Welcome all, welcome! I finally finished the rewrite to this!

To those who read this before, you likely know it as 'What Doesn't Kill You...'. The reason for the name change is simply because the original name didn't work for this new version of the story. It is vastly different from what it used to be, so hopefully you will all enjoy it.

To at least try and make up for the many months that this story was on hiatus, I will upload the first seven chapters today! This one here is easily the shortest, but it sets things in motion for the others to follow. After this one is up, the others will follow one at a time until the first seven are up. From then on until the end, it will be weekly uploads; every Saturday.

If you haven't played 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent', I highly recommend it if you're into tension horror games. I love it... obviously. If you have played it, then you will recognise the environments I describe a bit easier, other than that, the story in this is different to the one in the game, so if you haven't played it, no big deal. :)

I think that covers everything for now. I won't put a 'pre-chapter note' at the end of the next six, just because there's not really any point. I've told you everything that I've needed to here.

Fun Fact: Just like my other 'Amnesia: The Dark Descent' story, I played the game alongside writing. This was to get details on the surroundings, the atmosphere and how I was feeling a certain points. I also love the game in general, but that didn't take away from how terrifying it was! :D

So, with that, I shall check the next chapter and upload it shortly! I hope you all enjoy 'The Chaos Descent' and I will see you in Chapter 8!

Arby xx

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Amnesia: The Dark Descent or Sonic the Hedgehog. All characters and locations belong to their respective owners.

*Pitter, patter, pitter, patter, pitter, patter, pitter, patter.*

Black, furry ears twitched at the sound of rain falling from the heavens. Roars of thunder erupted from the sky as the storm outside raged on. As seconds passed, his body began to return to reality with his fingers being the first to feel the carpet beneath him. His eyelids revealed his bright, red orbs which were quick to study his surroundings. Once his strength returned, his arms lifted him from the cold, stone floor and onto his still unsteady legs.

"Where am I?" He thought as he noticed the stone walls and red curtains. A wooden door was next to him, which he went through, hoping that another soul would be there. It was empty of life, with only a wooden table and chair sitting tidily in the middle. A lit candle was on the top. Next to it, was a cylindrical item that he was unfamiliar with. He left it alone for now and returned to the hallway to have a look around. Once at the end, he came to an entrance way with an enormous door at the end.

"Must be the way out." He walked calmly to the door, but as he approached, a sudden darkness came over him. It was a feeling of pure dread and the mammal felt the need to collapse and escape the reality once more. It lasted for a few seconds before passing. His breathing had quickened and he looked back at the door not knowing what it was. With one final exhale, he got back to his feet and made it to the door, but as he tried to open it, a roar echoed. It definitely wasn't thunder, it was vastly different; deeper and more intimidating as the structure around him trembled just as he did. He jumped back in fright, obviously not expecting the response he got. A shiver went up his spine at an indescribable noise that accompanied it.

"Wha-what was that?!" He thought to himself, but with no answer, he tried the door again. It was locked, with no noise to halt his actions this time.

"Dammit." He whispered before noticing a different corridor to the right of him. With no hesitation, he walked down it until a gust of wind stopped him in his tracks. A door nearby blew open. He shook himself from his frightened thoughts and went into the now open room.

He instantly felt the warmth of the fire that was burning at the far end. There were several chairs surrounding a table that had a green bottle and another strange, cylindrical object. He shook his head in disapproval at the bottle.

"Alcohol." He thought. "What a disgusting substance." Without touching anything, he swiftly left. Once back in the corridor, he noticed several paintings on the walls and two wardrobes randomly on either side of him. He felt that they weren't worth his time and ignored them both. Another wooden door was at the end, which revealed some stone stairs. Once he reached the top, footsteps could be heard, as if someone else was running.

"Who's there?" He asked in a stern voice. Whoever was messing with him was certainly going to pay for it. His walking pace quickened as he continued left and right down the winding corridor, until the same feeling of dread overcame him. "Ah!" He cried, as he clutched his head. It wasn't physically hurting him, but the feeling alone made him want to slice his own throat. "Stop!" He growled and the feeling suddenly subsided. His body remained on the floor until he was certain the feeling had passed before swiftly getting to his feet. His heart was racing, while his breathing matched it. Once he looked around him, he quickly noticed that no one was there.

