Echidna Rising
Emperor Trezare was as great as he was good. There were no echidnas like him.
Back then, the anthropomorphic wore robes of stunning, colorful symmetry and sandals that laced up well under the hem of them. Emperor Trezare additionally wore a grand crown with many jewels within it, either crystalline, ivory, azure, or jade in color. His quills were the color of the deep earth, his eyes the color of royalty itself, a pure violet.
As powerful as Emperor Trezare was, authoritatively, physically, and spiritually, he found a rival in the Chaos of the world. The world had been governed by this Chaos since the dawn of time. Chaos controlled the tides of the oceans as well as the creeks. Chaos controlled the terror of the thunderous clouds as well as the breeze. It was so unpredictable that Emperor Trezare wished to contain it, not to gain even more power, but to ease the worry of his subjects.
The subjects of Mobius were frightened of Chaos. There was no telling when disaster would strike. So the emperor used his mighty spirit to crystalize the forces of earth, each element into its own crystal. He named them the Chaos Emeralds.
Such a quest did not end without a price. So he took his very spirit and crystalized it using the jewels of his crown and his treasury. Before long, a mighty Master of the Chaos was formed, and Trezare's spirit lived within it.
His descendants had an unmistakable connection with the Master Emerald, to last forever. However, Trezare's descendants were not as good as he once was. Seeing their connection to Chaos, they used it for their gain, conquering weaker creatures, commanding others as their slaves in exchange for peace, for they controlled Chaos itself.
Great wars were fought in the hundreds of years that followed, the many generations that tried to wield the Chaos caused more chaos than it ever had. As the kingdom was ripped from the world, it seemed that Emperor Trezare's intentions for peace were lost forever. The castle rose high above the world, holding the Master of Chaos within its walls, circled by the emeralds of Chaos.
The kings neglected the world below, and the echidnas in the kingdom fought in a great war for the power that Chaos promised. Soon, the palace was destroyed, as was more than half the population of the kingdom.
After a particularly desperate battle, a young descendant of the emperor's fled to the Master Emerald's shrine. This descendant was a young girl, unnoticed by the emperor's male heirs. Her name was Tikal. Orange as the setting sun, she had inherited Emperor Trezare's goodness. She used her connection to the Master Emerald to command it to shatter. The pieces scattered across the land of Mobius, and Tikal disappeared.
The floating island's inhabitants knew not what to do. Without the Master, the Chaos emeralds scattered as well. The echidnas who knew of Tikal's doing did not know where the girl had vanished to, and they did not know how to find the scattered remains of their mighty jewel.
Years passed as some echidnas searched for the emerald. None possessed the connection to the Master as Emperor Trezare's descendants. And even the descendants were not particularly skillful in tracking treasure.
But there was one that was different. There was one descendant of Trezare, red as the rising sun. He had the connection of the emperors, but he also had a tracking ability thus far unseen. But he was different. He did not want Chaos to return. He did not want to find the treasure, though it was as if the pieces of the Master were calling to him, screaming for him to find them. He wanted the feeling to stop, so despite his will, the young echidna set out to find every piece of the Master Emerald.
The search brought him all across Mobius, through forests, hills, and even barren wastelands. Within a small amount of time, the little echidna had found them all. They glowed and assembled themselves to create the grand Master once again. The red echidna swallowed as the Master shined bright. He squinted until he was forced to close his eyes. When he opened them, he was shocked at the sight that greeted them.
There, standing in front of the emerald, was a girl, not much older than he, with orange quills and golden jewelry. "Finally… salvation," Tikal said. Her voice was soft and hopeful. Though young, she had the aura of a wise sage. "I shattered the emerald so that one day, a true guardian with peace in his spirit may bring the pieces together and restore order to the chaos-driven land. You… the treasure hunter with the spiritual connection to the Master Emerald… with you, peace shall indeed be restored.
"Can it truly?" the red echidna asked.
Tikal nodded. "All you must do is quell the chaos using this great emerald and return the Master to its place."
The boy looked at the great jewel. He recognized his duty to the emerald, to his ancestors, to the world. He would not fail.
He closed his eyes and let his spirit guide him. He seemed to know exactly what to do. He guided the Master Emerald to restore the war torn lands. He rose with it back to that island in the sky, not daring to unfocus his thoughts by opening his eyes. Not until the Master was safely at rest at its shrine.
