using what I believe is Chaos Control."
The doctor nearly fainted from how enthusiastic he was. "Hah! It's almost like another Shadow, but better!"
He dusted his gloves off, rubbing his palms against each other to further rid of any residue. "So you think you'll be able to convince him to join the Eggman Empire?"
"Absolutely, sir." Infinite responded with a nod. He turned around to leave, sliding open the door. "I will make sure he becomes one of us, no matter what it takes. I promise you."
Eggman gave him a grunt of approval, dismissing him so he could return to work on his latest project.
He hunched over to grab a wire, only to look up at the canine when he spoke.
"Oh, and by the way, your immense security measures will be your downfall if any kind of emergency occurs. These heavy doors are no help either. You should fix them for your own sake."
With that, Infinite walked out and closed the door, sneering to himself.
He took off the mask, examining it and softly tracing over it with his claws.
There was a grueling game to be played, and he would be the one to come out on top.