"Coward." He mumbled to himself before walking again. He came to another room, this one was larger, but instead of appreciating the knocked over wardrobe or red fabric lining the walls, his attention was diverted to a door at the end, which slowly opened on its own.

The male raised a brow and his mouth opened ever so slightly. His body wouldn't move for fear of attracting attention but… what attention? Again, he shook himself out of it and walked cautiously towards the door, which led into an empty room with more paintings. As soon as he walked in, a sudden violent gust of wind blew out every single candle in the room. Darkness surrounded him as he was once again startled by the sudden turn of events. Not wanting to stay and admire the vast collection of art, he went down some more stone steps that were opposite and kept going until he reached a heavy, red door, which led to the Old Archives.

He was greeted by more of the same stone brick as he entered and began to walk through. Everything seemed so dull and grey; it puzzled him for unknown reasons. The wind continued to plague him as it blew out the nearby torches and blew open another door.

"What is going on?" He whispered angrily, before going into the room on his right. With nothing but basic, wooden bookshelves and more cylinders, he was about to leave when suddenly dozens of cockroaches appeared from nowhere on the floor and began to crawl up his black, white and red shoes. "Ugh!" He yelled in disgust as he shook them off and went back up the steps. He slammed the door behind him and rubbed his head. He had no idea what was going on and he was getting sick and tired of it.

"I need to find the exit. That is all." His voice whispered with a slight tremble. He steadied his breathing before continuing into another room. While he wouldn't admit it, he could feel his hands shaking and his head pounding.

As he entered, he saw another doorway to the right, but upon heading for it, a tornado surrounded him, immediately halting his path. He glanced around quickly to see what was causing it, but a crash on the ground caught his attention. The whirlwind eased off, still leaving him confused, but with everything back to normal, he investigated the source of the noise.

A wooden table nearby had an old lantern that had been blown off. The male knelt down and picked it up. He studied it, trying to figure out how it worked. With the place obviously having no electricity, he knew it would be useful, in case the wind decided to startle him again. It didn't take long to figure it out, so he took it with him into a small, but very dark corridor.

One way was blocked off by a rock slide, leaving only one other way to go. Another wooden door led to what appeared to be a small library with many bookshelves that had books and scrolls upon them. After a few steps in, everything around him began to shake. He grabbed onto the nearest bookshelf and held on, hoping it would pass quickly. Thankfully, it did and he continued through the room and out through another door with many various thoughts fighting to be heard.

The next room was very dark, with only a single candle upon a desk that was lit. He approached it and found a pot of oil, which he now knew was for the lantern, and a written note. It read:

'I wish I could ask how much you remember, but I'm not sure if there's anything left of you. You are a black hedgehog with red markings, am I right? Then this note is for you.

Don't be afraid, Shadow. I can't tell you why, but know this, you chose to forget. The events prior to this are far too horrible for me to tell you. Your mind will be safer without the incident lurking in your thoughts.

You have forgotten for a reason and perhaps that will allow you to put things right, Chaos willing.

I hope with everything I still have that the name Espio the Chameleon invokes some kind of emotion in you. If so, then there may still be a chance.

You need to find him. That is your priority. He is struggling with the same demons that you don't remember and he needs you, now more than ever. This may sound crazy, but you need to save him from himself and only you can do that.

One last thing. Something is after you, something which even you, the Ultimate Lifeform cannot escape or fight. I can only describe it as a living nightmare. It will appear only to you with a cry that is nothing short of horrific. Your only option is to run and keep running no matter what.

You need to get going, there is little time. Save yourself and save Espio.

Your former self,

Shadow.'

He took a look at himself only to notice the black fur and red markings that the note described. His shoes, upon further inspection, seemed different, as if not of this world. He felt the back of his head. His fingers ran over the upturned quills; definitely a hedgehog. It was indeed for him, but what was this incident? Who is Espio and why is he in danger… from himself?

"I… am Shadow?" He pondered as he thought more about the many questions he had. With no other options, he took the note with him and searched for a way out. Using his lantern, he came across a lever upon one of the walls, which opened up a secret entrance to another heavy door; this time leading to the Entrance Hall.