The rubble of the castle remained, but the shrine built itself around the emerald. Pillars surrounded it, steps led up to it, and it hovered in place. The echidna finally opened his eyes. Tikal was there, nodding solemnly. "Now… you must see what must be done…" she gestured to the emerald.
The younger echidna approached the gem and put his hand on it. Visions flashed across the emerald's surface, showing images of destruction, death, and despair in the lower world. He wanted to turn away, but he forced his eyes to remain.
"Can this really be quelled?" he asked.
Tikal gave him a small, hopeful smile, "It has already started, when the Master Emerald was restored. You felt it, yes?"
"Then let us finish it. I shall end the chaos of this world!"
Tikal was stunned at the determination of this young echidna. She wasted no time in leading him to the world below, where the devastation had hit every corner… and every echidna. "No one…" she whispered.
"No one is left alive…" the red echidna finished.
Yet he felt something stirring within him. It was his treasure sense, spurring him on. There was something ahead, because all the Chaos emeralds were together, almost as one. The two echidnas headed forward, the only way to go, but the most frightening path to take.
Tikal asked, "The emeralds are together? That can't be!"
But the little treasure hunter knew what he felt. There was no doubt in his mind that they were together. But how?
Soon, he had his answer. There, hovering with the power of radiation, was a survivor. It was the echidna Pokam, and the chaos emeralds were circling him, giving him a mighty golden energy.
"Pokam!" the smaller echidna called.
The mighty echidna looked down at the child and laughed. "Well, well, it seems I've missed one!" His dark purple quills were glowing through the golden energy, and his eyes were a bright yellow.
"There has been too much pain, too much destruction… too much chaos! Please! Stop what you are doing!"
"Stop? Ha! I grow more powerful by the moment, and I need not the mighty Master to control the chaos!"
Tikal stepped forward, "Do you not see the desolation you've all caused?"
"Our tribe is dead!" the red echidna added.
"Because they did not deserve to live!" the powerful echidna held up his hand. "Nor do you!"
A golden, elemental blast came from him, and the heroic echidna could barely dodge in time. Tikal called to him. "The Master yet controls the chaos!"
The little echidna did not understand. "If the Master can rule the Chaos…"
"…you can stop Pokam," Tikal explained. "You must defeat him…"
"But…" the child shivered. Pokam, as cruel as he seemed, was his kin. He was of the same tribe. Could he dare to harm him? But the hesitation was a mistake. Pokam blasted yet another force of energy from the emeralds. Tikal pushed him out of the way and was hit in his stead.
"Tikal!" he cried.
She lay on the ground and mumbled something that the young guardian could barely understand, "You have a duty… Knuckles the Echidna."
Knuckles growled and put his palm on his chest, where there was a mark of his lineage to Trezare. "I have a duty to all." Looking to the sky, he raised his hands, "Master of Chaos, oh Master of jewels, come now to me!" He knew exactly what to say, and the Master heeded his will.
"Impossible!" Pokam gasped.
"Destroy the chaos and bring the emeralds to your command!" Knuckles felt his spirit strengthen. "Now!"
The emerald shined with its marvelous light. This time, Knuckles did not have to close his eyes. He watched as the Chaos emeralds fell to the ground, followed by Pokam in a heap. The purple echidna seemed to disintegrate into the Chaos itself.
Tikal rose as if lifted by an unseen hand. Head bowed, she chanted:
"Chaos come together
Chaos come apart
After come together
The search again restarts
For after they gather
They must separate
The search will start again
When they are in their place."
The Chaos emeralds scattered far away, and Tikal, too, seemed to evaporate into mist.
"Tikal!" Knuckles cried out again.
Tikal's voice drifted down to him, "Do not worry about me, for I was never meant to be here, now."
"But…"
"You have done well, Knuckles. And I foresee the same for the entirety of your existence. You are the guardian of the Master Emerald, commander of the Chaos Emeralds, keepers of the Chaos. You will maintain the peace. Your ancestry commands this duty. With you, I know it will be safe."
Knuckles looked at the mighty Master, then back toward Tikal, who was almost completely vanished. "I-I'm sorry… I messed up…"
"No… you have such goodness in you, and such greatness… You will be an excellent guardian. Farewell, Knuckles." And she was gone.
"I won't let you down."